Portland Community College | Portland, Oregon

Syllabus WR 222: Writing research papers Instructor Information:

Instructor: Corey Millard
Email: corey.millard@pcc.edu
Term: Winter 2026 CRN 10867

Course Description

This course develops skills in researching and critical analysis that feed into research-driven argument. Students gain experience locating and using sources via library catalogs, professional databases and other forms of research. This includes paraphrasing, summarizing, quoting, and documenting, using style appropriate to the discipline researched. 

Instructional Approach

This course is arranged chronologically and employs a modular design. Each week, students should complete all assignments listed in that week's lesson module. These modules will appear directly on the homepage during the week they are due, and are also available by clicking "Content" on the course navigation bar.

Due dates for each week's assignments will be listed within the module itself, as well as in the "course calendar" which is also viewable under the Content tab or on the Schedule. Assignments within the modules may direct students to use many of the tools contained in Desire2Learn (D2L), including the Assignment Dropbox and the Discussion Board.

Communication Guidelines

I am available via email at corey.millard@pcc.edu. If you have a question or comments that would be of interest to other students, please post it to the General Discussion Board!  This way other students can help answer questions, and all participants will benefit from the answers (and the questions, too!).

Course Prerequisites

Completion of WR 122 with a grade of "C" or higher.

Required Text

There are no required texts for this course. However, I will refer fairly often to this text: Bruce Ballenger's The Curious Researcher, 7th or 8th Edition. 

Participation Expectations

Students in this course are expected to enter the course at least three times per week to work on the modules, check email, and participate in discussions. Prompt participation in discussions is especially important when group work is involved since others in your group are depending on your input. Each time you log into the course be sure to check for any new announcements, email and discussion messages, and calendar postings.

Because we are a community of writers, each member will be expected to maintain a respectful tone in communications and to offer constructive criticism in response to the writing of others. Constructive criticism means feedback that helps the writer to build on the project.

Assignments

All of our assignments are aimed at the goal of producing a 10-page research paper that develops an idea through argument, example, and analysis, utilizing and accurately documenting a range of academic sources from the PCC Library Catalog. These steps in the process consist of discussion board exercises, topic explorations, bibliographies, peer reviews, rough drafts, and a final paper.

Submitted documents must be compatible with Microsoft Word. Files can be created in many word processing programs and saved as a .docx or an .rtf file.

Evaluation Grading Criteria:
Grading Criteria for the class Activity Points each Total Discussion Board Activities (8) 25 200 Diagnostic Worksheet (1) 10 10 Topic Exploration (1) 40 40 Working Bibliography Assignment (1) 50 50 Thesis and Proposal Assignment (1) 50 50 Annotated Bibliography and Abstract Assignment (1) 125 125 Rough Draft and Outline Assignment (1) 125 125 Final Research Paper (1) 400 400     1000 Grading Scale: Overall Grade Breakdown for the class Letter Grade Total Final Percentage A 90 - 100 B 80 - 89 C 70 - 79 D 60 - 69 F < 60

 

PCC General Education Signature Assignment

There is one assignment additional to the research paper sequence that must be completed by the end of the course. While the assignment is not graded, it must be completed and given a "pass" score in order to receive an A or a B for the class.

All WR 222 classes at PCC require this signature assignment. More details are on the "PCC Gen Ed Program Signature Assignment" page.

Late Work & Make-up Policy

Assignments must be completed on time in order to earn credit. I do not accept late work.

Tutoring

Each PCC campus has a Reading/Writing Center that provides tutoring focused on the entire essay composition process, from planning to editing. At Sylvania, the Reading/Writing Center, located in the Sylvania Campus Library, provided tutoring on everything from grammar and on basic paragraph organization to argument development and research strategies.

To learn more, and/or schedule appointments, click the following link:

PCC Tutoring Site

Academic Integrity (rules about cheating, plagiarism, or sharing work)

Cheating is against PCC policy. Cheating includes any attempt to defraud, deceive, or mislead the instructor in arriving at an honest grade assessment, and may include copying answers from other students or using unauthorized notes during tests. Plagiarism is a particular form of cheating that involves presenting the ideas or work of another as your own. Violations of the cheating policy will result in a grade of '0' for the assignment in question, and may result in a failing grade for the course at the instructor's discretion. For further information review the institution's Academic Integrity Policy. 

 

Policy on use of Generative AI (plus a lengthy preamble…) 

Let’s not beat around the bush: AI is a big presence in the world these days, and in Higher Ed, it’s got to be acknowledged. In many ways, AI is super cool. When I was eighteen, Facebook had just come out–look how far we’ve come!  But it can also get in the way of what we’re really trying to accomplish. Let me try to explain why: 

1. The writing classroom has more in mind than you might think…

This is a writing class, yes, but it’s also a thinking class. When we think more, we write better, and when we write better, maybe we think a little better too. I mean this. Ours is a classroom for exploration. It’s a classroom for trying. It’s a classroom for becoming less afraid of being wrong. Because allowing ourselves to be wrong, to make mistakes, is how we become more informed, and more confident over time.  

It’s also a class for building a strong foundation for thinking and writing both in college and in life beyond college. You’re here to learn, to make mistakes, and build that foundation.  Avoiding, or outsourcing work (asking someone else to complete the task)  may very well lead to cracks, holes, or outright structural instability in that foundation!  

2. Here’s the ‘problem’ with ‘outsourcing’ or ‘farming out’ an assignment to AI…

I could be snarky and say, “See above,” but I’ll reiterate here: When you ask someone (or something) to complete a task for you, you’re missing out on the experience of doing it yourself. This means you aren’t learning how to do it. It also means you’re flirting with plagiarism, which is presenting work that’s not yours as your own. Don’t do this! It’s fraudulent! 

 3. But AI can be helpful…

I’m okay if you use AI as a tool. We’re still figuring out exactly what ‘tool’ means in this sense. But to make a long story short: it’s okay to:

• Ask AI for help with formatting tasks. 
• Get AI feedback on a paper (ask it about your structure, your hook, the cohesion of your paragraphs). And when it comes to research, you can ask it to help you brainstorm search terms. 
•  Ask AI for help when assessing or analyzing a reading (though I’m much more partial to hearing your actual thoughts than hearing AI’s rather boring and predictable* responses…and you should always cite any information that’s not your own).

Here’s a gut check: if you suspect the help you’re getting from AI is going above and beyond the help a teacher or tutor would provide, it should not be used. Teachers and tutors are taught and trained to provide help, guidance, and examples. AI should be used in the same way. 

*AI is not as smart as you think it is. It frequently gets things wrong. And, because it is an LLM, the vast amount of its data comes from old(er), white, male, straight folks, meaning the ‘voice’ it creates likely doesn’t sound very much like your own…

4. So, be aware the policy itself...

If I suspect that you have prompted AI to create/construct/write/make your assignment OR that you have copy/pasted information from AI (or elsewhere) without credit, that assignment will be considered ‘outsourced’ or ‘farmed out.’ This means I think you asked somebody or something else to do the work for you, and didn’t do it yourself.  I consider this on par with plagiarism, and that assignment will receive a 0. You’ll be free to follow up with me to discuss my suspicions. Perhaps that discussion will clear up my concerns. But you’ll need to convince me that you did the work. As such, it's a good idea to hang on to drafts/freewrites/brainstorming!

Students with Disabilities

PCC is committed to supporting all students. If you plan to use academic accommodations for this course, please contact me as soon as possible to make arrangements. Accommodations are not retroactive, but begin when the instructor receives the Approved Academic Accommodations form from the student (this form may be submitted via email). To request academic accommodations for a disability, please contact a counselor in Disability Services on any PCC campus. Office locations, phone numbers and additional information can be located on the Disability Services website: A link to the PCC disability services website.

Title IX/Non-Discrimination Statement

Portland Community College is committed to creating and fostering a learning and working environment based on open communication and mutual respect. If you believe you have encountered sexual harassment, sexual misconduct, sexual assault, or discrimination based on race, color, religion, age, national origin, veteran status, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, or disability please contact the Office of Equity and Inclusion at 971-722-5840 or equity.inclusion@pcc.edu.

Sanctuary college Statement

Portland Community College is a sanctuary college. For more information and resources, see A link to PCC's sanctuary college policy.