Revised Research Questions

Based on our discussion in class, and also considering the comments in The Craft of Research about honing your general topic into a refined research question. While not mandatory, as one can develop a good essay a strong essay regardless of how one formulates one's question, strive to craft your research questions beginning with "how" or "why." We will review these tomorrow in class, paying particular attention to their level of specificity and potential for generating an argumentative response. Keep researching!

Submissions for Research Topic

Modern Problematics!!!

We have a little over two weeks remaining in the semester and we're now moving into your final research paper topic. Due on Monday, Dec. 1, you need to submit to this blog a proposal of what general topic you'll be studying and researching about for this essay. Of course, during this Thanksgiving week, you should strive to work ahead and not only decide on your broad topic, but also on your specific question, and begin finding materials, articles, and books that will help you craft your argument. Good luck, and remember your topic proposals must be submitted by 8:55 am, Monday, Dec. 1.

Abstracts for Presidential Campaign Arguments

Your abstracts (based on the model distributed in class on Friday, September 25) are due on or before midnight tonight (Sunday 27/Monday 28). Make sure that your abstract clearly addresses your research question, the subject of your investigation (the campaigns that you're studying), and your argument. The more substantive, clear, and fully explained your argument is in the abstract, the more convincing and fluid your in-class presentation is likely to be.

Revised Questions

Based on our discussion in class on Tuesday, September 16, please submit your revised, polished, and in most cases, more focused research questions to this blog by 11 pm tonight.

Research Questions for Presidential TV Advertisements Project

Your research questions (formulated in the same way and with the same expectations for seminar questions) are due by 11 pm Monday night, September 15.

As with the best seminar questions, make sure to formulate a research question that allows you to explore the interconnections between two disparate elements. For this project, one of those elements, obviously, will be the television advertisements of presidential candidates; however, the other element to focus on is up to you. Do consider some of the broad thematic suggestions I included on the assignment sheet.

For the sake of reference, here is the URL for the Living Room Candidate

Clive Thompson article 'Brave New World of Digital Intimacy'

Here are few themes and questions to get you thinking about your seminar questions, responses, and follow-up comments/questions for one another. Remember to please maintain standard academic writing rules and tone in all of your comments and support your responses (and perhaps follow-up comments/questions) with textual evidence from the article and/or your peers' comments.

-- Identity creation and self-definition --> Connection with ambient awareness.
-- Effects of technology on human interactions
-- Concerns over privacy and the obligations of institutions/employers to address online material
-- The adaptability to or excessive reliance upon technology and new communications media.

Those are just a few major themes and issues that struck me while reading. Your questions and responses can certainly touch on one of those topics or address some other concept within the article.