Research in a First-Year College Writing Course: Is it Valuable?

By: Larissa D.

While it may not be immediately apparent, college course structure follows a path similar to that of primary and secondary education. While students do have more choice about which classes to take, there are certain prerequisites that all must meet in order to advance to the upper level courses. English 101 would certainly fall under this category. In a first-year college writing course, one is expected to obtain a basic knowledge of how to formulate several different types of academic papers, including research papers. While those who plan to obtain a degree in a field outside of the humanities may think that these skills are of no value to them, the contrary is actually true: there is a tremendous amount of value to be placed on research skills learned in English 101.

Whether it is obvious or not, most areas of study will require students to do research at some point in their academic career. Learning how to evaluate sources and properly gather and organize materials are valuable skills that will be utilized throughout a student’s college experience. English 101 is an excellent course to introduce these concepts to students, as it is a course that most will take during their first year of study. English 101 is designed to provide students with the knowledge that they will need to excel, not only in the area of English, but in all areas. For example, a computer science instructor may require a student to write a paper on cyberbullying or plagiarism, while a biology professor may assign a presentation on Darwin’s theory of evolution: without a basic understanding of how to properly conduct research, as well as how to effectively present one’s findings, students would not fare well with such assignments. However, the skills presented in English 101 provide a great foundation for students to build upon when it comes to research.

The writing and research skills that students learn in their first-year college writing course are to be valued, and students should make the effort to truly understand these skills in order to be successful in college and in life.