Tag: weekof7/12

Discussion Questions Week of 7/12

1.

The search tools that I have been using to find my sources are using key words and filters to find ones that relate to what my ideas are and make sure that they are the type of sources that I am looking to use. In the case that this does not work or I do not like anything that came up, I go to one of the sources that is relevant to my idea and look through what contributed to it, look at other pieces that the author(s) worked on, and look at if it came from a bigger source and go through it if it did. In the case that I did not find a source I liked, I would try using different key words and even take a step back and look again later to see if something would catch my eye that did not the first time.

2.

I am planning to switch from discrimination among people with disabilities to discrimination against people in the LGBTQ+ community. In doing this, I hope to find sources that discuss examples and situations where people were discriminated against. I want to make sure that people who have experienced this type of discrimination and what they did in response, if anything. In order to find this I plan to start out the same way I found my article for my unit 1 expanding the canon as I explained above. I am hoping to make a point about how people being discriminated at all is unacceptable, people being discriminated against something they cannot control is cruel in every way.

Discussion prompts for Week of 7/12

This week’s work centers around focusing and surveying, and we’re going to stick with that theme in discussion. I’d like you to consider an analogy to photography here. When you’re getting ready to take a picture, you need to make a whole lot of decisions. That starts with deciding what your subject is going to be–what you’re going to focus on. In the course of making that decision, you’re also weighing what else is around that focal point, deciding what to include and exclude based on how you frame the image (whether and how much you zoom, how you refocus if you do zoom in, and deciding whether and how to overlay filters and other effects).

image that depicts a person focusing camera lens

That’s kind of how research works–figuring out what’s worth focusing on requires a lot of surveying the landscape to see what’s out there and what’s interesting, and then making a series of decisions about how to compose a final image that you think others will want to see.  We’re entering the surveying phase now–looking to see what’s out there and then deciding where to focus and how to frame the shot.

Please respond to both of the prompts below by the end of the day on Wednesday, 7/14, and then tune back in later in the week to respond to a couple of your classmates’ posts.

  1. What search tools have you tried, and what are you noticing about them–how they work, what kinds of sources you turn up with different tools, what specialized features (i.e. Advanced Search features) seem especially helpful? If you’re running into roadblocks, explain what you’ve tried, so we can offer suggestions to help you keep moving forward.
  2. Plot some research goals for yourself. As you can see in the unit 2 assignment sheet you will need to have at least 1 scholarly source, and at least 1 primary source (check out the post below for a rundown of what constitutes a primary source). You’re welcome to include a variety of sources beyond that, but will want to ensure that your sources represent a range of different viewpoints and contributions. What kinds of texts are you hoping to find? Which fields and voices do you want to make sure are represented? How will you work to find them?

As you’re preparing to answer these questions, be sure to read through this refresher on different source types.

Please categorize your post as “Discussions/Homework,” and tag it with “weekof7/12,” “unit2,” and [your name].

Overview for Week of 7/12

I’ll be getting you feedback on your recent posts and on your focusing flowchart within the next 48 hours, so please be on the lookout for that, and use that to get started on your research for sources for your research portfolio.

Read on for the particulars of what’s due this week, but first, let me give you a bit more of the Big Picture of Unit 2.

big picture

In this Unit, you will be assembling a set of sources–representing a mix of voices of various stakeholders, a variety of source types (including primary, scholarly, and others), and a range of perspectives. Your primary tasks in this unit will be making decisions about what sources to include and becoming conversant with those sources. In this unit, we’ll focus on these elements:

  • locating sources (working with the SU library databases and other tools)
  • evaluating sources (assessing their value, credibility, and utility to your project)
  • writing about your sources (in a couple of note-taking and discussion exercises, and in longer annotations that are part of your portfolio)

You’ll be building a research project with these and other sources down the road in Unit 3. This unit will let you take your time developing a strong foundation for that work, so that your research can be intentional, critical, and productive (and not just quote-dropping or patching together other people’s words and ideas). This will allow you to make something new, a valuable contribution to the world of knowledge on the subject you choose to explore.

Read on for this week’s tasks.

Reading:

  • “Can company culture survive Zoom?”
  • chapters 6 and 7 of TSIS
  • chapter 2 (“Forwarding”) of Rewriting
  • this overview of different types of sources

Writing and discussion work:

  • discussion posts (your posts due Wednesday, replies to classmates’ posts due Saturday). Here’s the link to the prompts.
  • 2 note-taking exercises (1 due Wednesday, and the other due Sunday)–this begins with you locating possible sources, and then working with 2 different techniques spelled out on this handout on notetaking techniques
WRT 205 notetaking techniquesDownload

Types of sources

As you see on the unit 2 assignment sheet you will need to have at least 1 primary source and 1 scholarly source in your research portfolio.

We’ve talked a bit about scholarly sources already–take a look back at this post for a refresher.

Now let’s talk about what a primary source is.

A primary source is typically one based on direct first-hand experience or observation of an event or issue. What constitutes a primary source will vary by discipline/research topic. For example, in history, a primary source might be a document or artifact that dates to the time period under consideration (a letter written by a soldier during the Civil War, for example, or a photograph taken at that moment in time).  In literature, a primary source might be the poem or other literary work that the author is analyzing. In the sciences (both social sciences and “hard” sciences), primary sources might be data from experiments conducted or field notes recording one’s observations or actual artifacts from that research process. 

There are certainly situations in which opinion polls/surveys constitute primary sources, as well, providing fresh, direct insight into attitudes on a topic. Similarly, narrative sources (blog posts, interviews, autobiographical writings) might constitute primary sources, too. The basic idea is that a primary source gets us as close as possible to a particular phenomenon or topic, providing us information that is as unfiltered and direct as can be had.

And let’s consider what a secondary source is.

By contrast, most of the sources you find yourself working with are secondary sources, which include primary sources among their evidence. Such sources provide you with commentary and analysis that is at least one step removed from the topic itself. Note that both types–primary and secondary–are valuable in any research inquiry. Primary sources, because they are so individualized, really don’t work in isolation. They need the context of additional analysis, such as is provided by secondary sources, to be meaningful. This is yet one more reason why an array of sources, serving different functions and representing different perspectives, is so critical to the success of researched writing.

We need a balanced diet of information.

And one more note on the subject of source types: it’s worth striving for a “balanced diet” of information. Scholarly sources are kind of like broccoli–maybe not as tasty and easy as some other types, but with a lot of valuable nutrients. They’re good for the overall health of our inquiry, even if they’re not our favorite go-to item. For more on this analogy, I encourage you to watch this really accessible and interesting TED talk by JP Rangaswami: