Course Description | Grading Criteria | Sample Student Papers & Responses | How to Write the Research Paper

Academic Writing II:

Academic Writing II is a research course specifically created for graduate students whose native language is not English. It meets three hours a week for thirteen weeks. Students are placed in this course based on Graduate Admissions decisions and either the ESL Program's reading/writing exam or a passing grade in Academic Writing I. Students who successfully complete Academic Writing II have completed their writing requirement in the ESL Program. In order to pass Academic Writing I and II, students must receive a grade of C or better.

Course Objectives:

The goal of Academic Writing II is to familiarize students with a variety of academic texts and their applications in research papers. By the end of the semester, students will be asked to produce a 10-page research paper that reflects how their opinion and commitment work with and against the varying viewpoints of other authors. This engagement with other sources will be demonstrated through the topic students choose to write about, the sources they consult, the types of quotations they cite, the way they incorporate those quotations into the body of their papers, and the clarity and sophistication of the style and vocabulary they use to get these ideas across to their readers.

Format of the Course:

• Grading:
  Students are given a final letter grade for this course: A, B+, B, C+, C. Any paper below C is not passing. The final grade is not cumulative; along with attendance, participation, completion of all assignments, it is based on the grade the student receives on the final research paper.

  THERE ARE NO MIDTERM OR FINAL EXAMS.

  Final grades can no longer be posted. Final Grades can be obtained during the last office hour when students pick up their folders.

  An excellent research paper:

  • has a sustained focus,
  • considers the opinions of others,
  • is balanced and well organized,
  • has at least six cited sources from books, journals, and magazines pertinent to the field and scope of the research,
  • incorporates quoted material into the paper meaningfully, going beyond simply repeating or proving a point,
  • documents all paraphrased and quoted material,
  • has attached endnotes and/or footnotes,
  • shows sophistication in language and sentence structure,
  • shows meaningful revision from draft to draft of content and grammar,
  • shows correction of errors,
  • is at least 10 typewritten content pages.
    
• Reading/Writing Requirements:
  
  • one 3-page essay (2 rough drafts)
  • one 10-page research paper (three or more rough drafts, including a 4-page shorter version of the final paper)
  • annotated bibliography
  • summaries of articles
    
• Instructor's Responses to Papers:
  Responses to student papers will be both questioning and guiding, and whenever necessary, directing. The initial 3-page essay, the four-page beginning research paper, and at least two drafts of the final research paper should contain the instructors’ comments. Some drafts will be collected and contain comments on some area of the paper.
  
• Peer Groups :
  Throughout the semester, students will work in peer groups. Toward the end of the semester, students will give presentations of their research papers to one another either in small groups or to the entire class. Even though the students will be working on different topics, they can act as an audience by asking questions and as editors by pointing out difficulties and errors.
  
• Journal:
  Students will be required to keep a journal in order to respond to their class readings, to their researched readings, and to keep a log of their research. Students can also use journals to write annotated bibliographies. Teachers should collect the journals at the end of the semester with their final research papers.
  
• Listening/Speaking:
  Since listening and speaking are also components of this class, ample time will be spent on reading aloud and on presentation/discussion.
  
• Student Support:
  In order to provide students with the individual help they will need during the research process, instructors may cancel two 80-minute classes toward the end of the semester in order to have a scheduled half-hour meeting with each student. At these meetings, students should be prepared to ask questions about their research papers. Instructors also hold office hours one hour each week. Students should be certain to make appointments with their instructors to go over class work.

PROGRAM POLICIES

• Attendance:
  Students who miss more than four eighty-minute classes risk failing the course. Students who miss individualized scheduled conferences receive two absences. Since this course is run as a research workshop, it is imperative that students attend each scheduled class on time.

• Class Cancellation:
  If an instructor is late for class or absent, students should wait 20 minutes for an instructor; after 20 minutes, students should check their email for the instructor’s assignments.

Grading Criteria >>