Exploring Your Topic

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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

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Objectives

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

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First, where are we in the research process?
Today Refining Your Research Topic and PreDrafting the Outline Topic Proposal Due (1159pm to turnitin)
Wednesday, January 28th The CI Outline CI Research Topic Development
Thursday, January 29th CI Research Topic Development The 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 (1159pm to turnitin)
Thursday, February 5th CI Outline Due Hard Copy, In Class
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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!
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• Lets get started . . . .

• Go to our web page.
• Click on Thinking about your controversial issue
  .
• Select open in Pages. Leave that open!

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Open in Pages
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It will take a second to import . . .
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My cute fonts wont translate we will be okay.
They are pretty cute though! ?
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Double click in the box to enter your text! It
will save in pages as you work!
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This is going to be what we call our QFocus.

• Thinking about your controversial issue

The world has become corrupt because of INSERT
YOUR TOPIC HERE.
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Now, find a partner. Someone not who sits at your
regular table . . .
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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

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.

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 wont talk, s/he will just listen
and record the questions!
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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?
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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 dont 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 dont want to leave something out simply
because it is obvious to us. A second set of
eyes on our topics will be valuable!
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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!
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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 dont 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!

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What your outline will cover . . .

• 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

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• 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.

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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
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Select PDF ONLY!
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Open in Dropbox.
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Click on Save.
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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 dont
panic. Just email me! ? This is due Wednesday by
1159pm tonight!
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Questions?