This particular section of English Composition was designed to provide undergraduate students with an introduction to formal academic research-based writing in the English language. Over the course of the semester, each individual student will have the opportunity to develop skills in research, writing and presentation in an area of interest of their choosing based on their particular experience and goals. Students are required to identify a problem early in the semester and submit a research proposal aimed at developing a deeper understanding of that problem, complete with a list of possible sources, as well as a working thesis statement with supporting claims; by the end of the semester, students will have thoroughly conducted research on their topic, submitted a well-written research paper, delivered an oral presentation, and formulated a project proposal that provides a potential solution to the problem explored in their paper. This course provides students with the unique opportunity to develop the written communication skills necessary to write at the undergraduate level in the US system. Students will be required to schedule appointments with the university's Writing Center.

By the end of the course, students will be able to: 

1. Produce formal academic writing that

     a. Demonstrates their understanding of the writing process, from brainstorming, planning, and drafting to revising, finalizing and presenting
     b. Showcases their ability to identify a problem, propose a thesis statement, and present an original argument on the subject in a well-organized paper, complete with the following clearly-divided sections: introduction, body, and conclusion
     c. Exhibits their aptitude in written communication skills, specifically the use of grammatically & idiomatically correct English prose for an academic audience in the English language university context
     d. Shows their capacity to effectively incorporate evidence into their writing from outside sources according to MLA style

2. Conduct primary and secondary research that

     a. Demonstrates their understanding of the research process, from identifying preliminary sources to applying them to their projects
     b. Showcases their ability to find and seamlessly incorporate strong evidence for an argument into their writing, in particular the body section of a research paper
     c. Exhibits their aptitude in source evaluation and critical literacy skills, showing their capacity to select reliable sources

3. Participate in a writing community in ways that

     a. Demonstrates their understanding of the peer review process and how it can be applied to their own individual writing process
     b. Showcases their ability to collaborate with their peers, instructors, and mentors to receive and provide feedback, thus improving their craft
     c. Exhibits their capacity in identifying relevant problems and proposing actual solutions based on research projects, as part of a larger goal of improving their community through collaboration.

Students are required to attend all scheduled class meetings. Within the context of the current approach to the handling the COVID-19 pandemic by not only the university but also the instructor, the word "attend" means either a) being physically present in the classroom for the entirety of our lessons, or b) being logged in to our virtual classroom on Microsoft Teams for the entirety of our lessons with your camera on. In the event that we are not able to have class, students are expected to spend our scheduled class time, which amounts to a total of 75 minutes, engaging with coursework and providing evidence of having done so, if needed.

Students are allowed 4 absences during the term (excused or unexcused). Each additional absence beyond the four allowed will result in the reduction in the final grade for the course by 5%. Students arriving to class after attendance has been taken will be counted as late. Two late arrivals will count as an absence. As a common courtesy, students are asked to notify the instructor before the scheduled class time to communicate your tardiness or absence. Please refer to the JCU catalog for the attendance and absence policies.

*The course schedule is subject to change. Changes will be communicated orally in class and/or in writing via email, Microsoft Teams and/or Moodle.