WAYLAND BAPTIST UNIVERSITY

San Antonio Campus

Summer 2008:  May 26 – August 9, 2008

 

COURSE NUMBER AND TITLE:  RSWR 3345-SA01 Research Writing Methods

 

CATALOG DESCRIPTION:  Provides instruction in formulating research topics, conducting research, and writing papers, which marshal support from secondary sources.  Students will learn to read and understand research reports, to analyze and interpret results, and to develop in-depth, research-based papers centering on topics in their academic disciplines.

 

PREREQUISITE:  ENGL 1301 – Composition and Rhetoric

 

REQUIRED TEXTBOOKS:  Hacker, D. (2007) A Writer’s Reference.  Boston:  Bedford/St. Martin’s.

 

REQUIRED RESOURCE MATERIALS:  spiral notebook (with perforated edges),

blue or black ink pens, white out or correction tape, 2 pocket folders, dictionary and/or thesaurus, red ink pen, note cards, a highlighter and access to website dianahacker.com/writersref

 

INSTRUCTOR:

Gail D. Thompson, Adjunct Instructor

OFFICE:

 

OFFICE PHONE:

     (210) 826 - 7595

HOME PHONE:

   

EMAIL ADDRESS:

     Gail.Thompson@wbusa.wbu.edu

COURSE WEB SITE:

 

FAX:

     (210) 826-5699

OFFICE HOURS:

     By appointment

CLASS HOURS:

     Monday, 6:00 p.m. – 10:10 p.m.

CLASS LOCATION:

     WBUSA, Main Building, room 110

 

 

OUTCOME COMPETENCIES:  At the conclusion of the course, students who have been actively involved will be able to:

            •           identify the basic philosophies and components of quantitative and

                        qualitative research and discuss the need for research within a given

                        academic discipline;

            •           utilize printed library reference materials, proprietary databases, and

                        Internet resources to locate source material;

            •           use borrowed information in a manner that complies with standard

                        academic conventions pertaining to quotation and paraphrase;

            •           report a source author’s main points in the form of a summary;

            •           analyze and evaluate the assertions of a source author in order to support

 

                        your own main point;

            •           organize and manage more than one borrowed source in order to support

                        your own main point;

            •           develop and focus a research topic; and

            •           write a research question/proposal, a review of the literature, an abstract,

                        an outline, a summary, a synthesis, and a unified, coherent, complete

                        research paper in proper writing style such as APA, MLA, or Turabian.

 

ATTENDANCE POLICY:  Students enrolled should make it a priority to attend all classes.  All absences must be explained to the instructor, who will then determine whether the omitted work can be made up.  When a student reaches four (4) absences, the instructor will so advise the student and file an unsatisfactory progress report with the campus dean. A fifth (5) absence will result in the automatic withdrawal of the student from the course.  Finally, please be aware that absences from class do impact the final grade received for the course.  Three tardies will be treated as the equivalent of one absence.

 

SERVICES FOR THE DISABLED:  It is University policy that no otherwise disabled person be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subject to discrimination under any educational program or activity in the University.  Students should inform the instructor of existing disabilities at the first class meeting.

 

STUDENT RESPONSIBILITY:   Students are responsible for reading, understanding, obeying, and respecting all academic policies, with added emphasis being placed upon academic progress policies, appearing in the Wayland Baptist University Academic Catalog applicable to their curriculum and/or program of study.

 

INSTRUCTOR’S POLICY ON ACADEMIC DISHONESTY:  University students are expected to conduct themselves according to the highest standards of academic honesty.  Academic dishonesty for which a student is subject to penalty includes cheating, possession of materials (i.e. a test), forgery, plagiarism and collusion. Plagiarism is defined as “the use of any source for your work that is not acknowledged by an entry in a works cited page or reference page having internal documentation.” Collusion is “working with another student or another person to produce a work that you claim as solely your own.” Papers determined to be plagiarized or the result of collusion will receive a zero grade.  Papers which do nothing but paraphrase or restate the essays of others, even if scholastic honesty is not a factor, will received a grade of “F.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

MISCELLEANOUS: 

 

1.  Any student arriving after class has begun should remain after class to ensure proper

     credit for attendance that day.

 

2.  Absence from class does not excuse the student from classroom assignments and/or

     activities.  It is the student’s responsibility to verify what has taken place during his/

     her absence. 

 

 3.  Failure to do assigned work will result in a zero (0).

 

 4.  The instructor reserves the right to administer any writing activity unannounced for a

      grade.  BE PREPARED!!!

 

 5.  All in-class writing assignments must be done in ink and on one side of the page.

 

6.  Classroom assignments prepared at home should be prepared on a computer as much

      as possible.

 

 7.  The following information should be included on the first page and in the upper right  

      hand corner of the page for all assignments:

 

                                    Student’s Name

                                    RSWR 3345-SA01

                                    Title of assignment (will vary)

                                    Current date

 

8.   No late assignments.