COURSE TITLE:

English Composition: Research Writing

COURSE HOURS PER WEEK:

COURSE NUMBER:

WR 123

COURSE CREDITS:

Lec/Lab:

COURSE PREREQUISITES:

A passing grade (C- or better) in WR 122

Lab:

• At least 15 pages of polished, research-based writing in final draft copy.

AND

• One or more of the following: quizzes, journals and notebooks, in-class discussions and participation, bibliography assignment, informal writing assignments, presentations, non-writing research projects, conferences and peer review, paper revisions.

B. Demonstrate critical thinking and reading skills:

• Actively read challenging college-level texts, including: annotation, cultivation/development of vocabulary, objective summary, identification and analysis of the thesis and main ideas of source material;
• Evaluate sources for authority, currency, reliability, bias, sound reasoning, validity, and adequacy;
• Research and synthesize disparate sources, weighing various conclusions based on the evidence presented in order to build a credible research-based discussion;
• Develop a thesis or claim based on the evaluation and synthesis of primary and secondary sources.

C. Make appropriate and effective rhetorical choices during all stages of the writing process: invention, drafting, revising, and editing:

• Use appropriate rhetorical strategies to support an argumentative or position-based thesis/claim in a research-based paper;
• Address issues of purpose and audience, anticipating and preparing for reactions to written work by audiences outside the classroom;
• Choose appropriate language (voice, tone, style, etc.) to persuade an informed and educated reader or to assert a position taken by a writer.

D. Exercise Appropriate methods of development and support:

• Demonstrate the ability to organize longer research papers with an introduction, logically arranged body paragraphs that develop the thesis and synthesize information from a variety of sources, and a conclusion;
• Utilize an organization that will reflect the scope and nature of the thesis;
• Thoroughly develop and support the thesis with a balanced and insightful presentation of 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 and that gives evidence of understanding the implications of choosing one method of representing a source's ideas over another.

E. Demonstrate successful use of the research and writing process:

• Use library resources (e.g., subject indexes, online databases, etc.) to locate information, recognizing that there are different resources available for different purposes/subjects;
• Demonstrate successful use of the research process: writing research proposals, formulating incisive questions, conducting library and/or field research, taking careful notes, and compiling an annotated bibliography or review of literature;
• Use some advanced research techniques to locate sources (e.g., subject indexes, Boolean search terms, etc.);
• Recognize the recursive nature of both research and writing.

F. Effectively and correctly use accepted conventions and formatting:

• Demonstrate the ability to use Edited Standard Written English (ESWE) to address an academic audience;
• Use a writer's handbook and/or other resources with increasing sophistication for style, grammar, citation, and documentation;
• Include index, pagination, and appropriately integrated visuals into projects, as needed.