Advanced English Composition: Research for Writers

Title:	Advanced English Composition:  Research for Writers
Producer:	Florida Community College at Jacksonville
Programs:	24 half-hour lessons
Captioning:	Closed captioned for the hearing impaired
Available in Print:	Text Student Study Guide Faculty Manual

General Description
How do we keep up with the ever-changing demands of electronic documentation while maintaining the form and structure of good research and writing? Is there a place for literary analysis in writing research? Do elements of the essay need to be reviewed in a second-level course? Do grammar and mechanics need to be revisited? 

When attempting to update and revise the popular and long-running telecourse Read, Write and Research, the producers of the course, Florida Community College at Jacksonville, directed these and other salient questions to current distance education faculty, students and administrators throughout the country. By surveying over 100 community colleges, technical schools, and universities nationwide, they learned that instructors need up-to-date information not only on electronic documentation, but also on evaluating electronic sources. And that while students continue to struggle with finding a good idea and narrowing their topic, they look for practical applications in the workplace. They also discovered that while business writing continues to be in demand, technical writing is also needed.

This Advanced English Composition course introduces students to valuable research sources and techniques, while also providing writing instruction for a wide range of non-fiction formats. In addition to new methods for gathering information and tips on the use of electronic sources, students will also get expert advice on crafting:

• Essays
• Abstracts
• Arguments
• Technical Papers
• Business papers

Featuring interviews with best-selling authors, a simulated newscast, and a friendly, informative teaching style, this second level English course will show you the best and easiest ways to find your facts, organize them and express them.  Research for Writers provides concise presentations of concepts; a business like, news-anchor approach with male and female co-hosts; and timely, real-life examples of researchable topics. Violence in the schools, clothing as a form of identity, alternatives to the death penalty, the pros and cons of home schooling, motorcycle helmet laws, graffiti as artistic expression, social services for senior citizens, horse back riding for exercise and as therapy for victims of trauma are only a few of the many lively examples offered.