Course Description
ENG 104: Composing Research
(3) Applies the fundamentals of rhetoric to the research process: methods of research; the rhetorical nature of research; elements, strategies, and conventions common to research writing, including multi-modal presentations of new knowledge. Prerequisite: ENG 103; or appropriate placement.
Course Goals
- Create and complete research projects. This involves generating a research question, engaging in critical/analytical reading, developing an argument with evidence collected from both primary and secondary research, and documenting sources appropriately.
- Align research questions with appropriate research methods
- Employ critical thinking in evaluation, speculation, analysis, and synthesis required to evolve and complete a research project.
- Use a variety of strategies to gather and organize information appropriate for the context and persuasive to the intended audience.
- Use the university research library to forward their research agenda.
- Engage in collaborative research.
- Employ format, syntax, punctuation, and spelling appropriate to various rhetorical situations in a stylistically sophisticated manner.
- Collect, analyze, and organize research information in verbally and visually compelling ways.
- Take initiative for the development and completion of individual and joint research projects.
Course Content and Format
The content and format of ENG 104 are designed to enable students to achieve the course goals:
- Discuss, analyze, and respond to texts composed in a variety of media that develop an argument by relying on different kinds of research and that are addressed to diverse academic audiences
- Analyze the connections among research questions, research methods, audience, and style
- Design various research projects that involve generating a question, collecting data, analyzing data, and interpreting the analysis
- Conduct research projects that rely on various means of gathering data, including but not limited to fieldwork, online research, and library research
- Analyze data collected through a variety of methods
- Compose proposals, progress reports, and final research reports for individual projects
- Compose final research reports that are persuasive and appropriate for the intended audience and context
- Compose research reports in multiple drafts, involving peer feedback, self-reflection, instructor’s written comments, and teacher-student conferences
- Reflect regularly on the choices available and the decisions made in the creation and completion of research projects.
Requirements
As an outcome of the course content and format, which enable the accomplishment of the course goals, students in English 104 are required to complete:
- Four or more research projects that address different audiences, contexts, and data collection/analysis processes
o One project will take the form of a Research Proposal and Annotated Bibliography
o One project will culminate in a research driven, academic essay of 8-12 pages; appropriate works cited is additional
- Reading assignments for discussion, analysis, and response including texts created through a variety of media
- Informal writing assignments (such as journals, reading reflections, in-class writings, or smaller pieces intrinsic to major research projects)
NOTE: In order to fulfill the University's Core Curriculum requirement in Writing Program courses, students must earn a minimum grade of C to pass; a grade of C- is not considered acceptable. Writing Program courses may be repeated as many times as necessary to meet the requirement but:
- The first and all other grades will show up on the transcript.
- Only the most recent grade earned in the course will be used to compute the cumulative GPA.
- A grade of W will not replace a previous grade.
- Course credit hours apply only once to graduation requirements.
(Please see Ball Point for a more complete explanation of these policies.)
Evaluation
Students provide anonymous evaluations of the course. Instructors are urged to evaluate and revise individual syllabuses on a regular basis. ENG 104 is subject to curriculum review by the writing committee.
Approved Primary Text For English 104
- The primary text for English 104 is Ball Point volume 2. Faculty may also order an approved supplemental text.