This theme-based class in research writing emphasizes analytical reading and writing and the skills and knowledge to produce extended forms of academic essays and research papers, from the critical analysis of the issue, to the development of an effective research-based argument or question, through the process of finding and evaluating information representing diverse perspectives on the issue, to the correct and ethical use and documentation of sources, and the use of rhetorical strategies and conventions appropriate to the genre.

Course Theme: How we Eat: the Ecology, Economy and Ethics of Food

Food is an integral part of our everyday lives, and we can’t help but spend a certain amount of time each day on food related decisions and actions. But, apart from those moments when food makes the news because of an international e.coli outbreak, a famine, or some major policy issue, we may not think much about where the food we eat comes or its complex relationships with culture, economics, politics and even ethics. This semester we will use this theme to focus our reading, investigations and discussions. We will create a collaborative annotated bibliography of scholarly and popular sources on issues pertaining to this theme and each student will produce an individual research proposal, annotated bibliography, research paper and presentation, making an argument or investigating a question related to the course theme. Within the parameters of the theme students have a lot of latitude and are encouraged to select a topic that captures their particular interest.