ASSIGNMENT:
A brief but concrete proposal for your research paper (typed, double-spaced, etc., as usual).
DUE:
Proposal due: in class, Tuesday, October 21
Please note: The proposal is to be submitted to me in class on October 21. During class that day, you will complete a Research Topic Form. Directly after class that day, I will deliver the completed topic forms to the reference librarians who will be leading our Library Workshop on Thursday, October 23. They will base our Workshop on your specific topics.
Please remember, too, that your attendance at the Library Workshop is absolutely mandatory. Lack of attendance will result in a failing class participation grade!
To prepare for the Library Workshop, please take the Green Library Online Tour and comple modules 1 through 5 in SKIL (Stanford's Key to Information Literacy: An Interactive Tutorial.
THE GENERAL IDEA/THE SPECIFIC POINT:
In a couple paragraphs, your research proposal should explain as specifically as possible what you plan to write your research paper about and where you expect to find your source material:
- Begin your proposal with your research question: what question at this point is driving your research?
- Explain your research paper topic briefly but specifically. What is your topic? Why is it important? What will the purpose of your research be? What will the purpose of your writing be? Who, aside from us, might your reader(s) be? What at this point do you think the main thrust of the paper might be?
- What kinds of primary and secondary sources do you plan to use and how and where you propose to find them?