Mini research

Power and Imagination-Fall 2014

Over the past few weeks we have seen videos and read selections on a variety of
topics related to our theme, from educational philosophies to sensory processing
disorders, from theories of power to a story of human silk worms set in the late 19th
century Meiji Japan. It has been frustrating at times to move on when weve barely begun
to engage the material. This assignment is an invitation to further pursue a question
or topic of interest to you among those we have considered.
Well be using this assignment to focus on research skills and the initial phases
that would lead to a research paper. Well be doing an actual paper during Winter Quarter.
On Tuesday well head to the library to learn about databases and research strategies. The
assignment this quarter will be an annotated bibliography with a reflective essay on your
strategy and findings
Ill expect you to synthesize information from multiple authoritative sources. You
may use Wikipedia to give yourself some background knowledge, but I expect your
citations to be from peer-reviewed journals (minimum of three), books (minimum of one)
and from reputable print media such as major newspapers or magazines. Each reference
should be followed by a paragraph describing the content of the source. Websites should
be accompanied in the list of references by a statement evaluating and attesting to the
sites objectivity and credibility. I would expect a minimum of 8 reference sources.
Following your list of references Id like a paragraph or two describing your search
strategy; how you went about finding appropriate sources, figuring out what databases
and key terms would be appropriate. Citations should be in either MLA or APA format
(http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/ is a great site for citation and other writing
information)
The learning objectives for this assignment are for you to
a. Exercise initiative in your own education
b. Develop research experience with Millar Library, both the physical collection
of books and journals, and the on-line databases.
c. Learn the proper method of citing work from various sources
d. Continue to improve writing and critical thinking skills
Proposal Nov.18 Due Nov. 25
Readings and Topics- Colombo, Friere, Frederick Douglas and Native American
boarding schools, French colonialism, immigration, and schooling. Plato, Secrets of the
Mind pathologies (choose one or some similar disorder), any of the issues Steven Pinker
brings up on the neurobiology of perception, Doris Lessing, George Orwell and the
British colonization of India, Social Class, Social Construction of Reality (Berger and
Luckmann) social construction of gender, the specialists in On Looking, Lakoff on
metaphor, Zerubeval on framing and categories, political rhetoric, the silk industry, the
Mieji Empire.