Course Syllabus

ENGL 2010 Intermediate Research Writing

Course Description

This writing-intensive course builds on ENGL 1010 with a focus on research and writing purposeful arguments. It advances student skills and knowledge related to effective processes, awareness of context and purpose, collaboration, and inquiry.

Justification

ENGL 2010 meets a General Education requirement (E2) for graduation. This course provides students with the opportunity to develop research and written communication skills necessary for a successful college experience and critical thinking skills that can apply to all areas of study.

General Education Outcomes

1. A student who completes the GE curriculum has a fundamental knowledge of human cultures and the natural world. Students will investigate human cultures and the natural world in their choice of topics, their research on those topics, and in planning essays on those topics.
2. A student who completes the GE curriculum can read and research effectively within disciplines. Students learn to locate, evaluate, interpret, and respond to peer-reviewed and other research both in print and online for use in argumentative writing.
   
3. A student who completes the GE curriculum can draw from multiple disciplines to address complex problems. Students will engage with multidisciplinary knowledge through their research and writing on various topics.
4. A student who completes the GE curriculum can reason analytically, critically, and creatively. Students will develop critical thinking and reading skills. especially as they evaluate and synthesize research from multiple disciplines.
5. A student who completes the GE curriculum can communicate effectively through writing and speaking. Students will develop productive writing processes for producing intentionally structured, rhetorically effective texts.

General Education Knowledge Area Outcomes

1. Students will research an appropriate topic for a major project, finding credible evidence, integrating that evidence in their writing, and documenting that evidence in an appropriate style, such as MLA. Students will research an appropriate topic for a major project, finding credible evidence, integrating that evidence in their writing, and documenting that evidence in an appropriate style, such as MLA.
2. Genre Awareness: compose texts in multiple genres, demonstrating intentional application of genre conventions and document design principles  Students will compose writing in various genres such as research reports, bibliographies, and persuasive arguments, etc., paying attention to appropriate style and document design principles for each genre.
3. Context and Purpose: compose texts for a range of purposes and audiences and in a range of modalities in order to make meaningful contributions to a field of knowledge and/or practice, including a major research-supported argument  Students will complete formal and informal research and persuasion assignments, demonstrating their understanding of audience, purpose, etc.
4. Language Awareness and Usage: demonstrate intentional application of stylistic linguistic knowledge in various rhetorical situations  Students will consider how style, grammar, spelling, and other conventions influence the ways audiences respond to texts and apply this knowledge in their own writing.
5. Recursive Writing Processes: demonstrate the development of flexible, iterative processes for inquiry (e.g., developing research questions, synthesis, etc.) and composition (e.g., invention, planning, responding to feedback, revision, etc.)  Students will examine exemplary models of writing, write multiple drafts, and participate in peer reviews and/or conferences with professors.

Course Content

With the support of instructor-chosen texts and electronic media (which may include OERs, handbooks, or technical writing guides), students will study the following as they apply to academic writing contexts:
• research methods and inquiry processes (including evaluating sources and information)
• proper documentation and integration of sources and data
• synthesis of ideas from various sources
• communicating complex ideas in clear and informative ways
• applying critical thinking to solve practical problems
The content will be delivered through a combination of lecture, small group discussion, and peer review activities. As with all composition classes, students in ENGL 2010 are required to engage critically with a variety of perspectives in their writing, including those that differ from their own.