ENGL102 Writing Rhetorically with Sources
ASSIGNMENT: positioning self as researcher/formulating a research question
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LEE TORDA 310 Tillinghast Hall Bridgewater State University 508.531.2436 [email protected] www.leetorda.com Attend Zoom Class (when told to on the syllabus) by clicking on this link. |
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Overview
For the first part of your research project, it is important to consider who you are--what do you bring to this project? What is your interest in this question? What are you seeking to understand? What biases do you perhaps hold as you try to answer this question? What do you already know about it--or think you know about it? What do you not know about your subject?
Knowing who you are and why you are asking this question is an important first step in the research project. In the real world, researchers make decisions about what they research this way. In the classroom, lots of times, your research topic is picked for you. In our classroom, your research topic is guided but, in many ways up to you.
As the introduction to our class states, we are looking at the value of a college education in the 21st Century. That is the broad topic of research, your specific question is up to you. Here is what I wrote on the "policies" page of our class about this:
For the first part of your research project, it is important to consider who you are--what do you bring to this project? What is your interest in this question? What are you seeking to understand? What biases do you perhaps hold as you try to answer this question? What do you already know about it--or think you know about it? What do you not know about your subject?
Knowing who you are and why you are asking this question is an important first step in the research project. In the real world, researchers make decisions about what they research this way. In the classroom, lots of times, your research topic is picked for you. In our classroom, your research topic is guided but, in many ways up to you.
As the introduction to our class states, we are looking at the value of a college education in the 21st Century. That is the broad topic of research, your specific question is up to you. Here is what I wrote on the "policies" page of our class about this:
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"The thematic focus of our course will be a topic that should be of interest to you: attending university in the United States. What it means to attend college in the United States means different things to different people. For US citizens attending US colleges and universities, they must weigh the cost of attending university with the benefits of a college degree. A college degree seems to be required for more and more jobs, and yet a college degree is no guarantee of getting a job you want or a job that pays you enough to pay back college debt. And what about attending the right school? What even makes a school the right school?
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For more general information about the research project, read the Research Project Overview on this website. Links to the other parts of the research project are or will be available from that overview page and from the drop down menu at the tope of this page.
Details
In order to complete the first section of your draft you must answer the following questions in 750 words. Prior to producing this draft, we will do work in class to help you develop your research question, determine if your questions is a valid question, and hash out what you think you already know about your topic--and how that can be a good and a bad thing.
In 750 words, please answer the following question:
How you will be evaluated
Positioning yourself as a researcher is worth 10% of your final grade. In order to earn an "A" for that 10% you must:
If you do not complete all of the requirements for the "A" grade:
In order to complete the first section of your draft you must answer the following questions in 750 words. Prior to producing this draft, we will do work in class to help you develop your research question, determine if your questions is a valid question, and hash out what you think you already know about your topic--and how that can be a good and a bad thing.
In 750 words, please answer the following question:
- What question do you want to try to answer with your research? Keep in mind that this is a tentative question. It might change through research over the course of the semester.
- What smaller questions will you need to answer in order to answer your main question?
- How do you your smaller questions guide your possible research? In other words, where will you start to look for answers? Where could you look besides books or the library?
- What do you feel like you know about your subject?
- What do you feel like you don't know about your subject?
- Finally, what kinds of experience have you had in your life that could affect your attitude toward your question and towards the research? In other word, what experiences might create bias either for or against certain kinds of information that you will find as you research the answer to your question?
How you will be evaluated
Positioning yourself as a researcher is worth 10% of your final grade. In order to earn an "A" for that 10% you must:
- Answer as completely as you can all 6 questions above
- Keep your answer to 750 words
- Participate in a Draft Workshop and complete any worksheets or reflections that are required of you.
- Turning in your draft to me when required to do so.
If you do not complete all of the requirements for the "A" grade:
- you will earn a "C" grade if you answer less than 6 questions and/or do not participate in the workshop with a draft and/or complete the workshop worksheets or drafts.
- you will earn an "F" grade if you answer less than 3 questions and do not participate in the workshop.