Embed Size (px)
DESCRIPTION
Imagining the research process as a sort of "scavenger hunt," guided by research questions. The death of Muammar Gaddafi is used as an example topic.
Citation preview
A Photo “Scavenger Hunt”:
Starting a Research Project
Sunday, October 23, 11
Sunday, October 23, 11
Sunday, October 23, 11
Sunday, October 23, 11
Sunday, October 23, 11
What do I do next?
• I’ve got a topic: images of the death of Gaddafi. Now I need to figure out an argument. I’ll then need to do a lot of research.
• It helps to ask some questions to guide research. For example:• Where were the images of Gaddafi’s death first shown? • How did this compare to, say, the death of Saddam Hussein or Osama Bin
Laden?• How does the death of Gaddafi compare to the arguments than Sontag
made?• Who took these pictures?
• Then, I can start doing some research.
Sunday, October 23, 11
Beginning the research:
• Wikipedia is a fine place to start, but it doesn’t count toward your sources. Check the sources cited at the bottom of the Wikipedia entry, and track those down.
• Remember--you can’t Google your way to a paper. You’ll have to use the library resources to find the kinds of detailed, comprehensive, and authoritative evidence you’ll need.
• Incorporate Sontag/Berger/Barthes early on. Consider doing more research on their ideas as well.
Sunday, October 23, 11
