Forms of writing within different disciplinary contexts.

Various forms of writing within different disciplinary contexts. Writing intensive courses will build upon the skills gained in the Analytical Reading and Expository Writing section of Basic Skills. In each WI course students will be required to complete writing assignments totaling a minimum of 2500 words.
Goals for this course will take the form of formulating and writing elements of a term paper with a minimum of 2500 words. Once a topic has been selected the steps will include creation of the following products: 1) annotated bibliography, 2) first draft, 3) final paper, and 4) presentation of paper using Powerpoint slides with figures and text.
Student Learning Outcomes
All of these outcomes will be addressed.
Students will:
WI-1. Develop and clearly define their ideas through writing; This will be emphasized in stages as the term paper is developed, from topic to final draft.
WI-2. Ethically integrate sources of various kinds into their writing; Students will be encouraged to use various sources in collecting information for their term papers, including peer-reviewed research articles and book chapters. Non-peer-reviewed materials may be used only if ok’d by the instructor.
WI-3. Compose texts through drafting, revising, and completing a finished product; This draft-revision-final product format is the process outlined in the syllabus.
WI-4. Express themselves through their writing by posing questions, making original claims, and coherently structuring complex ideas; This will be accomplished not only by writing associated with the term paper but also in their Powerpoint presentation, as well as answers to essay questions on exams.
WI-5. Revise their writing for greater cogency and clarity; An initial draft of the term paper will be reviewed and commented on, with the instructor providing constructive remarks on organization, content, and writing style in addition to spelling and grammar for the student to take into consideration as they continue to develop the
paper. The grading rubric will be used so that improvement can be documented in the final draft.
WI-6. Utilize adopted communication modes and documentation styles of specific disciplines (MLA, APA, Chicago, CBE, etc.) where appropriate. We will modify the following Style Manual for Writing in Geology (2006 edition) by Rossbacher and Rhodes for use by students in this class: http://www.public.asu.edu/~arrows/FIELDI/Rossbacher_Rhodes_Writing_Manual.pdf. Students will use the reference guidelines of the Geological Society of America Bulletin, the standard formatting used for in other undergraduate and graduate courses taught in the Department of Geological Sciences.