Directions: Go to your blog and make a new page and name it: Research question, thesis and research proposal (RQTRP). Add the three headings below. Read through the descriptions and examples of the RQTRP (below), then look at the ideas you produced in your 2Syn paper, and write a research question/answer, thesis and research proposal for your 3ResProj paper. Make sure to quote from your 2Syn paper so we know where the ideas you use in your RQTRP page came from.
- Research Question: See this link for information on constructiong a good research question/
- Thesis
- Research Proposal
----------------------------------------------------------
1. Research Question:
If you ask a focused and interesting research question, your answer will be your working thesis. This working thesis will be the focus of the remainder of your research and ultimately your research project.
1. Research Question:
If you ask a focused and interesting research question, your answer will be your working thesis. This working thesis will be the focus of the remainder of your research and ultimately your research project.
Ask questions about your topic
When you have a topic that is interesting to you, manageable in scope, and possible to research using sources or doing field research, then your next task is to ask researchable questions. Use the questions and answers below as a guide for your topic questions/answers. Tip: Start with an "answer" and then formulate the question.
[Following are five argument genres--choose one to use]
1.Explore a definition
1.Explore a definition
While many (most) people think X is a Y, can X be better thought of as Z?
- Sports: Most people think that the amature status of NCAA players keeps players focused on academics, but what it really does is allow the big programs to refuse them the basic worker’s rights to compensation for labor that produces millions of dollars for their college
- Sports: Most people think that the amature status of NCAA players keeps players focused on academics, but what it really does is allow the big programs to refuse them the basic worker’s rights to compensation for labor that produces millions of dollars for their college
2. Evaluate a person, activity, or thing
Can you argue that a person, activity, or thing is either good, better, or best (or bad, worse, or worst) with in its class?- MU&Local: The Hubley die-cast toys manufactured in Lancaster, PA starting in 1892 were the best of their kind because of their attention to detail, their sturdiness, and their value as collector’s items.
Can you argue that while there were obvious causes of Y, Ywould not have occurred had it not been for X?
- Crime&Punishment: Serial killers like Holmes and Bundy had on the whole ordinary lives growing up, but if you look closely there is evidence of violent tendencies that combined with environmental conditions pushed them to kill and kill.
Can you argue for an alternative cause rather than the one many people assume?
- Health: The diet that we still cling to in the 21st c, one high in fat and cholesterol, has been accused of making us fat, but in fact it is our lifestyle--we’re more sedentary--that’s changed while our diet has not kept pace.
4. Counter objections to a position
Can the reverse or op. cit. of an imposing claim be argued?
- Race: The ascendant Black middle class in this country has become a marker for better race relations, but it masks a continuing problem of inequality that is evidenced by high Black unemployment and poverty.
5. Propose a solution to a problem
Can you propose a solution to a local problem?- Ecology: Students on our campus could learn to be more ecologically sensitive if they were asked, as part of their graduation requirement, to do some type of e-service learning in the local community.
2. Turn your answers into a working thesis
Ex. #1 Politics
Topic: Political scandals: Money and Power
Research question: Why do some politicians break the rules when it comes to money and influence?
Working thesis: Campaign laws must be changed to prevent the perpetual fund raising cycle from continuing to corrupt our politics. .
Ex. #2 Technology
Topic: Campus entrepreneurs
Researable question: How can our campus become a center for entrepreneurs when we are a small state supported campus with few high tech companies in the area?
Working thesis: Establishing a PASSHE system-wide conference on the art and business of the entrepreneur would energize students and others to think more seriously about opportunities for start-ups.
3. Research Proposal
Write a brief proposal that outlines you research plan and post it to your RP,RQ&T page. It should include the following:
1. Inquiry question
2. Primary purpose (include the argument genre you will be using)
- Argue: What theory or hypothesis about your topic are you testing? What is your tentative claim or thesis?
I feel I could take my research paper in two directions. When asking the research question I could base it off of the opinions of the fans or the opinions of the players. If I would go in the direction of the fans I could ask “why do fans love the game of baseball and how are they affected by the occurrences that arise?” For my thesis to this question I could give reasons for why baseball fans go to games. What thrill arises from attending a baseball game. I could also give my opinion from a personal experience of being a baseball fan myself. If I would go in the direction of the players I would ask the players “what is more important to them the money or playing the game of baseball. For the thesis I could give examples of each side; the players who are involved in the money, and examples of players who love the game. I could pick a side that I feel is right and then give my opinion.
ReplyDeletedear sammy Testa,
ReplyDeleteI'm really glad that you are such an over achiever and could find two different directions to write your paper. They sound like really great ideas lets just hope you can make the paper long enough but the basic outline you have described sounds great!!
In reading the five argument genres I found three that would work for my topic. exploring a definition would work in exploring the police work of the 20th century vs. the 21st century; what they actually did in each case and what perception the police have portrade to the public defining their job. Another option would be to examine why something happened. My paper would explore the early life of Holmes and Bundy and then i would research the psychological connection between events in the gentlemen's lives and the horrid acts they committed. A last option i could explore would be to Propose a solution to a problem, I found the problem with the topic i had was the glamorization of the men when they had committed such awful thing to innocent women, and in the case of Holmes men and children as well. Then i would express a solution to fix the growing popularity of murder in our present day media. All of these options i feel would be great but maybe one over the other two would produce the most information and create the best paper.
ReplyDeleteTori,
ReplyDeleteI think you should do the examining why something happened. I feel you could really write an in depth paper on what events lead up to serial killers doing what they do. I would mainly focus on early lives of serial killers not just Homes and Bundy, and really examine the problems these kind of people face and what are some key aspects that lead them to kill.
The genres I would like to focus on are the explore a defintion, examine why something happened, and propose a solution to the problem. For the exploring the definition genre I am going to focus on the fact the people focus on inequality rather than the bigger picture which includes violence with mobs and innocent lynching. For the examing why something happened genre I am going to focus on how Wells and the Freedom Riders played a role in eliminating racial inequality, but what else was part of their struggle for their fight. The last genre I would like to focus on is to propose a solution. In this genre I will talk about how people today can fight for the idea of racial equality in our town.
ReplyDeleteFor my research paper, I will be using the first argument genre, which is explore a definition. For this genre I am focusing on how people think that men and women are equal in today’s time, but they are really not. Instead of just naming all these different points about how men are women are still not equal, I narrowed it down to one inequality they possess. I will be talking about how men and women do not have equal rights in the world of business. Then specific points I will be making to show they do not have equal rights are maybe the salary differences, the cultural views (stay at home moms, do the laundry, cook, etc.), and also maybe bring sports into it. All the opportunities men have for jobs that involve their athletic ability, even though they are some physical limitations, but why shouldn’t women be allowed to have that in their life as well? I am still unsure how to tie in the last point, but we will see and I will figure out more specific points to better my argument.
ReplyDeletePaige,
ReplyDeleteIf you decide to choose explore a definition, which I am doing, I think it is good to focus on the more important picture than just the topic of inequality. For my topic women’s issues, I was talking with our Professor and asked if I could show reasons like men and women are still not equal, but he said I should narrow it down to one point then having it so broad. So if you do decide to this genre, make sure you stay with a smaller or more important topic if that makes sense.
After taking a look at the five argument genres, I think I would like to focus my paper on examining why something happened or proposing a solution to a problem in relation to my topic. On the topic of examining why something happened, I could take a look at how the crimes Holmes and Bundy committed were due to their biological makeup, genetics and certain circumstances in their lives that pushed them to kill. As far as proposing a solution to a problem, I could take a look at how to prevent people from becoming killers. Some solutions could include educating people on crime and its consequences and also, try to eliminate the glamorization of murder in television shows and movies. I think either of these topics would be good choices for my paper!
ReplyDeletePaige, I really like all of your ideas! They all sound like they would make for great topics for your paper, but I think your ideas for the exploring the definition genre are really ones that grab your attention. I think explaining how people focus on inequality, rather then the bigger picture of violence in different forms is really interesting and a great topic. It looks like you really understand the idea of the next paper. I think you'll be able to gather a lot of information on this topic and it will make for great paper!
ReplyDeleteWhen considering one of the five arguments genres for my research paper I was trying to decide between examine why something happened, counter objections to a position, and propose a solution to a problem. I tried to pick the best argument genre that will fit with my research question. I do not have a set research question but I want to focus on the affect that the immigrants have on the economy and how that then affects how society views immigrants. I think that the best argument genre for my research question will be examine why something happened.
ReplyDeleteJackie, I think you have two really good ideas on where you could take your research paper. I think that since our paper has to be up to 8 pages the first choice about examining why something happened and why Holmes and Bundy committed their crimes, will give you more to write about than focusing on how to solve a problem about serial killers. You can focus on Bundy and Holmes separately and then focus on the similarities between them.
ReplyDeleteWhile looking over all the argument genres I thought that the one that would best allow me to explain my thesis and topic would be option number two. In this option it sais to evaluate a person, place or thing. It also goes on to mention that you can discuss and prove your point of whether a person, activity, or thing is better, good, worse, ect... Overall throughout my paper I hope to discuss the effects of deforestation and why it is crucial to stop this horrible act. With this thesis I then hope to support it by adding more informational sources and also bring in the old and new document that I previously mentioned and used in my former papers.
ReplyDeleteIrene,
ReplyDeleteI agree that the second genre would be a good one for you to explain. I understand that your topic is deforestation and you think it is getting worse. You could also use genre number five and explain the problem with deforestation and how you are going to solve it. Overall, Irene I like your way of thinking.
Gabby, it seems like your on the right track. I think that once you get a specific research question you will have a good start to your paper. Maybe an idea for your paper could be that you could research examples of how throughout history the view on immigrants has or has not changed, and if so what those changes are.
ReplyDeleteI have several ideas for my final research project. One of the main idea that I drew through reading both of the documents from our previous papers was the idea of commercialism and the impact on ecology. I think I would be interested in exploring this idea further because it is something that is very important today and I really saw that when I read the Shipbreakers article. For my project I could go more in depth in defining commercialism and research more ways that it has impacted the modern world, and maybe specifically the U.S. The other ideas I had would be evaluating the role of the government in ecological disasters or evaluating the use of environmental regulations.
ReplyDeleteLauren,
ReplyDeleteI really like the idea of your paper and I think that narrowing it down to inequality of men and women in the workplace is going to be a very interesting topic to explore. I think it would help even more to confine your idea if you took out the idea of sports and athletic ability. I feel like that is more of a biological difference and would take you off topic from what you're really trying to get at. Although, if you wanted to go the sports route, I feel you would be able to do a an entire project on just the difference between men and women in sports.
After reading the five argument points I felt like a couple of them could apply to my topic but the argument that I will most likely be using to research is #3 Examine Why Something Happened. I think this one best relates to my topic of Crime and Punishment and can be taken in a couple different directions. The direction of motive doesn’t appeal to me though reasoning of the populous at the time does.
ReplyDeleteI feel like the more I look into it the easier it will become to comprehend and defend.
Shaina,
ReplyDeleteI feel like you have a very good basis for your research paper and clearly understand the concepts behind your 2Syn Paper. I was thinking however if it would be applicable to detail some of the laws pertaining to the restrictions on commercialism in the area of ecological waste and preservation?
After looking at all of the five examples of possible research questions I think that I am going to go in the direction of either number three or two. Number three is about examining why something happened which I could do a lot with because my topic is about crime and punishment. I could explore the idea why Holmes and Bundy decided to kill and what led them to that decision. I could also go in the direction of number two which is about evaluating a person. I could easily do this with looking at serial killers and just regular killers.
ReplyDeleteMarianna,
ReplyDeleteI think that you have a lot of options when it comes to your topic becuase I have the same one. There are many ways that you can go about that topic and I think number three is the best one to do this. It gives you tons of ways to to answer any question that you might ask.
After reading all five options I have finally decided which one will be the best for me. I am going to do counter objections to a position. It seems that this is what my other two papers have been leading up to. My first paper shows how bad racial segregation really was even though slavery had already ended. My second paper went into more detail how the sixties it wasn't the same but it was still pretty bad. Finally, I would like to tie the pas t and present together. It is important for people to know the racial segregation is definitely still a struggle for African American's in todays society. I think people feel as though it was not as bad as it used to be therefor it is not a problem. Which from my understanding is not the truth at all. Racial Segregation is still a huge problem and prevents African Americans from participating in many things.
ReplyDeleteReply to Jackie O'Donnell:
ReplyDeleteI really think that your idea is great as far as educating them and not glamorizing it. It is a serious issue and needs to be taken much more seriously. It is important to that people see the severity of it. If they learn what the families feel after a murder takes place, or really know what will happen to them there is a good chance that they will not do it.
For my research paper I would like to examine why something happened in my topic on health. To do this I think I want to research the reasons as to why dieting has changed drastically throughout the years. I will research this question from many different angles. One of my key focal points will be to discuss not only the reasons why are dieting habits have changed because of the foods in which we consume, but to also discuss why they have changed because of the ways in which our society and culture have become very different. In my last paper I got to start exploring the ways in which dieting has changed but now I can really narrow it down and get into more depth as to why this change has occurred.
ReplyDeleteI feel that there are 3 different research questions I could use by choosing different genres. I am glad that I have options but also want to make sure that I chose the right one. Firstly i could use the 5th genre and propose my opinionated solution to today's illegal immigration over the U.S.-Mexican boarder problem. I feel that this is the one I am least inclined to chose because I know the least about it. Secondly I could chose the 2nd genre to analyze wether or not illegal immigrants have a negative or positive effect on our nation's economy adn well being. I like this one however I worry a little that the question is too broad to answer well enough. Lastly I could use the 3rd genre to examine how the U.S. public view of immigrants has changed through Our country's history. This I favor the most because I feel like I have plenty to write about for it. I am curious to see what others think, maybe I should combine two of the options I mentioned to form the best research question.
ReplyDeleteReply to Gabby:
ReplyDeleteFor my paper I went with the choice of examining why something has happened. I think that you could also do this. It would be interesting to see how the view of immigration has changed over time. I liked that you stated that you specifically want to talk about this by discussing the ways in which the economy has been affected from immigrants over time.
Comment on Lauren Sotzin's first post
ReplyDeleteIt seems like you should have no problem finding what to include in your research paper however the difficulty is in how to organize your paper. I believe that you are going in the right direction by making sure that you are going to specifically focus on unequal rights in the field of business for example.
I think my thesis could be on how Martin Luther King was probably the greatest advocate and advancer of civil rights, the end of racial segregation, and combating racism itself. Since I did not really touch on much of the subject of Martin Luther King and his influence of the fight against racial segregation, I am thinking also of talking about how the Freedom Riders were influential in battling racial segregation. I would research specific things that this group did that was unprecedented. In my 2Syn paper, I stated in my thesis that ". I will indicate by synthesizing these works that violence produces disrespect, one would do well to challenge the opposition in a way that is innovative, daring, and inspirational to others, and being hated for who you are is something that requires of you to stand up and overcome whom or what is up against you." I would like to use these three parts of my synthesis and apply them to what the Freedom Riders accomplished.
ReplyDeleteRachel, I think that asking why for a crime and punishment topic would be very interesting. Exploring the psyche of a killer like that is fascinating to me. Maybe you could even find psychological evidence as to why they performed these deeds.
ReplyDeleteFor my topic I think my best option would be to define money in college sports. I could argue the benefits of paying college athletes who draw in tons of money for the universities they play for. Paying for their services could allow them to quit jobs and focus more on school and their respective sports .I could talk about how the athletes who play are basically working and deserve compensation just like people in the pros do. In that argument I can talk about workers’ rights and possibly a way for schools to pay kids without handing them huge checks to do with as they please.
ReplyDeletei am not totally sure where i'm headed with this research paper yet, but i like the way genres 4 and 5 are proposing. I know i want to write about inspiring college students to do their best. I think i could even write about whether there is a link to the U.S. educational system slipping and a lack of motivation in students, particularly college students. If i go this way with my paper, genre 5, proposing a solution to a problem would be best. The thesis would then be along the lines to increase the level of education and motivate students to do better because there is more of a need to. Within the nest couple days i hope to have a more solid thought path, as to where i want my research paper to head.
ReplyDelete@AndrewWheeler
ReplyDeletefrom the sounds of it, you're paper is an interesting topic and it makes sense. People who help a program grow by labor should be rewarded, especially if it benefits the university/college as well. You could talk about how try-outs for quality players are a good indicator that coaches try to continue to build up a program and reputation. Without quality players and a good reputation, who will come out to the games to support the sport's program? Nobody wants to watch varying skill leveled players to face off. People like to see a good well-matched game, and they will pay the ticket price to watch it. It'll be interesting to see where you end up with the research paper.
As far as my topic, sports, goes, I think anyone of the five courses could work. However, I think course 5, where I propose a solution would be the best way to go. I'm not trying to diddo what Prof said above, but the situation in the NCAA is just appaulling. Currently there are big schools switching conferences, just to increase the cash flow into the hands of those schools' athlete directors. The list of greed goes on and on. I could ask why the athletes can't accept monetary gifts from scouts and develope a solution to allow players to earn money from college sports, especially if they don't go pro. As far as NCAA goes, the list of problems that need solutions is almost endless.
ReplyDelete@wheeleraj As far as the NCAA and the conferences go, there is a very broad genre. You mentioned the players being paid at least a little on top of the scholarships. I think what a really great idea would be, that no one has addressed yet, is the idea that we could let college players collect a little spending money from the school/conference AND take in money from sponsorships from shoe companies and others. Much like how racecar drivers do, but portioning out areas on clothes and such. I think that would be a really interesting idea to explore.
ReplyDeleteFor my research project the argument genre I am planning on using is "Examine why something happened". I will be examining how Jobs arose because of Babbage. If it weren't for Babbage, Jobs never would have had the technology necessary to further advance computers. It is possible that the computer never would have emerged if it weren't for Babbage.
ReplyDeleteIf computers weren't invented, how would it affect the world now?
It is clear to say that computers are one of the most useful pieces of technology that are needed every day in order to live.
For my research paper I think that I could use option two and option three. Being that health is such a wide topic. I could focus on the ideas of Kellogg and how vegetarianism was key for him over 100 years ago and how it applies to the modern day. Another thing might be to look into dieting. Why has this become such a big thing. Why has our society gone for the quick fix rather than the healthy way. How has the media or television played into all of this. How would we want to teach our children or kids in school how dieting might not be the healthiest thing to do. It can be if done the right way.
ReplyDelete@WFisher
ReplyDeleteOf the three options you presented in your comment, I would agree that the third one is the best, but I think it is still a bit too broad. "Our country's history" is a significant period of time. Maybe you could focus it around something that you think has made a big impact in that regard, for example, "How has increasing globalization changed the U.S. public view of immigrantion?". If that's too specific, perhaps "How has the U.S. public view of immigration changed over the past 20 years due to [technology/the economy/politics/whatever]?". I think something like that would be better because then you would be more able to really say how it's changed and what caused it; if you try to look at our whole history I think there would be too many different forces causing changes to be able to answer your question in this paper.
For my research question and thesis I know that I want to look at some aspect of technology's increasing presence and effect on our lives. After looking at the 5 types of research questions listed in this post, my first thought was that option 3 would be the best choice, explaining why something happened, but really there are a few that could work. My plan was to review my synthesis paper & material and look for the different causes/effects and predictions and then come up with an appropriate question to pursue from there. One angle I'm considering is the role/effect of the computer in the home, as Jobs predicted that every home would have one in the future. I could possibly go with option 1 in that case and explore the definition of the computer in the home. Another topic which I'm also interested in is the privacy issues that arise from the integration of technology and the internet in our lives. In this case I might use option 4, countering objections. I will definitely be spending some more time on this to finalize what direction I'm going in and then actually form an athe question.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading all of the five options for this assignment I have decided that for my research paper I would like to try and pose an answer to a problem. In my synthesis paper I discussed that ecology is something that needs to be focused on globally and I think that for my research I'd like to talk about how working internationally is more efficient in helping the environment than just focusing on an individual's country or state. I really think that this is the way to go for my paper and that both of my other papers have led up to this one.
ReplyDeleteReply to Jackie O'Donnell:
ReplyDeleteJackie, I really like your first idea of talking about how Holmes and Bundy's crimes were committed because of their genetic makeup. It sounds like it'd actually be very interesting to research, write, and read. I think you're paper will turn out great with either direction you take, though! :)
This blog has given me a pretty solid understanding of how to organize and write my final paper. My first two papers weren't exactly on track, however, I was able to garner enough information from both papers to come up with a decent thesis for my third paper.The structure and formatting seem to be pretty specific so that should not be a problem for my paper.
ReplyDelete@paige
ReplyDeleteI like how you were able to visualize your ideas into a clear and concise manner. I only wish I knew exactly what I was going to do, like you do.
After looking at the options above, I will explore a person. I will explore Nast, or Luckovich. Either one I can go into more depth about what they do specifically regarding their cartoons. I can go into more cartoons from one of the authors then explain their thought process, and reasoning for what they do.
ReplyDelete@Jenna
ReplyDeleteI think your ideas so far are good. I think you could go into depth on how racial segregation still effects us today, or how it doesn't effect us today. Regarding the modern social world and how people treat people differently. I see it as no one's color makes a difference, and that no segregation is very possible. Explain how it effects you today, and the social aspect of race.
@ Sammy Testa. The idea for incorporating the fans into your paper is awesome. What would you want to know from the fans? I Would look for how they feel about players cheating for money even though they make huge amounts in comparison to most people.
ReplyDeleteComparing my two papers has given me more ideas for my third research paper. I m not certain on exactly what research question I want to base my paper off of but after reading and listening to both commencement speeches for my previous papers I have a good understanding of what I need to do.
ReplyDelete@Scott Hyland
ReplyDeleteLooks like you have a good idea of what you want to do for your paper! I agree, I think it would be interesting for you to explain their thought process and their reasoning for why they draw the cartoons they do.
This was really helpful when I was starting to write my paper, and it took a little bit of research and thought to develop a research question and thesis that was about to cover everything I wanted to convince the reader about.
ReplyDelete