Purpose
The purposes of this assignment are multifold. First, it will engage you in the process of writing. Second, it will introduce you to discipline-specific research principles and strategies. Third, it will involve you in argumentation. Fourth, the assignment will foster collaborative learning, for you will learn how to write and to present a formal, extended argument with others.
Process
This project has numerous stages. You may want to read chapter 42 ("Planning a Research Project") of The Little, Brown Handbook
. First, you will freely write about something relative to your discipline--languages (English and foreign), humanities (art, dance, film, history, music, philosophy, religion and theater), social sciences (anthropology, business, economics, education, law, political science, psychology, and sociology), or applied sciences (astronomy, biology, chemistry, computer science, engineering, environmental science, geology, health sciences, mathematics, and physics). Discuss your ideas with the other members of your group. Your group must quickly decide on a general topic because, second, your group will need to review resources relative to y'all's discipline. Each member must examine at least one book, one journal, and one website. As you analyze those sources, look for a specific topic. Critique the content of the journal and website. Notice the publisher and the frequency of publication. What types of people write for the journal? With respect to the website, examine it for accuracy, objectivity, currency, frequency of updates, coverage, and administrative and quality controls. You may want to read chapter 43 ("Finding Sources") and chapter 44 ("Working with Sources") of The Little, Brown Handbook for more information. Your search for a topic and sources will lead to a proposal.
. First, you will freely write about something relative to your discipline--languages (English and foreign), humanities (art, dance, film, history, music, philosophy, religion and theater), social sciences (anthropology, business, economics, education, law, political science, psychology, and sociology), or applied sciences (astronomy, biology, chemistry, computer science, engineering, environmental science, geology, health sciences, mathematics, and physics). Discuss your ideas with the other members of your group. Your group must quickly decide on a general topic because, second, your group will need to review resources relative to y'all's discipline. Each member must examine at least one book, one journal, and one website. As you analyze those sources, look for a specific topic. Critique the content of the journal and website. Notice the publisher and the frequency of publication. What types of people write for the journal? With respect to the website, examine it for accuracy, objectivity, currency, frequency of updates, coverage, and administrative and quality controls. You may want to read chapter 43 ("Finding Sources") and chapter 44 ("Working with Sources") of The Little, Brown Handbook for more information. Your search for a topic and sources will lead to a proposal.
Third, your group will need to agree on a specific topic, for your group must convince me via a proposal (an abstract and an annotative bibliography) that the topic is researchable in our primary library and that it will allow your group to analyze facts and opinions en route to an original, interesting and informative argument. You may want to read chapter 49 ("Working with the Goals and Requirements of the Disciplines") of The Little, Brown Handbook for more information. The proposal must be in the form of an abstract and must include an annotative bibliography in the proper format: MLA for languages, CMS for humanities, APA for social sciences, or CSE for applied sciences. You will need to refer to either chapter 47, 51, 52 or 53, respectively, for information on the proper format relative to your discipline. The abstract must describe the situation or problem and contain your group's position. Your group will meet with me briefly to discuss the proposal.
for more information. The proposal must be in the form of an abstract and must include an annotative bibliography in the proper format: MLA for languages, CMS for humanities, APA for social sciences, or CSE for applied sciences. You will need to refer to either chapter 47, 51, 52 or 53, respectively, for information on the proper format relative to your discipline. The abstract must describe the situation or problem and contain your group's position. Your group will meet with me briefly to discuss the proposal.
Fourth, your group will compose, revise and edit an academic essay, an extended argument, using Track Changes to collaboratively do such. Your essay must contain at least four of the following types of arguments: definitional, categorical, evaluative or ethical, causal, and propositional. We will discuss each type of argument before your group creates each type.
Fifth, your group will orally present the extended argument to the class. The only stipulation is that the speech must not exceed 15 minutes. The basic purposes of oral presentations are the same as those of written documents: to inform, to persuade, or to move an audience to act. Informative presentations teach the audience. Persuasive presentations induce the audience to embrace a point of view. Motivational presentations provide the audience with an incentive to act. Make your group's purpose as specific as possible.
Sixth, all members of the audience, including myself, will evaluate your group's presentation. I will average the scores to determine your group's grade. However, if the average is well above or below my score, I will raise or lower the grade accordingly, averaging your peers' mean score and my score.
Seventh, after the delivery of the speech and while the audience is evaluating your group's presentation, each member of your group will evaluate his/her roles in the project as well as the roles of the other members. If you think you deserve a higher or lower grade, then you must convince me of such. If you think another member deserves a higher or lower grade, then you must convince me of such.
Particulars
Our next meting will occur in the library, where your group will hunt for particular items, familiarizing yourselves with the library's resources. Your proposal will be due several meetings after that. I will evaluate both the library hunt and the proposal. Bring your group's sources to every meeting in our classroom so that your group can work on the essay. Only one copy of the essay will be due the day of our final exam. I will evaluate it in accordance with the standards I specify in "Criteria for Evaluating Essays." I also will evaluate your group's Works Cited, Notes, or References page(s); your group's footnotes; and/or your group's bibliography. If there are more than a few mistakes, then your group will lose points.
