Exploring Your Topic

A good essay must have this permanent quality about it;

it must draw its curtain round us,

but it must be a curtain that shuts us in not out. -Virginia Woolf

Participate in a QFT (Question Formulation Technique).Refine a research topic.Create a formal research paper outline.

Objectives:

First, where are we in the research process?

Today Refining Your Research Topic and PreDrafting the OutlineTopic Proposal Due (11:59pm to turnitin)

Wednesday, January 28th The CI OutlineCI Research & Topic Development

Thursday, January 29th CI Research & Topic DevelopmentThe Annotated Bibliography (archaic, yes, but we are required to cover it per our competencies!)

Friday, January 30th CI Research & Topic Development

Monday, February 2nd CI Research & Topic Development Annotated Bibliographies Due (11:59pm to turnitin)

Thursday, February 5th CI Outline Due – Hard Copy, In Class

Controversial Issues InterviewSo, what did they have to say?

1. What issues/concerns were repeated?2. What was the most interesting

concern (in your opinion) that was shared?

3. Did the concerns vary among the younger folks and the older folks?

4. Rank the top 3 concerns, in your opinion. What were your top 3?

5. Did you feel there were issues/concerns that were not even brought up? What were those?

6. How would you categorize the bulk of your issues? For example: technological issues, environmental issues, social issues, etc. . . Do they fit into the categories that your table had previously come up with?

Use the QR code to

complete your analysis –

choose three answers to respond to.

Please be sure you answer

using complete sentences!

Let’s get started . . . .

Go to our web page.Click on “Thinking about your controversial issue ….”

Select open in Pages. Leave that open!

Open in Pages

It will take a second to import . . .

My cute fonts won’t

translate … we will be okay. They are pretty

cute though!

Double click in the box to enter your text! It will save in pages as

you work!

Thinking about your controversial issue…

This is going to be what we call our QFocus.

The world has become corrupt because of [INSERT YOUR TOPIC HERE].

Now, find a partner. Someone not who sits at your regular table . . .

1. Ask as many questions as you can.2. Do not stop to discuss, judge, or answer any of the questions.

3. Write down every question exactly as it was stated.4. Change any Statements into questions.

Choose one person to go first. We are now going to brainstorm questions using our Qfocus (what you just

wrote down) as the prompt. We have four rules:

You will go one at a time – I will give you three minutes

to create your questions based off of the Qfocus.

Your partner will record what your questions are – the recorder won’t talk,

s/he will just listen and record the questions!

Look at the questions that were asked – find a way to mark which questions are

open ended versus close ended . . .Closed-Ended Question Open-Ended Question

Do you get on well with your boss? Tell me about your relationship with your boss.

Who will you vote for this election? What do you think about the candidates in this election?

What color shirt are you wearing? What made you choose that color shirt to wear this morning?

Choose two open ended questions and make them closed and then choose two closed questions and

make them open ended . . . Put your new questions right underneath the original question.

Now, why do we even care about questions, this is a research paper? We don’t put questions in the paper!?

We need to be sure we are answering all the important questions that a reader has about our subjects! You are all experts on your topic and we don’t want to leave something out simply because it is obvious to us.

A second set of eyes on our topics will be valuable!

Look at what is left on the original list of questions.

Choose three questions that you think you

should address – put a * at the end of those

questions!

What are the next steps? (In other words, how can you use these questions?)

Utilize the questions as rhetorical questions in your paper. (Be warned: you don’t want to use too many rhetorical questions – it

can make your paper too informal and wonky to read!)

Find the appropriate location in your paper and be sure that you answer the questions in that section. Be sure that

your question is fully addressed!

• Introduction• History of the problem• Extent of the problem –

immediate concerns, how it affects you and other people your age!

• Repercussions (impact/effect) – big picture – what will happen if this snowballs?

• Future Solution 1 – The Band Aid fix for now

• Future Solution 2 – The Big Picture Solution to End This Problem

• Conclusion

What your outline will cover . . .

Last two pieces for today:

Analyze the implications areas for your research topic:

Economic, Security, Social, Environmental, Cultural, Political, Human Rights, Morality, Legality, Principle, Feasibility, and overall Significance.

Begin brainstorming the elements needed for your outline.

When it is time to submit your work from today, here is what you will want to do:

Click on share and

then Open in Another App

Select PDF ONLY!

Open in Dropbox.

Click on Save.

You can then submit your final document into

turnitin as a PDF! Be sure you have your final product saved in your Dropbox so you can

reference later! If you have problems – don’t

panic. Just email me! This is due Wednesday by 11:59pm tonight!

Questions?