Course overview
WRDS 450 is a research, writing, and communication course. WRDS 450 helps students turn previously developed research projects into larger, long-term writing projects that are intended to publicly engage with groups, such as scholars, activists, and intellectuals (e.g., research publications, conference papers, scholarship applications, research/grant proposals). WRDS 450 is primarily focused on developing a writing process that is conducive to larger, long-term writing projects and public-facing genres for communicating research. The course focuses on the writing processes that are intended to transform your writing through multiple stages—from prewriting; outlining; planning+ drafting; workshopping; to revising; editing; and presenting.
While WRDS 450 course sections can take on more specialized foci regarding publics and publications, this iteration of the course will specifically concentrate on the scholarly publication pipeline. Equally important is also this section’s attention to students’ establishment of a scholarly ethos (i.e., persona, habits, credibility) which means helping students develop as someone who is: knowledgeable of research and conversations within respective fields; knowledgeable of how a field is situated with respect to other disciplinary modus operandi; personally and ethically responsible when engaging with public material. To this point, students will develop a better understanding of the politics associated with publishing, the rhetorical situatedness of public information/conversation, and the responsibility of being accountable when communicating across communities.
This WRDS 450 section aims to cultivate effective writing strategies that help you (and potential collaborators) progress research projects and develop writing projects for venues such as public-facing publications, grant agencies, and/or scholarship/admission committees. During the term, we will cultivate and interrogate common field- or genre-specific expectations as they relate to writing for publics and publications. To do this, this section of WRDS 450 explores writing techniques, genres, and expectations seen within scholarly commonplaces like professionalization, presenting at conferences, and publishing (to some degree).
By the end of this course, you will be able to:
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- [LO1] Identify and research prospective writing venues suitable for communicating larger, long-term research projects to publicly engage with scholars, activists, and/or intellectuals;
- Identify and analyze the writing and communication conventions used in those venues;
- Critically evaluate the writing and communication conventions used in those venues;
- [LO2] Develop a work plan to communicate a larger, long-term research project in a suitable venue (see LO1);
- [LO3] Apply the writing and communication conventions used in specific writing venue to create a public-engaging, genre-specific document that communicates your larger, long-term research project to a target group of scholars, activists, and/or intellectuals.
- [LO4] Demonstrate and cultivate competence and credibility as a scholarly writer, by participating in iterative drafting, self-reflection, and revision of your own writing project and by providing constructive and inclusive peer feedback on peer writing projects.
- [LO1] Identify and research prospective writing venues suitable for communicating larger, long-term research projects to publicly engage with scholars, activists, and/or intellectuals;