Kit,

I'm glad that you doubt students' claims that they've never written a
research project at UTC.  As I'm sure you know, every student who completes
English 122 at UTC certainly has experience with research writing, from
developing a proposed topic, to formulating a research plan and evaluating
sources, to composing the final project.  In fact, we've refined the 122
curriculum in the last few semesters to focus more closely on rhetorical
skills central to academic writing.  A typical course asks students to
complete five major assignments:  summary, analysis, an annotated
bibliography, an argumentative research project, and a proposal to solve a
problem.  Although English 122 teachers typically require students to
follow MLA documentation style when doing research writing, that style is
introduced as one style among many that various disciplines and
professional writers use.  In fact, both the handbook and textbook for
English 122 include at least one more style other than MLA.  Our goal is
not to have students memorize MLA style, but to understand the principles
behind documenting outside sources, including the concepts that using other
people's work requires citation and that documentation style varies by
discipline.

Now, whether students internalize those goals is another matter.  I am
continually amazed at my own 122 students who later enroll in my
Professional Writing class.  Although we worked on research writing
extensively in 122, sometimes those students look at me blankly when I
begin talking about the need to document sources they cite in writing
projects for Professional Writing.  The key, I think, is for all of us to
reinforce--in as many courses as possible--the conventions of writing in
our disciplines and the basic principles of effective writing.  I'm
grateful to you and others who take time to help students practice their
writing.  It's certainly time well spent.

Lauren Coulter
Director of Composition

Kit Rushing wrote:

>Whether true or not, many of my students tell me that before their
>upper division communication courses (COMM320, "Mass Media
>Perspectives," COMM420, "Senior Seminar in Mass Communication," and
>COMM451, "Law and Ethics of Mass Communication") they've never been
>required to develop and to present a formal academic research
>project. I'm not too trusting of those that make such claims, but the
>claims are made nonetheless.