ENC 5720 Fall 2020 Neal

This research methods graduate seminar covers several principal means by which composition and rhetoric scholars make and support knowledge claims. These methodologies are often drawn or adapted from other academic disciplines. Not only will we seek to determine major research paradigms within the field, we will also discover how they function, explore their underlying assumptions, and unveil their limitations. While the course includes a short unit on quantitative methodologies, the primary focus of this course will be on empirical, qualitative methodologies.

Students will learn to critically read research publications as well as develop their own proposal for an individual project. We will cover framing questions for inquiry, writing reviews of research, and developing appropriate methods. Students will also practice research components including data collection through observation, surveys, and questionnaires; coding and analyzing descriptive data; developing visualizations of data, and writing up results.