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The course teaches research as a writing process
Research is not something you finish before writing begins. In 355:201, question formation, source evaluation, drafting, and revision all shape each other.
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01:355:201 · English - Composition and Writing · School 01 — New Brunswick School of Arts and Sciences
Research in the Disciplines is Rutgers's 3-credit upper-level writing course that fulfills WCd or WCr and develops research-paper skills through topic-based sections. Students choose a topic within the section theme, research it with books, articles, and credible digital sources, manage notes and citations, revise through feedback, and complete a substantial research paper plus presentation.
Can I take it?
College Writing · Exposition &Argument · College Writing Extended
How hard?
Students rate teaching
SIRS · 12,076 responses · 2014–2025
Spring 2027
18 open in snapshot · 12 instructors
When it meets
Online, College Avenue, C/D, Livingston
Checked-in sections · current seat counts are unavailable.
MW 2:00 PM · C/D · 3 sections · 3 open
MW 3:50 PM · C/D · 2 sections · 2 open
Online · 1 section · 1 open
MW 2:00 PM · College Avenue · 1 section · 1 open
TTh 2:00 PM · C/D · 1 section · 0 open
MTh 10:20 AM · C/D · 1 section · 1 open
MTh 10:20 AM · Livingston · 1 section · 1 open
TF 12:10 PM · College Avenue · 1 section · 1 open
AI-generated overview
Higher means more demanding · AI summary
5 units · topic sequence may vary by instructor
Rutgers's official 355:201 page shows that each section is organized around a theme such as digital identity, sports and culture, documentary film, stress and mental health, or architecture and public space. The shared first step is learning the section's vocabulary and disciplinary lens well enough to ask a serious question inside it.
Rutgers states that students select their own research topic within the section theme. That usually means turning a broad interest into a question small enough to research carefully but large enough to matter to an existing conversation.
The official course description emphasizes searching for books, journal articles, and internet sources while learning to distinguish scholarly, credible, and non-credible material. This stage is where note-taking, citation habits, and source evaluation become part of the writing process rather than background chores.
The official grading formula shows a multi-draft research-paper sequence with peer review, revision workshops, and discussion across several draft stages. Students are expected to improve not just correctness but synthesis, organization, and analytical control from draft to draft.
Rutgers's published grading sheet gives major weight to the final research paper and an oral presentation. By the end of the term, the course expects students to sustain an argument over a longer paper, integrate sources responsibly, and explain their project clearly to an audience.
Public r/rutgers discussion treats 355:201 as a useful second writing course whose experience depends heavily on section topic and instructor. The common thread is that students see it as more research-driven than first-year composition, with the best experiences coming when the topic genuinely interests them.
Research is not something you finish before writing begins. In 355:201, question formation, source evaluation, drafting, and revision all shape each other.
Whether the section is about film, stress, sports, digital identity, or ethnography, the shared goal is learning how to build a disciplined research argument.
Rutgers explicitly highlights the difference between scholarly, credible, and non-credible sources, so source choice is one of the course's central intellectual tasks.
The draft sequence matters because long papers usually improve when students rethink structure, synthesis, and evidence use rather than only edit sentences.
Common pitfall
Instead
Narrow to a specific question, case, debate, or text set that you can actually investigate with available sources.
Common pitfall
Instead
As you read, track what each source contributes, how credible it is, and how it changes your argument.
Common pitfall
Instead
Use the staged drafts to test your claim, paragraph logic, and source integration early enough to make structural changes.
Common pitfall
Instead
Because the research project grows out of the section theme, topic fit and instructor style matter more here than in many broad core classes.
18 open · Online, College Avenue, C/D, Livingston
| Section | Status | Instructor | Meeting | Campus |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9114896 | Open | Peter Morrone | ONLINE INSTRUCTION(INTERNET) | Online |
| A514900 | Open | Jovanoski | Monday 3:50 PM-5:10 PM at HH B4; Wednesday 3:50 PM-5:10 PM at HH B4HH B4 | College Avenue |
| A614901 | Open | Jovanoski | Monday 2:00 PM-3:20 PM at FH A3; Wednesday 2:00 PM-3:20 PM at FH A3FH A3 | College Avenue |
| B114905 | Open | Debra Keates | Monday 2:00 PM-3:20 PM at HH B4; Wednesday 2:00 PM-3:20 PM at HH B4HH B4 | College Avenue |
| B214906 | Open | Demetri Lallas | Monday 2:00 PM-3:20 PM at HCK 204; Wednesday 2:00 PM-3:20 PM at HCK 204HCK 204 | C/D |
| B314907 | Open | Demetri Lallas | Monday 12:10 PM-1:30 PM at HCK 204; Thursday 12:10 PM-1:30 PM at HCK 204HCK 204 | C/D |
| B414908 | Open | Demetri Lallas | Monday 10:20 AM-11:40 AM at HCK 204; Thursday 10:20 AM-11:40 AM at HCK 204HCK 204 | C/D |
| B814910 | Closed | John Warren | Tuesday 2:00 PM-3:20 PM at HCK 213; Thursday 2:00 PM-3:20 PM at HCK 213HCK 213 | C/D |
| B914911 | Open | Robinson | Tuesday 2:00 PM-3:20 PM at FH A3; Thursday 2:00 PM-3:20 PM at FH A3FH A3 | College Avenue |
| C114912 | Open | Robinson | Monday 3:50 PM-5:10 PM at FH A3; Wednesday 3:50 PM-5:10 PM at FH A3FH A3 | College Avenue |
| C214913 | Open | Daniel Walsh | Monday 10:20 AM-11:40 AM at HCK 209; Thursday 10:20 AM-11:40 AM at HCK 209HCK 209 | C/D |
| C314914 | Open | Wickhamsmith | Tuesday 10:20 AM-11:40 AM at MU 204; Friday 10:20 AM-11:40 AM at MU 204MU 204 | College Avenue |
| C414915 | Open | Wickhamsmith | Tuesday 2:00 PM-3:20 PM at FH B3; Thursday 2:00 PM-3:20 PM at FH B3FH B3 | College Avenue |
| C814919 | Open | Dawn Lilley | Monday 10:20 AM-11:40 AM at TIL 252; Thursday 10:20 AM-11:40 AM at TIL 252TIL 252 | Livingston |
| C914920 | Open | Masiello | Monday 3:50 PM-5:10 PM at TIL 224; Wednesday 3:50 PM-5:10 PM at TIL 224TIL 224 | Livingston |
| D114921 | Open | Tuesday 10:20 AM-11:40 AM at FH A1; Friday 10:20 AM-11:40 AM at FH A1FH A1 | College Avenue |
Historical student surveys
Teaching
4.55
Course quality
4.31
Response rate
69.2%
Coverage
877 offerings · 2014–2025
| Instructor | Offerings | Teaching | Quality |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dawn Lilley | 24 | 4.90 | 4.72 |
| Karen Thompson | 22 | 4.35 | 4.14 |
| George Schroepfer | 20 | 4.48 | 4.41 |
| Lilley Dawn | 20 | 4.81 | 4.39 |
| Raluca Musat | 19 | 4.72 | 4.53 |
| Jordanco Jovanoski | 17 | 4.79 | 4.59 |
Catalog and planning context
Credits
3
Current campuses
Online, College Avenue, C/D, Livingston
Current availability
18 open of 19
Catalog terms
Fall, Spring, Summer
Core codes
SOEHS, WCd, WCr
Loaded terms
5
(01:355:101)<em> OR </em>(01:355:103)<em> OR </em>(01:355:104)<em> OR </em>(21:355:102)<em> OR </em>(50:989:102)
No direct degree-list membership appears in the checked-in requirement index.