Research Paper: Draft 1
Research in the Disciplines
Ethnic Identities 355:201 J7 & K5
John Aveni: Spring 2005
Read: Your own first two essays for this class (including their source material);
At least two "framing" theoretical texts from our packet;
At least one book-length source related to your topic;
At least one scholarly article related to your topic;
At least two case studies related to your topic
First Draft of the Research Paper: Charting a Course
In this 5-7 page paper, you are to test out the theoretical framework you want to use to structure your research paper by applying it to some of the source material for your case or topic.
You must engage one of the framing texts we have worked with this semester, in addition to at least two sources you have found in your own research. The idea is to take the research project in small bites to help make it manageable. Choose what you take to be your most promising "frame" and "case material". Later, you will add additional framing sources and more case material.
Attach an updated annotated bibliography. At minimum, it should include the sources that appear in your draft in addition to three other sources that may be promising later on. If you have located additional sources but have not yet had a chance to review them, you may want to list them without annotation.
In your first papers, you have already engaged the theoretical texts available to the class. Use the best parts of your previous discussions of these "framing" texts, and focus on the areas that are relevant to your case material. Be as clear as you can about the framework, including its concepts, assumptions, and language.
You should present your reader with your thesis question in its current state of evolution. Remember to include details on all of the “reporter” questions: Who, What, Where, When, How, and Why.
What is the case, topic, or issue you are researching? Be sure to give your reader some brief description of the topic so your reader is on the same page, so to speak. Too much description, however, invites 'summary' and a 'report' style essay (Not a good thing). Try to keep the basic description to a paragraph; you can elaborate the relevant facets of the topic as you use your frame to discuss the topic.
Use your framework to begin to 'read' or make sense of your topic or case. What does your framework tell you about the issue you are researching? How does it help you to discuss the two sources that currently form your case material?
Remember:
- Your introduction should state how your frame and case will be related.
- Your thesis statement, worded as a question, should also be in your introduction.
- Introduce and define the conceptual language you use in the paper before you work with it. Here, you may be using paragraphs that set up your author’s arguments without connecting their ideas.
- Offer at least two-three body paragraphs in which you use connected quotations from more than one author to help you build your position(s). Develop these body paragraph arguments from connections between quotations from your case and frame texts.
- Think about the flow of your paragraphs. Is your outline telegraphed in your introduction?
- Use the Chicago Style in citing works you use.
- Attach an updated annotated bibliography with at least three sources that do not appear in this draft (minimum of six sources).
Lenth: 5-7 pages (Aproximately 1500-2000 words) Due: March 21, 2004 (Bring 2 copies and 1 floppy disk). Papers must be typed, double-spaced, with 1” margins all around. Typical word count = 300 words per page. In addition to handing in typewritten paper copies of your drafts you must also hand them in on an IBM formatted floppy disk. Label your diskette with your name, my name, and your 201 section number. Each individual file must be saved in either *.doc or *.rtf format. Your draft must be named in the following format: Yourlastname-RP-D1.rtf (or .doc).
Research Paper: Draft 1Pre-writing Exercise
Research in the Disciplines
Ethnic Identities 355:201 J7 & K5
John Aveni: Spring 2005
The framing text I plan to use in the first draft of my research paper is: ______
The two case texts I will use are: ______
and: ______
The relationship between my frame and my first case is:
The relationship between my frame and my second case is:
At this stage of development, my thesis statement can best be stated as the following question:
(be sure to address Who, What, When, Where, How, and Why).
The portion of my thesis I hope to develop in this first draft is:
I will need to introduce and define the following theoretical concepts from my framing text before connecting this text with my chosen case texts:
On the back of this assignment sheet, start taking notes as to the quotations you intend to match up in your body paragraphs dealing with the connections between your cases and your frame.
Example: Suppose your research paper topic is to explore the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II, and you want to consider the act of interning these Americans as a racial project. You also want to consider the impact of this internment on the identity and sense of national belonging of the children in the camps. For this draft, you would choose one of the two related issues. For the sake of argument, let’s say you chose the first part. Your draft would then discuss Omi and Winant’s concept of racist and non-racist racial projects in connection with two sources discussing the American government’s reasoning for interning Japanese Americans and the way this internment was carried out.