Course description: In this course students will work individually and in groups to research Seattle communities such as Capitol Hill, the Chinatown/International District, the Central District and the Pike Market neighborhood. Instructors and UW librarians will train students in a variety of research methods, including observation, census data, local history, local and regional newspapers, web sites and interviews. Moreover, students will write in a range of genres: field notes, researcher’s notebooks, individual research reports, and group projects. Students will receive frequent peer and instructor feedback on their written work. Groups will present their preliminary conclusions during an in-class poster conference. The course concludes with individual students’ reflecting on what they have learned and on how their writing in this class transfers to other writing occasions. The design and topic of this course accommodate a broad range of disciplinary approaches to !
understanding urban communities.

Readings: xerox coursepack

Prerequisites:

While 281 has no formal prerequisite, this is an intermediate writing course, and instructors expect entering students to know how to formulate claims, integrate evidence, demonstrate awareness of audience, and structure coherent sentences, paragraphs and essays. Thus we strongly encourage students to complete an introductory (100 level) writing course before enrolling in English 281.