This first assignment sets the groundwork for the remainder of the research project that you will complete this semester. While not everything you lay out here needs to be followed exactly for a successful research project, establishing a goal and a timeline will be beneficial to grasping the scope of the project and predicting the work and research you’ll need to do. This project consists of two “parts.”
First, you will create an “Idea Discussion” or, more formally, a concept exploration. You should compose an essay of at least 700 words that explores what you see as some of the ideas, arguments, and concepts surrounding your topic. Read Wikipedia. Do a basic Google search. Explore, in writing, the arguments that surround the topic. Do NOT quote, paraphrase, summarize, or otherwise copy information from the sources you look at; they are to inspire you only. I want to know what interested you about the topic you chose.
Your topic should fall under the broad scope of money. You should then try to narrow your idea discussion down to two ideas. Don’t go too broad here; try to narrow your topic down as much as you can. What parts make up your topic, and what besides money do you anticipate covering in order to do justice to the exploration of your topic?
Your second part should consist of a brief explanation of the work you need to do to get to the writing stage of this assignment. What questions do you need to answer, and how do you plan on answering them? What amount of research is required, and when and how do you plan on doing that? This part needs to be at least 300 words and map out what you hope to accomplish with this project and detail why your audience should or would be interested in it. Think of it as a preliminary timeline of your work. Create a timeline if you think it would be beneficial. You do not need to cite specific references in this section.
This assignment will be used as the focal point of your research and writing this semester. The more work you put into it, the better off you will be as we progress. The more you look into your subject, the more potential sources you will find – Wikipedia has links at the bottom of their articles, and these are often to the types of source material you want. Be specific in questions you are asking and wanting to answer. They may help you narrow your topic even further, which will save you a lot of work and headaches in the long run.
Features:
Part 1:
– Explanation of topic idea (why you chose it, why it matters to you, why you think other people will care about it)
– In your own words, what are the different points of view on your topic
– Any questions you have about writing on this topic
Part 2:
– What questions will you need to answer about your topic?
– What are you own goals for finishing this assignment? Finishing all of your assignments for the semester?
– How will you schedule research time? Revision time?
Total Word Count: 1000 (700 part 1, 300 part 2)
List topic relating to money
Give some background on topic (don’t quote or use any sources)
Why did you choose this topic? Why is it important to you?
Tell us who the target audience is and why they will be interested in your topic/why they will care
What do you plan to argue/what is of most interest to you?
What sources will you need to look for? What support do they need to provide?
What questions will you need to answer to provide a coherent and convincing argument down the road?
What data will you have to consult and analyze to help make your point?
What is your research plan moving forward toward paper 3?
