This online writing course will help you understand discourse and research writing with the goal of creating solutions to issues within your local community. What sets this course apart is that you won’t be learning about subjects in an abstract sense; instead, you will identify local problems and research real solutions for these problems.To achieve this, you will be equipped with the tools to:

• Create an action-oriented research question
• Make a proposal for your research project
• Perform primary and secondary research
• Design your research project for publication on the Web
• Construct a call to action based on your research

This course is so much more than “just a writing course.” It is a class that will simultaneously ignite your imagination for how you can improve the world around you and give you the tangible tools to see those improvements begin to take shape.

What you’ll learn

• Rhetorical Knowledge: how to craft your writing to meet the needs of specific audiences for specific purposes.
• Critical Thinking: how to make decisions about what to include and not include in your writing.
• Writing Processes: how to use invention, research, drafting, revising, and editing in your writing.
• Knowledge of Conventions: how to use various formats and stylistic choices, including genre conventions.
• Digital Technology: how to use diverse technologies to write more effectively and efficiently.
• Habits of Mind: how to benefit from and cultivate curiosity, openness, engagement, creativity, persistence, responsibility, flexibility, and reflection.

What to expect in class

Video lecturss, readings, writing activities and projects, ePortfolio, discussions, and quizzes.

Exams and grading

• 10% - Writer's Journals (20)
• 5% - Participation Assignments (12)
• 24% - Writing Projects (5)
• 6% - ePortfolio
• 15% - Content Mastery (7)
• 40% - Quizzes (7)