Module 3: Selecting a Topic

Activity 1 | Activity 2 | Activity 3 | Activity 4 | Activity 5

Activity 3: Reading, Writing, and Composition Resources

• • In Chapter 15 of Writing: A Guide for College and Beyond, there are some key suggestions on p. 550 about creating a research question.  Notice the various research types that are mentioned there.  On the next page, various databases are mentioned for local, regional and national topics as well as the audience for them.  There is even a schedule for completing your work on p. 552 which can be modified for this course. 
  • In SF Writer, Chapter 21, p. 228 talks about claiming a topic and using research to narrow the possibilities.  Page 230 also tells you how to explore your topic in a library index like the WGU library has. 

  There are also some resources in Research Navigator.  To access Research Navigator, follow these steps:

  1.     Log into Pearson’s Reading, Writing and Composition website using the information you received when you enrolled in the resource.  The login page displays the title “Course Compass.”

  2.    The first page you encounter after logging in contains important announcements in the center panel. Please read these announcements.

  3.    The menu on the left-hand side of the screen gives you access to the different areas of the Pearson Reading, Writing and Composition resource. Click on the link for Research Navigator.

  4.    A link and an icon will appear for Research Navigator. Click the link and you will next find the Research Navigator homepage. 

  5.    To access the first article about finding a topic, click on the first top tab called “The Research Process.” On the left-hand side of the screen you will see a box that contains linked article titles.

  6.   Click on the link to the first article “Overview of the Research Assignment” and the second article “Finding a topic.” Read both articles.  Also make a note of this page by bookmarking it for future articles. 

   

  MyCompLab is another resource for finding a topic. 

  • In MyCompLab, there is a Research Section which has a set of video tutorials. One in the Office Hour Series is called Finding & Narrowing a Topic.   Another in the same Research Section is called: Writing in Action--Narrowing a Subject Online

  To access the MyCompLab resource, follow these steps:

  1.       Log into Pearson’s Reading, Writing and Composition website using the information you received when you enrolled in the resource.  The login page displays the title “Course Compass.”

  2.        The menu on the left-hand side of the screen gives you access to the different areas of the Pearson Reading, Writing and Composition resource. Click on the link for MyCompLab.

  3.       An initial link will appear at the top of the page, followed by an icon, and then several more links. IMPORTANT: First click the last link under the icon, “Click here to launch browser tune-up.” Follow the instruction to make sure you browser is ready for the resource. DO NOT click any of the other links under the icon, as you may receive an error message.

  4.       Click the first link on the page, “MyCompLab.”  You will be instructed to select a course. Select the option “Reading, Writing and Composition with E-books” and then click “Enter your class.”