Teaching Academic Research and Writing Or, Two Works in Progress

Abstract

In Fall 2016, the Wake Forest University School of Divinity offered a for-credit academic research and writing course for the first time as a way to address concerns regarding the academic preparedness of incoming students.  As the subject specialist for the School of Divinity, the author co-taught Introduction to Research and Writing with the School's Academic Skills Counselor, who led the writing portion of the class.  As a result of our experience teaching the class, and in consultation with the academic dean, we decided that a two-tier research and writing course structure would best serve the needs of our student population.

In Fall 2017, we taught the second-tier course, Advanced Research and Writing, which was targeted to students who intended to pursue doctoral work, or who were in the midst of research-intensive independent studies or senior projects.  This presentation summary will focus on the syllabus and course structure, including assignments and learning objectives, as well as lessons learned as we look towards the future of the course.