A lecture/seminar satisfying the second half of the Reading & Composition requirement, R4B offers structured and sustained practice in the processes used in reading, critical analysis, and writing. Students engage with thematically-related materials from a range of genres and media. In response, they craft short pieces leading to longer expository and/or argumentative essays. Students develop a research question, draft a research essay, gather, evaluate, and synthesize information from various sources. Elements of the research process--a proposal, an annotated bibliography, an abstract, a works cited list, etc.--are submitted with the final report in a research portfolio. Students write a minimum of 32 pages of prose.

So often knowledge and learning are presented as something to be tested on, something to be “acquired,” or something others know that you don’t yet. Such learning is usually the basis of a lot of classes, both K-12 and in college. Of course, this knowledge is vitally important to having a strong foundation in any field, and there’s a comfort in being able to get the answers “right.” However, the most inventive research happens when we wander into the unknown. Getting into that “unknown,” though, is tricky. It’s often uncomfortable because we’ve been taught to memorize and only show what we know. But many of our most famous thinkers are not only comfortable with the “unknown,” they thrive on it. For example, physicist Richard Feynman kept notebooks called “Things I Don’t Know.” It’s in the unknown that we can find mystery and wonder. For this class, we’ll focus on how to get more comfortable with exploring the unknown, sometimes even “unlearning” what things we think we do know. We’ll start with common readings by such authors as Ed Yong, Zoë Schlanger, Robin Wall Kimmerer, Neil deGrasse Tyson, and Merlin Sheldrake, among others. Then you’ll develop your own research projects, ideally projects that both add to established knowledge and point in directions for more research into what we don’t know, at least not yet.

Enrollment is restricted to students who have satisfied the first half of the Reading and Composition requirement. This course satisfies the second half of the Reading and Composition requirement.

Requisites

• Previously passed an R_A course with a letter grade of C- or better. Previously passed an articulated R_A course with a letter grade of C- or better. Score a 4 on the Advanced Placement Exam in English Literature and Composition. Score a 4 or 5 on the Advanced Placement Exam in English Language and Composition. Score of 5, 6, or 7 on the International Baccalaureate Higher Level Examination in English.

Repeat Rules

Course is not repeatable for credit.

Requirements class fulfills