ENGL 126 Essay #3: Creative Research Paper (20% of course grade)
For essay #3, a creative research paper, you will be writing a 6-8 page paper on a topic of your choice. A unique aspect of this project is that you are required to do field work (interviews, observations, participation), along with library research, which should make this a more memorable experience for you. All the better if your research paper departs from the conventional academic format. Along with credible sources, you may use graphics, video, artwork, etc. to convey your message. Build a nuanced argument using effective sources and a sensible organization. It’s vital that you choose a topic that engages and excites you. This should be an original paper, not a research paper that you wrote for another class.
Requirements
length: 6-8 pages
Works Cited and Works Consulted (if needed), including citations for interviews, Youtube, Facebook, etc).
Sources:
Reading: At least 80 pages of reading (a minimum of 4 sources). You must use a minimum of 3 library sources. This could include books, articles and newspapers from the databases, reference sources, etc., at DVC library or another library.
Field Work: In addition to the above, you must use at least 3 items of field work drawn from at least two of these categories:
- Interviews
- Observation
- Participatory Experience*
*A participatory experience involves doing something yourself, not just watching it be done. This could include cooking a meal, marching in a protest, volunteering at an environmental organization, applying for a modeling agency, rotating the wheels on your car, writing a piece of music, etc.
Other optional sources: workshops and cultural events
Media 1 (film, music, photos, visuals)
Media 2 (film, music, photos, visuals that
We will also work on developing a Critical Question to help focus your research. Rather than just giving a factual, encyclopedic account, you’ll want to present an arguable thesis answering a question of significance and interest. Your critical question should be along the lines of the following questions, but narrowed to fit your specific topic:
What problem under your topic needs solving or addressing? What’s the problem with the solutions?
What standards of judging something exist in your area? Where are the disputes?
What ethical or moral issue(s) exist that need exploring?
What do you envision the future would look like for your topic (based on a careful look at the present and past)?
What do the best thinkers think and argue about? What do the experts disagree about?
What’s been the influence of a particular person or subject on our culture?
How do you account for an interesting, complicated, inexplicable, or perplexing aspect of our current society?
Critical Question Litmus (we will be completing these exercises later to further develop your research topic)
(Write your Critical Question (CQ) on a notecard and run it through these tests with your peers to see how you might make it better)
- Yes-No Test: Is CQ a yes/no question? (It shouldn’t be).
- Been There, Done That Test: Does your CQ feel like it’s been asked, discussed, and answered many times before (since high school)? ( It shouldn’t.)
- Is your CQ open-ended, speculative, disputable in a fair way (reasonable, smart, wise people will legitimately disagree). (It should be)
- Hey, That’s My Old Research Paper Test: Will the answer to your CQ create a conventional, familiar research paper (based mostly on information available by reading) (It shouldn’t).
- Critical Thinking Test: Will answering your CQ force you to do high level analysis (the higher levels on Bloom’s taxonomy)? analysis, synthesis, evaluation (It should).
- Creativity Test: Is your topic and CQ well-suited to the spirit of the assignment (traditional/web reading, interviews, observing, doing yourself, critical thinking)?
- Know-It-All Test: Do you already know the answer to your CQ before you start your project? (you shouldn’t)
- Where does your topic and CQ fall on the passion scale? Does your topic/CQ fascinate and excite you? Do you actually want to explore the answers to the CQ?
Research Checklist (we will be completing this later as you progress on your research): Make a list of important sources you should check. Think of creative ways to search, using not only your topic (memory) but also prominent people in the field (Oliver Sacks), related topics (brain functioning), or even the opposite (forgetting).
