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Course Planning by Program

2023-24

Essential Objectives

Course Syllabus


Revision Date: 02-Sep-23
 

Fall 2023 | ENG-1020-VM01 - Introduction to Research Methods


In Person Class

Standard courses meet in person at CCV centers, typically once each week for the duration of the semester.

Location: Montpelier
Credits: 3 (45 hours)
Day/Times: Monday, 11:45A - 02:30P
Semester Dates: 09-11-2023 to 12-18-2023
Last day to drop without a grade: 09-30-2023 - Refund Policy
Last day to withdraw (W grade): 11-08-2023 - Refund Policy
This course has started, please contact the offering academic center about registration

Faculty

Paul Acciavatti
View Faculty Credentials
View Faculty Statement
Hiring Coordinator for this course: Jennifer Gundy

General Education Requirements


This section meets the following CCV General Education Requirement(s) for the current catalog year:
CCV Writing and Research
    Note
  1. Many degree programs have specific general education recommendations. In order to avoid taking unnecessary classes, please consult with additional resources like your program evaluation, your academic program catalog year page, and your academic advisor.
  2. Courses may only be used to meet one General Education Requirement.

Course Description

This writing course introduces students to research methods across social science disciplines. Topics include various methodologies (e.g., interviewing, questionnaires, observation, literature search, data collection), presentation formats (e.g., written vs. oral), and APA documentation procedures. It also examines library and web-based research techniques. This course fulfills the research and writing intensive requirement. Students must complete a final research paper with a grade of C- or better in order to pass this course. Prerequisite: English Composition


Essential Objectives

1. Demonstrate research methodologies commonly used in the social sciences, including formulating and narrowing research questions, observation, survey design, interviewing, and presentation skills (oral & written).
2. Compare and contrast quantitative and qualitative research methods used to study human behavior.
3. Demonstrate information literacy skills: distinguish between and utilize both primary and secondary sources; perform library and web-based literature searches; and evaluate data and resources for credibility, reliability, and validity.
4. Demonstrate the ability to apply either APA or MLA citation styles in academic writing by parenthetically citing sources in the text and correctly compiling them in the relevant end sources page.
5. Compose, revise, and edit a final paper that includes a thesis statement, integrates five or more scholarly and professional sources--including primary and secondary evidence as needed--to address an academic research question, and demonstrates writing proficiency by achieving a grade of C- or better.


Required Technology

More information on general computer and internet recommendations is available on the CCV IT Support page. https://support.ccv.edu/general/computer-recommendations/

Please see CCV's Digital Equity Statement (pg. 45) to learn more about CCV's commitment to supporting all students access the technology they need to successfully finish their courses.


Required Textbooks and Resources

This course only uses free Open Educational Resources (OER) and/or library materials. For details, see the Canvas Site for this class.


Methods

  • Regular timed writing exercises
  • Small group workshop
  • Analyzing texts individually and in workgroups
  • Developing research questions and search strategies
  • Practicing strategic reading to find the most useful sources

Evaluation Criteria

This course uses a weighted categories system to calculate final grades.

  • Activities, Workshops, and Writing Exercises = 20%
  • Expository Essay = 10%
  • Literature Review Essay = 10%
  • Researched Argument Essay = 10%
  • Final Research Paper = 50%


Grading Criteria

CCV Letter Grades as outlined in the Evaluation System Policy are assigned according to the following chart:

 HighLow
A+10098
A Less than 9893
A-Less than 9390
B+Less than 9088
B Less than 8883
B-Less than 8380
C+Less than 8078
C Less than 7873
C-Less than 7370
D+Less than 7068
D Less than 6863
D-Less than 6360
FLess than 60 
P10060
NPLess than 600


Weekly Schedule


Week/ModuleTopic  Readings  Assignments
 

1

Course overview and introduction to writing in the academic context.

  

What is Academic Writing?

A Bad Idea: "First-Year Composition Prepares Students for Academic Writing"

  

Reading response 1

Short essay 1

 

2

Breaking down the college writing assignment, and learning how the tools of rhetoric can help establish credibility in academic writing.

  

"Murder! (Rhetorically Speaking)"

Understanding the College Writing Assignment

  

Reading response 2

 

3

Exploring how to develop a topic and doing some initial research

    

Subject proposal for the Expository Essay

 

4

Practicing the writing process as a series of steps: drafting, revising, editing and polishing

    

Expository Essay

 

5

The Ecology of Academic Research: how essays and studies build on previously-published works and create a body of knowledge

    

Scholarly vs. popular sources quiz

 

6

Working with sources and how to use bibliographies to build a citation map

    

Topic proposal for the Literature Review Essay

 

7

How to read like an academic: skimming intelligently and efficiently to mine your sources.

    

Literature Review Essay

 

8

How academics take a position and defend it

    

Reasoning and logical fallacies quiz

 

9

Evaluating sources and uncovering hidden agendas: how analyzing fake news can help us understanding academic bias

    

Researched argument draft

 

10
    

The Researched Argument Essay

 

11

Developing a research question and how to use it to generate a draft thesis

THANKSGIVING BREAK

    

Working research thesis

 

12

Finding the gap: proposing an original research topic

    

Research Paper proposal

 

13
    

Research Paper draft

 

14
    

Research Paper revision

 

15
    

The Research Paper

 

Attendance Policy

Regular attendance and participation in classes are essential for success in and are completion requirements for courses at CCV. A student's failure to meet attendance requirements as specified in course descriptions will normally result in a non-satisfactory grade.

  • In general, missing more than 20% of a course due to absences, lateness or early departures may jeopardize a student's ability to earn a satisfactory final grade.
  • Attending an on-ground or synchronous course means a student appeared in the live classroom for at least a meaningful portion of a given class meeting. Attending an online course means a student posted a discussion forum response, completed a quiz or attempted some other academically required activity. Simply viewing a course item or module does not count as attendance.
  • Meeting the minimum attendance requirement for a course does not mean a student has satisfied the academic requirements for participation, which require students to go above and beyond simply attending a portion of the class. Faculty members will individually determine what constitutes participation in each course they teach and explain in their course descriptions how participation factors into a student's final grade.


Missing & Late Work Policy

  • You are responsible for checking Canvas and getting any notes, materials and assignments for any class meeting you missed. Please reach out and ask questions if anything is unclear.
  • Plan to complete homework for the next class meeting on time. Missing a class meeting is not an excuse for not completing any homework assigned that week.
  • All assignments will be submitted on Canvas. Work will not be accepted in email or on paper.
  • Assignments are due by the deadline noted on the syllabus, even when you need to be absent.
    • Extensions are available on a case-by-case basis. Contact the instructor if extended absence or other responsibilities will impact your ability to turn in work by the due date.

Accessibility Services for Students with Disabilities:


CCV strives to mitigate barriers to course access for students with documented disabilities. To request accommodations, please
  1. Provide disability documentation to the Accessibility Coordinator at your academic center. https://ccv.edu/discover-resources/students-with-disabilities/
  2. Request an appointment to meet with accessibility coordinator to discuss your request and create an accommodation plan.
  3. Once created, students will share the accommodation plan with faculty. Please note, faculty cannot make disability accommodations outside of this process.


Academic Integrity


CCV has a commitment to honesty and excellence in academic work and expects the same from all students. Academic dishonesty, or cheating, can occur whenever you present -as your own work- something that you did not do. You can also be guilty of cheating if you help someone else cheat. Being unaware of what constitutes academic dishonesty (such as knowing what plagiarism is) does not absolve a student of the responsibility to be honest in his/her academic work. Academic dishonesty is taken very seriously and may lead to dismissal from the College.