LACR 102 - First-year Writing II

A continuation of LACR 101, LACR 102 is the second part of a year-long course that builds on and develops the writing and reading processes that lead to argumentation. During this term an inquiry-based research paper is the focus, as well as grammatical and structural elements of writing college-level essays. The independent research project allows students to utilize the critical reading and writing skills introduced in 101-describing summarizing, analyzing. applying, and synthesizing-to develop a scholarly argument. To illustrate the importance of context in the process of research, a curriculum that is focused around a chosen historical period is examined. Students continue to access and assess the source material available from the library.

By the end of this course successful students will:

Employ and further develop the critical reading and writing skills introduced in 101-describing, summarizing, analyzing, and synthesizing-to compose a major research essay (about seven pages in length) and build an argument based on previous scholarship, elaborating upon an author’s argument orally and in writing.
- Conduct independent research through book, periodicals, reference works, on-line databases, interviews, etc.
- Synthesize primary and secondary source material to develop a scholarly argument
- Apply source material avoiding intentional or unintentional plagiarism through direct quotation and paraphrase and cite in MLA format (in-text citations and bibliography)
- Create an annotated bibliography with five to seven sources that illustrates the ability to access and assess various types of source material.
Assess primary and secondary sources (locate author’s thesis evaluate evidence, weigh credibility)
Access source material through the library holdings: reference section, on-line databases, stacks, and in-library periodicals.
Recognize and edit patterns of grammatical error (sentence fragments, run-on sentences, subject-verb agreement, verb tense, punctuation, and spelling)to write clear sentences.

Prerequisites & Notes
Prerequisite: LACR 101 or LACR 009

Credits: 3 cr, 3 hrs