English 5313. Research Methods

This course will introduce students to research methods (qualitative and quantitative) currently used in Technical Communication and Rhetoric & Composition. Topics covered in the course include library research, empirical methodology, quantitative research, experimental research, discourse analysis, surveys, focus groups, ethnographies, contextual inquiry, and usability testing. 

 Goals:  Students will demonstrate the ability to:

• Write a literature review and identify gaps in literature,

• Evaluate and critique research methods used in published research,

• Develop relevant research questions,

• Select theoretical perspectives to guide their research, and

• Use at least two of the research methods covered in this course.

Textbooks: Mary Sue MacNealy, Strategies for Research in Writing
Chris Hart, Doing a Literature Review: Releasing the Social Science Research Imagination,

Recommended Textbook: Laura Gurak and Mary Lay’s Research in Technical Communication.

Journal Articles: Assigned Weekly