Schedule *** PBWiki *** WebBoard
English 5363, Research Methods in Composition, will introduce you to a variety of research methods and methodologies used in Composition and Technical Communication and Rhetoric research. While this course does serve as an overview, we will concentrate primarily on work that has influenced our broad field for the past ten years. The work you do in this course will give you an orientation which will prove to be valuable as you select further research courses from which you will ground your dissertation research. In subsequent, more focused research courses, you'll build upon the overview knowledge base you'll get in 5363.
The course builds on the assumption that research is intimately related to context, theory, and practice, and that all research—quantitative, qualitative, or mixed—is an act of selecting and interpreting information. Throughout the course, we will explore the implications of these assumptions, test their applicability to specific research methodologies, and look for common ways in which they shape the work of researchers using different research methods and approaches. Our central questions for this course will be "what constitutes a good, workable research question?" and "how do I select the best method to answer that question?". As a participant in this class, you will read critically texts on conducting research as well as evaluate existing research, and this experience will enable you to address the central questions from an informed perspective.
You are expected to participate as a professional in the intellectual community of the seminar. To do so, you'll need to come to class, keep up with the readings, turn in work on time, and demonstrate your familiarity with the readings via your questions, comments, and writing. The ultimate goal for this course is the evolution of your own critical awareness and your own emerging skills as a researcher, a process that depends entirely on your active commitment to the class. To aid in this process, you will be required to participate responsibly in:
| Two "micro-studies" | 20% |
| Three Substantive Reading response logs and 6-8 Reading Responses | 15% |
| A Collaborative knowledge base bibliography entry posted on PBWiki | 15% |
| A major written project | 30% |
| Homework and quizzes, class participation | 10% |
| A final exam | 10% |
| A | superior. The paper meets or exceeds all the objectives of the assignment. The content is mature, thorough, and well-suited for the audience; the style is clear, accurate, and forceful; the information is well-organized and formatted so that it is accessible and attractive; the mechanics and grammar are correct. The paper has publication potential. |
| B | competent. The paper meets the objectives of the assignment, but it needs improvement in style, or it contains easily correctable errors in grammar, format, or content, or its content is superficial. |
| C | unsatisfactory for graduate courses. The paper needs significant improvement in concept, details, development, organization, grammar, or format. It may be formally correct but superficial in content, or it may not meet the terms of the assignment. |
You can figure an A as 95, A- as 90, B+ as 88 etc.
Any student who, because of a disability, may require some special arrangements in order to meet course requirements should contact me by the end of the second week of classes to make necessary accommodations.