COURSE NUMBER:

WR 121

Lecture: 

COURSE CREDITS:

Lec/Lab:

COURSE PREREQUISITES:

Appropriate scores on Lane's Writing Placement Test or a passing grade (C- or better) in WR 115.

Lab:

A. Engage in and value a respectful and free exchange of ideas.

• Three to five essays for a total of 12-14 pages per term in both draft and final form (3000-3500 words) of final draft copy, including one essay of at least 1000 words that integrates research.

AND

• One or more of the following:  peer editing; instructor conferences; journals; in-class and/or electronic writing; class discussions of papers; class discussions of assigned essays and stories for critical reading; small group work; quizzes; presentations; conferences.

Some sections may employ an online- or service-learning component.

B. Demonstrate critical thinking and reading skills of situations or challenging college-level texts:

• Read actively and rhetorically: engage with complex ideas in order to evaluate and interpret texts;
• Evaluate, use, and synthesize sources in support of the thesis, which may include primary and secondary, and found in media-captured, electronic, live and printed forms;
• Develop and organize essays using logic, examples, and illustration, and research to support his/her ideas;
• Engage in the research process as part of an inquiry process.

C. Make appropriate and effective rhetorical choices during all stages of the writing process:

• Adopt an appropriate point of view, which takes into account voice, tone, and ethos;
• Choose strategies of development appropriate for the purpose and audience--including narration, cause/effect, description, comparison/contrast, classification, process, and definition (recognizing that effective writing usually involves combinations of these "modes");
• Identify audience and a clear purpose;
• Shape a thesis and/or controlling idea (implicit or explicit) that expresses a focused approach to ideas, insights, and/or applications.

D. Develop and Organize Essays:

• Develop essays through a flexible process of pre-drafting, planning, drafting, revising, and editing;
• Write at least one essay that demonstrates an understanding of the basic principles of argumentation;
• Develop support using methods that may include:  adequate explanatory details, sensory and narrative detail, dialogue, examples, illustrations, reasons, analogies, and forms of evidence such as summary and synthesis of outside sources;
• Organize ideas coherently and logically in clear sentences, paragraphs, and essays, employing effective connections and transitions;
• Utilize an effective organizational strategy that reflects the scope and nature of the thesis, including:  an effective introduction, logically arranged body paragraphs that develop the thesis, body, and conclusion;
• Emphasize and subordinate ideas appropriately.

E. Begin to use the library and Internet resources to conduct research:

• Use a database and the Internet to locate information and evidence;
• Demonstrate an ability to summarize, paraphrase, and quote sources in a manner that distinguishes the writer's voice from that of his/her sources.

F. Effectively and correctly use accepted conventions and formatting:

• Type and format final drafts with appropriate headings, titles, spacing, margins, demonstrating an understanding of either MLA or APA citation style;
• Use the handbook or other resources for style, grammar, and citation;
• Evaluate the effectiveness of his/her work with peer responders, tutors, and/or instructors, demonstrating a focused process of improvement from early to final drafts;
• Employ an appropriate variety of correct and effective sentence structures (e.g., fragments may appear only when stylistically appropriate);
• Demonstrate the ability to use Edited Standard Written English (ESWE) to address an academic audience.