Writing 123 - English Composition III
(Research-based Academic Writing)
Instructor:  Cora Agatucci, Ph.D.
Professor of English & Humanities Department Chair

FALL 2008 -  WR 123 - CRN 40221 - 3 Credits
Tues & Thurs 10:15 - 11:30 a.m., Ponderosa 206

Fall 2008 WR 123 Required Textbook:

Palmquist, Mike. The Bedford Researcher (Spiral Bound). 2nd (Sprl.) ed.
            Boston: Bedford-St. Martin's, 2006. [Available for purchase from COCC Bookstore]
            ISBN-10: 0-312-43392-1 (spiral) paperback
            ISBN-13: 978-0312433925 (spiral) paperback

Contact Cora Agatucci
Electronic mail:
Office Location: Modoc 224 (Bend campus)
Office Hours: See current Schedule; also by appointment
Office Phone & Voicemail: (541) 383-7522
Mailbox (Humanities Dept. Office, Bend campus): Modoc 226 
Fax:  (541) 330-4396 (Attention: CORA AGATUCCI)
Cora's Home Page: http://web.cocc.edu/cagatucci/ 

Brief Course Description from COCC 2007-2008 Catalog:
WR 123 - English Composition III
"Stresses skills necessary to produce college research papers. Students learn to focus a topic; to practice critical reading; to evaluate sources and incorporate them into their writing; and to formally organize, format and document their final revisions. Recommended Prerequisites: WR 122, LIB 127."
Credits: 3    Lecture: 3

WR 123 Course Prerequisites: Are you ready for WR 123?

Students are best prepared to succeed in WR 123 who have already . . .

(1) Successfully completed Writing 122 (with grade of "C" or better); and
(2) Successfully completed Library 127 (with grade of "C" or better); and
(3) Acquired basic computer competencies (e.g. in using word processing software, e-mail and internet browser).

WR 123 Learning Outcomes: What will you learn in WR 123?

Learning Outcome 1       Create a search strategy  . . .

• that proposes a manageable research topic based on exploratory thinking and investigation;

• that establishes a clear direction and focus for the project;

• that employs a variety of resources available through the library (such as books, periodicals, government documents, on-line databases, and EBSCOHost), through inter-library loan, through the Internet, and/or through student-directed empirical research (such as surveys, interviews, and questionnaires); and

• that results in a thesis that the student develops and tests through the course of the research process.

Learning Outcome 2       Demonstrate proficiency at critically reading, analyzing and evaluating both primary and secondary sources in order to interpret and responsibly manage facts, statistics, inferences, expert opinions, lay opinions, value judgments, and empirical data. 

Learning Outcome 3       Develop a research system that avoids plagiarism and fairly represents sources by quoting, paraphrasing, and summarizing with appropriate documentation.

Learning Outcome 4       Demonstrate proficiency in such integral research writing tasks as the summary, abstract, proposal, annotated bibliography, critical review of literature, and formal outline.

Learning Outcome 5       Revise and edit the research paper to meet college-level writing standards and to satisfy the student's rhetorical purpose and audience.

Learning Outcome 6       Develop awareness of differing citation and bibliographic systems from various academic disciplines and develop competence in one system most appropriate for a specific research-based academic paper.

Learning Outcome 7       Plan and manage the process of writing to incorporate the special concerns of research writing: converting notes, summaries and quotations into a text unified and organized by effective transitions and restatement; negotiating among the divergent voices of the sources while clearly conveying the student's own persona and tone; integrating a variety of documentary sources with the student's own thinking; effectively employing the recursive stages of drafting, revising, and editing; and maintaining a consistent work schedule that ensures the final draft is delivered on time.

Learning Outcome 8       Use writing to provide peers with alternative viewpoints and suggestions for revising and editing research writing.

Learning Outcome 9       Analyze and evaluate one's own research writing, identifying strengths and weaknesses in the research process and product--and suggest some means of improving his or her practice of gathering, synthesizing, organizing, and presenting information.

Approved by Humanities Dept. Composition Committee, rev. 4-14-99

You are here:  WR 123 Course Home Page
URL of this webpage: http://web.cocc.edu/cagatucci/classes/wr123/index.html
Last Updated: 25 September 2008

Copyright © 1997 - 2008, Cora Agatucci, Professor of English
Humanities Department, Central Oregon Community College
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