Research Opportunities: Fulbright Grants

If you have found that you enjoy research, you might want to consider applying for a Fulbright Grant after you complete your four-year degree. After I graduated from Fairfield University, I spent a year in South Korea on a Fulbright Grant (mine was a teaching grant, but many grants are for research). The grant paid for a lot of things—my salary, housing, and cell phone—and provided me with a lot of opportunities that I might not have had otherwise.

To see a sample of different fields of study and countries, check out this list of grantees from my university (scroll down to “Fulbright Scholars”).

The Fulbright website describes the different kinds of grants that are available. Click on different regions and countries to find out what kinds of grants are available.

When You Get to Class: Deposit Papers in Digication Database

The college requires students who take ENG103 to deposit their papers in the Digication database. You will not be evaluated based on your paper; the school is using these papers to compile information about students’ skills within different courses. Please deposit your paper by following these instructions.

Some Final Checklists to Consider

The writers of our textbook were kind enough to provide us with a number of checklists to use for reviewing the final draft of your research paper. I would suggest tackling these one at a time to avoid getting overwhelmed.

Voice and Tone

The language used in your essay, your “voice,” is another facet of your paper that is determined by your audience and purpose. (See pages 266–267.) Following are some things to ask yourself when you revise your paper:

❐ Does the tone that I use relate to the audience and purpose of this paper?

❐ Did I use active voice?

❐ Did I eliminate the use of slang, jargon, or inflated, overly formal language?

❐ Do I explain the use of all specific terminology or subject-specific references?

❐ Do I write with authority?

❐ Do I eliminate the use of sexist or other discriminatory language?

Introduction

Good introductions set the tone for your paper. Unfairly or not, since they are the first your reader sees of your writing, they may influence your reader more than anything else you say in the paper. Many readers, you, I am sure, included, have put aside reading very worthy essays because the introduction didn’t interest them or misinformed them about the content of the paper. Thus, it is especially important that you now review your introduction and ask yourself some questions about it. For more information about introductions, see page 203 and page 268.

❐ Is my introduction clearly written?

❐ Does my introduction serve to interest or excite my reader?

❐ Is my introduction written in a lively style?

❐ Does my introduction give the reader an accurate idea of what I will be doing?

❐ Does my introduction end with a clearly focused thesis?

Conclusion

Conclusions are your last moment alone with your reader, be he or she your teacher, a stranger, or your best friend. Thus, you want the conclusion to leave the reader thinking about your essay and the points you have made. Don’t introduce any new material in your conclusion. You have no space to develop it, and you will just confuse your reader. Use the conclusion to sum up and put what you have written in a larger context—for example, if you have written about your school, the conclusion may take the reader to the city’s schools, to the nations, and so on. For more information, see pages 207 and 271.

❐ Is the main idea of your essay clear in the conclusion?

❐ Have you succeeded in summarizing your main points?

❐ Is there a sense of completion in your conclusion?

❐ Have you checked to see that there is not any new information in your conclusion?

Evaluating Sources

As we discussed in Chapters 5 and 7, it is not enough to locate and copy sources. They must be used appropriately, punctuated correctly, and linked to the topic sentence of the paragraph through the use of transitional introductions (“sandwiching”). Check over your quotations by asking yourself the following questions:

❐ Is there a topic sentence in the paragraph?

❐ Does the writer introduce the quotation and blend it into the paragraph?

❐ Is the direct quotation put in quotation marks and punctuated correctly?

❐ Is there a clear paraphrase of the quotation?

❐ Has the writer analyzed the quoted passage and connected it to the topic sentence?

❐ Does the source have authority?

Documenting Your Sources Using MLA Style

Documenting your sources shouldn’t be difficult if you understand what you are citing and copy the form accurately. See Chapters 8 and 9 for more information on doing a Works Cited list. Ask yourself the following questions to help you check your in-text documentation:

❐ Does your documentation follow all of the MLA guidelines exactly?

❐ Are the sources listed alphabetically?

❐ Are all titles correctly identified by italics or quotation marks, as shown in the appropriate model?

❐ Do you have in-text citations for all references to sources?

❐ Are all of the sources in the in-text citations listed in the Works Cited list at the end of the paper?

❐ Is everything spelled correctly?

Also, consider using these proofreading strategies.

Proofreading Strategies

Here are some ways to proofread. Pick one or more when you read over your paper.

 

1. Take a blank piece of paper and move it slowly down the paper, from beginning to end.

2. Take a blank piece of paper and move it slowly up the paper, from the end to the beginning.

3. Read your paper aloud, slowly.

4. Read through your paper again, focusing on those areas that you know you have trouble with.

5. Read your paper to a friend.

6. Do all of the above, put your paper aside, and proofread it again a day later.

When You Get to Class: Reviewing MLA Style Citation

While your textbook is very helpful in explaining MLA style, it was written before the latest edition of the MLA style guide came out. If you bought the textbook, it came with a small laminated pamphlet explaining these changes, but if you borrowed the book from the library or photocopied the chapter from elsewhere, you might not have gotten this information. However, both the LaGuardia library website and the Purdue OWL (Online Writing Lab) website contain most of the information you will need for your papers.

Today we are going to review MLA Style citation for different kinds of books. You may want to copy this information into your notes, but it's more important that you read it over and try to understand the different versions of citation. We will be practicing writing these entries later in class.

Book with One Author

Fiedler, Leslie. Freaks: Myths and Images of the Secret Self. New York: Simon, 1978. Print.

Author (last, first.)

Title (in italics, include subtitles after colons, period at the end)
City of Publication (followed by colon)
Publisher (followed by comma, abbreviated)
Date of Publication (followed by period)
Medium of Publication (“Print.” for book, “Web.” for online book (slightly different format), CD, Film, DVD, Performance, etc.)

Any line after the first line is double-spaced and indented one-half inch or five spaces. This is called a “hanging indent.”

Book with Two or Three Authors or Editors

Doane, Janie, and Devon Hodges. Nostalgia and Sexual Difference: The Resistance to Contemporary Feminism. New York: Methuen, 1987. Print.

Notice that any authors’ names after the first author are written with the first name before the last name.

Two or More Books by the Same Author(s)

Lamott, Anne. All New People. New York: Doubleday, 1991. Print.

---. Bird by Bird: Some Instruction on Writing and Life. New York: Doubleday, 1994. Print.

Give the author’s name for the first entry only. After that, type three hyphens in place of the name, followed by a period and one space and then the next title. The three hyphens always stand for exactly the same name as in the preceding entry. The titles of the author’s works should be listed alphabetically.

Book with Translator

Marquez, Gabriel García. Love in the Time of Cholera. Trans. Edith Grossman. New York: Penguin, 1988. Print.

If a book has been translated, after the title of the book, include the abbreviation “Trans.” and the translator’s name (written regularly), followed by a period. The rest of the entry is written in the same way as we learned for a regular book with one author.

Selection from an Anthology or Collection

Mabry, Marcus. “Living in Two Worlds.” Between Worlds: A Reader, Rhetoric, and Handbook. Ed. Susan Bachmann and Melinda Barth. 6th ed. New York: Longman, 2010. 109-111. Print.

Give the author and title of the selection, using quotation marks around the title. Then give the title of the anthology, in italics. If the anthology has an editor, note the name or names after the “Ed.” Give the page numbers for the entire selection as shown.

Meb Keflezighi: Outlining to Organize Your Thoughts

Read this brief article on Meb Keflezighi. Create a running outline of the information you learn from the article. Then, use only the information necessary to create a brief formal outline to compare and contrast Meb Keflezighi and Alberto Salazar. The two main topics should be "Meb Keflezighi" and "Alberto Salazar"; the subtopics should be based upon the ways in which the article compares and contrasts them.

Evaluating Quotations: When Should I Quote? When Should I Paraphrase?

Examine the following quotations. If you were using them in your own papers, would you maintain the quotations or paraphrase them? Explain why.

1. “On Thursday morning, August 4, 1892, Mr. and Mrs. Borden and John Morse, a visiting relative, ate an early breakfast together. Around 9:00 A.M. Mrs. Borden left to run errands and Mr. Borden went downtown, as was his custom, to take care of small business matters.”

Marcia Carlisle, “What Made Lizzie Borden Kill?” from Research Papers, p. 7.

2. “Medical Examiner Dolan, assisted by other physicians, held an autopsy this afternoon on the two bodies. It was found that Borden sustained twelve cuts in the face and skull, varying in length 4 to 8 inches. He also suffered a fracture of the skull 2 by 4 inches and 3 inches deep. His wife’s head and face was battered all out of shape.”

New York Times, 5 August 1892, from Research Papers, p. 4.

3. “The descent through the steep tunneled streets gave one the sense of being lowered into the shaft of a mine. At each step the strip of sky grew narrower, and was more often obscured by the low vaulted passages into which we plunged. The noises of the Bazaar had died out, and only the sound of fountains behind garden walls and the clatter of our mules’ hoofs on the stones went with us. Then fountains and gardens ceased also, the towering masonry closed in, and we entered an almost subterranean labyrinth which sun and air never reach.”

Edith Wharton, In Morocco, from Research Papers, p. 81.

4. “The problems with the Christians start, said Father, as with women, when the hudad, or sacred frontier, is not respected. I was born in the midst of chaos, since neither Christians nor women accepted the frontiers. Right on our threshold, you could see women of the harem contesting and fighting with Ahmed the doorkeeper as the foreign armies from the North kept arriving all over the city. In fact, foreigners were standing right at the end of our street, which lay just between the old city and the Ville Nouvelle, a new city that they were building for themselves.”

Fatima Mernissi, Dreams of Trespass, from Research Papers, p. 87.

When You Get to Class: Write Me a Letter

Please write me an informal letter telling me how your research is going. Let me know what is going well, what is not going well, how you might need help, etc. I'm not grading this; this is just a way for me to check in and see what is happening with you and your research before you start writing your rough draft.

Outlining: Eating Insects

In Ch. 6, we learned about outlining, an important step in organizing your paper. Many students dislike outlining because they think of it as a commitment rather than a plan. In order to make outlining a little less scary, we're going to practice by outlining an article unrelated to your research.

Read this article on entomophagy, or eating insects. As you read, keep a running outline. This is an example of a running outline from an article on Lizzie Borden:

Andrew Borden, 70, a wealthy and respected member of the community, and his second wife

Abbie, 67, were found murdered with an ax on August 4, 1892.

The Borden family consisted of Andrew and his wife, their two daughters, and a servant.

Lizzie Borden, who was outside in the barn, heard a cry from the house and found her father dead on the living-room sofa.

She went upstairs and found her mother dead in a spare bedroom.

Both Mr. and Mrs. Borden had been violently butchered.

The police suspected John W. Morse, Mr. Borden's brother-in-law, but did not arrest him.

As you can see, this running outline gathers the most important pieces of information, though it doesn't put it in any kind of order or organization.

After you complete your running outline, read it over and organize this information into a more traditional outline. Here is a traditional outline for information found in another article about Lizzie Borden:

I. Battered woman syndrome has been the object of much study lately.

   A. It is, today, found to be quite prevalent.

      1. The definition has been widened

      2. It is underreported

   B. Strong link between sexual abuse and parricide now taken seriously

      1. Richard Jahnke case

      2. Cheryl Pierson case

   C. In the 19th century this link between sexual abuse and parricide was more prevalent than was generally known.

      1. Christina Abbott case

      2. Sigmund Freud's studies of female hysteria and his revision of his initial theory

     3. Case studies in Linda Gordon's book, Heros of Their Own Lives

The goal of the outline is to make sense out of the information and to make it easier for you to see what is going on.

When You Get to Class: Your Three Sources

I asked you to locate three good sources for your research for today. In your research journal, list those three sources and write a brief paragraph for each explaining how this source will be helpful in your research.

How to Evaluate Sources: The Death of Christopher McCandless, aka Alexander Supertramp

To get a general idea about who Christopher McCandless (aka Alexander Supertramp) was, look at the Wikipedia entry.

There are a lot of different questions that could be asked about Christopher McCandless:

Was his death an act of suicide or an accident?
What was his exact cause of death?
How did his upbringing influence him?
How did his reading influence him?
Was he “crazy”?
How did his death influence others?

All of the following could be used for sources, but it depends on which direction you decide to go in for the paper.

There is a movie called Into the Wild, directed by Sean Penn, which is based on the book by Jon Krakauer, which was originally written as an article for Outside.

There is also a documentary about Chris’s life called Call of the Wild in which the filmmaker, Ron Lamothe, follows in Chris’s footsteps and interviews many of the people from Chris’s life. He found a lot of things wrong with Penn’s movie and Krakauer’s assessments, which are detailed in part of his website.

Another book is in the works, due out the end of this year, called Back to the Wild. Here is the author's website.

Other sources:

“The Cult of Chris McCandless”

Chris’s S.O.S. note

“Mother Nature’s Restless Sons”

An interview with a man who met Chris on the road.

"Come to Alaska, but please don't go 'Wild'"

Excerpts from Chris’s own writing in his college newspaper:

“10 True Facts about Chris McCandless, or Alaska scores another point for natural selection”

“Into the Wild: The False Being Within”

In which situations might these different sources be useful? What might make you not want to use them? Think about what you have learned about different kinds of sources.

When You Get to Class: Library Orientation Review

What are some of the things you learned during the library orientation last week? What are some databases that might be helpful for your research? Are there any questions that came up for you because of the library orientation?

Goals for the End of Class Today

If You Have Written Your Research Proposal:
You will be meeting in a small group with others who have written their proposals as well. You will read each other's proposals and make suggestions for how to improve your work. Please feel free to use the example on p. 97-98 and the checklist on p. 99 in your textbook as guidelines. After everyone has received feedback, please revise your proposals individually on your computers.

If You Have Not Written Your Research Proposal:
You need to do so by the end of class. Please feel free to use the example on p. 97-98 and the checklist on p. 99 in your textbook as guidelines.

After You Revise/Complete Your Research Proposal:
Please locate three sources to use in your research.

When You Get to Class: Roman Polanski Google Search

Do a Google search for “Roman Polanski.” Once you type in his full name, which searches are suggested by Google? For example, when I type in “Michael Jackson,” Google suggests the additional searches “Michael Jackson songs,” “Michael Jackson trial,” and “Michael Jackson quotes.” 

What happens when you add a space and another letter to your “Roman Polanski” search? When I add a space and an “n” to my “Michael Jackson” search, I see that Google suggests the additional searches “Michael Jackson net worth,” “Michael Jackson news,” “Michael Jackson number ones,” and “Michael Jackson not dead.”

Now, browse some of the sites that come up related to “Roman Polanski” to get a general idea of who he is and why he is famous. What are some of the things that you learn about him? What is different about the information from these different sites?

Last Year's Topics: From General to Specific

Here is a list of possible research topics from last year's students. Choose three of these topics to examine. If you were using this topic for your research, how would you make this topic more specific? What other changes might be needed?

Adoption for Gay Parent

Adoption

Growing up Diabetic to Newly becoming one at an adult.

How old is too old/young to retired.

Do video games really affect children?

Health care reform.

How hard is to grow in a bilingual word?

Child abuse

Actually became very interested in Lizzey Borden

I remember I read part of the book “The Little Seamstress”, which talks about the culture revolution of China around in 1940s. Chairman Mao would like to unify peoples’ knowledge and control their thoughts. However, in 1997, the civil revolution of China was caused by those young people who had higher education and questioned the authority for many hidden truths. As a Chinese, I am interesting on this topic and would like to put my time to do the research about the causes of China civil revolution. Besides finding the paper sources, I think I can do some interviews with my Chinese friend about this topic.

1) How not to raise a bully:

2) Living is a Lie

3) America’s History of Fear

4) Whether the National id is a good idea or not?

1. Global warming affects on Antarctic animals.

2. Stroke recovery survey in adults 40-62 years old.

3. September 11 recovery workers health affects

4. September 11 recovery workers that have died from exposure at wtc

5. Bp oil spill environmental affects.

6. Bed bugs

7. Out of hospital resuscitation from sudden cardiac arrest.

8. Autism in children

9. Autism in Adults.

Sociologically related, Art related, Jewelry around the world, Museum & children workshops offered

Aftermath of world trade center, hurricane Katrina, suicide on college campus, teenage suicide, young children, teens on the internet(facebook) , what impact on learning a foreign language when you are young, euthanasia, what it is to be an African American women in the 21st century? Growing up in the 60’s in New York City, woman scholars,

Alcoholism

Over use of the internet and its sources

Transgenics

• Does technology have any effect on cancer?

• What type of food will give your dog longevity?

• Will you be a better parent if you have children at a younger age vs. when you are older?

-should a woman finish her career before or after having children?

Children Verbal/Speech Apraxia

Drug Addiction

Speech Disorders

Children and Communication

1. RESEARCH ON THE AMOUNT OF

STUDENTS THAT GRADUATE FROM CUNY

2. THE AMOUNT OF AAFRICAN - AMERICAN STUDENTS IN SCHOOL COMPARED TO IN

PRISON 3. THE RECIDIVISM RATE OF PRISONER RELEASED AFTER

SERVING 0-5 YEARS COMPARED TO PRISONER SEVING 5-20 YEARS

4.HIV/AIDS AND WHY IT EFFECT WHO IT EFFECTS.

5. THE POPULATION OF CUNY STUDENTS THAT WORK, GO TO SCHOOL,

AND ARE PARENTS

The 25 year history of The Mario Bros: a basic illustration of a world famous pair of plumbers and how they came into being strode into the public eye and leapt into super stardom, particularly, the red capped Mario and how a middle-aged plumber from Brooklyn was made into the everyman fantasy hero.

THAT’S ENTERTAINMENT: A study in adaptations, focusing primarily on the evolution of The Little Shop of Horrors from b-list low budget film, to cult classic musical, to a major studio production with a star studded cast.

NEW YORK STATE OF MIND: a brief history on several comic book authors born in the same neighborhood as me, their lives, rise to fame, and their fights to be recognized as artisans rather than simply facets of the industrial machine that is Comic Book Publishing. With side notes on the battles over the rights to Superman from his creator to the corporate wing.

Death of an Astronaut: Why did Nasa shut down the shuttle program.

The history of airplanes, the history of tanks, rap music, R&B music, the history of my neighborhood, the history of the Bronx, Asiatic Lion, how immigrants were treated in the 20th century, how it feels to be biracial, history of baseball, Akita dog breed, the history of video games, graffiti, cell phones, different neighborhoods of NY, jungles around the world, wars of the 20th century, Ebonics, attitudes towards immigrants around the world, attitudes towards Christians around the world, oil, dancing, singing, different types of governments, agriculture, industry, Siberian tiger, nomads, what the world was like during the year I was born, the architecture in NY,

1. Dog obesity

2. Animal cruelty

3. Animal therapy

4. Growing up with animals Vs not growing up with animals

When You Get to Class: Different Kinds of Research (Good Hair)

Research isn't always done for a paper, and the topic isn't always "academic." Chris Rock decided to film his documentary for a very specific and personal reason. What was it? Also, how did he conduct his research? Where did his research take him? (Please use headphones to listen to this trailer.)

Research in Real Life

How would you go about answering these questions?

What kind of music do students in your class prefer?

What’s the best way of cooking baked ziti?

How do you diaper a baby?

What kind of jeans are “in”?

Which English teacher gives the most homework?

What is the fastest way of getting from the college to your home?

What present would your (mother, best friend) like for his/her birthday?

When is Christmas break?

What restaurant makes the best pizza in your area?

Would Venice be a good place to visit in the winter?

*questions provided by the excellent authors of your textbook

"Mixing" vs. Plagiarism

Check out this article about Helene Hegemann, a young author fighting allegations of plagiarism. What do you think of her ideas about utilizing the works of others in her book?

Syllabus

This is the same as the hard copy I gave you last week, except I've added the location of my office hours and the Writing Center, as well as a link to the "Introduction to English 103" sheet:

ENG103.0865

Preparing and Writing the Research Paper

LaGuardia Community College

Fall I 2011

Thursday, 8-10am

Room E-141

Ms. Uzzilia

Office hours: Thursday, 10:30-11:30am (MB14, office A), 11:45am-12:45pm (MB14)  

E-mail: suzzilia@lagcc.cuny.edu

Class Blog: suzzilia.blogspot.com

Course Description:

The LaGuardia Community College catalog describes ENG103 in this way:

This course takes up the skills needed to prepare and write a formal research paper. The students learn and practice the skills involved in research reports for such major disciplines as the social sciences, humanities, human services, and English. These include: choosing an appropriate topic and limiting its focus; using library reference materials; outlining and taking notes; using quotations and paraphrases; preparing footnotes and bibliography; and, finally, incorporating these skills in the development of a typed manuscript.

Prerequisite: ENG101

Please see the Introduction to English 103 sheet for more information.

Declaration of Pluralism:

 The LaGuardia Community College catalogue states the following:

We are a diverse community at LaGuardia Community College. We strive to become a pluralistic community. We respect diversity as reflected in such areas as race, culture, ethnicity, gender, religion, age, sexual orientation, disability, and social class.

As a pluralistic community we will:

• Celebrate: individual and group diversity.

• Honor: the rights of people to speak and be heard on behalf of pluralism.

• Promote: inter-group cooperation, understanding, and communication.

• Acknowledge: each other’s contributions to the community.

• Share: beliefs, customs, and experiences which enlighten us about members of our community.

• Affirm: each other’s dignity.

• Seek: further ways to learn about and appreciate one another.

• Confront: the expression of dehumanizing stereotypes, incidents where individuals or groups are excluded because of difference, the intolerance of diversity, and the forces of racism, sexism, heterosexism, homophobia, disability discrimination, ageism, classism, and ethnocentrism that fragment the community into antagonistic individuals and groups.

We believe by carrying out these actions we, as students, faculty, and staff can achieve social change and the development of a society in which each individual can achieve her or his maximum potential.

 Classroom Expectations:

Every student in this class has the right to learn in a positive and respectful environment. When you come to class, please come ready to work. This includes turning off the ringer on your cell phone, bringing all required materials to class (a flash drive, the textbook, and any additional handouts), and making your best effort. Please treat others as you would have them treat you, and do your best to contribute to group work and class discussions in a positive manner.  

Attendance Policy:

Good attendance is crucial to your success in this class. You may have no more than two hours of absence through September 27^th. After two hours of absence, you will automatically receive an F, unless you are able to withdraw from the course on or before September 27^th. After September 27^th, you are allowed no more than two additional hours of absence.

You must also be punctual. Being late two times equals one absence. If you are late, please see me at the end of class.

In case you have to miss a class or be late, please have the phone numbers and/or email addresses of at least two classmates so that you can find out what you missed.

Plagiarism Policy:

It is very important that you do your own work, so plagiarism will not be tolerated.

If a paper exhibits plagiarism, it will automatically receive an F, regardless of whether the writer intended to plagiarize or not. Students are expected to understand what constitutes plagiarism. When the plagiarism is eliminated, the paper will receive no higher than a C. If there is a second case of plagiarism, the student will either automatically be required to withdraw from the course, or, if it is past the withdrawal date, the student will automatically fail ENG103.

Please see the “Statement about Plagiarism” sheet for more information.

Required Texts:

Research Papers: A Guide and Workbook, 2^nd ed. by Marian Arkin and Cecilia Macheski

Course Requirements:  

Classwork / Homework / Research Journal / Source Folder: 40%

“Guinea Pig” Day / Final Paper Presentation: 10%

Rough Draft of Research Paper (minimum 1,000 words, or about 4 pages): 20%

Final Draft of Research Paper (minimum 1,800 words, or about 7 pages): 30%

Because this class emphasizes the research process, it is important that work is completed in sequence and on time. You may not move to the next step in the process until you have completed all previous work.

All work is due upon request on the date it is due. Late work will be deducted.

Please type your work and make sure to proofread before you turn it in. Your research paper will be written in MLA format (we will discuss this later).  

Please come see me during my office hours for additional help. You can also visit the Writing Center (Room B-200).

Schedule:

9/8: Introductions, Diagnostic Essay

9/15: Ch. 1: What is Research?
9/22: Ch. 2: Synopsis of a Model Research Paper

Tuesday, 9/27: Last day to officially withdraw from a course with a “W” grade

9/29: no class

10/6: Ch. 3: Choosing a Subject and Narrowing to a Topic
10/13: Ch. 4: Finding and Retrieving Sources
10/20: Ch. 5: Evaluating and Recording Information from Sources
10/27: Ch. 6: Organizing and Outlining Research Material
11/3: Ch. 7: Writing the Paper
11/10: Ch. 8: Documenting Your Sources Using MLA Style
11/17: Ch. 10: Preparing and Proofreading the Final Draft

11/24: no class

12/1: Final Paper Presentations

12/8: Final Paper Presentations, continued
12/15: Individual Meetings re: grades

*Subject to Change

Academic Calendar

Here is LaGuardia's academic calendar, just in case you need to know about holidays, add/drop dates, etc.