Point of View Research Assignment
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Basic Research Skills
In preparation for the Point of View assignment, we will pick up (or review) some basic research skills for undergraduate academic research.
- Foley Main Page: This is a good page to bookmark for a variety of directions that you may need to go in research. There's the catalog, links to lots of reference pages, and, especially important, this is the best way to access research databases.
- Browse Opposing Views site.
- Introduction to database searching:
- selecting databases
- using subject terms, using reference sources to find terms
- using search terms, working with search sets, cloning the hot article
- Saving and sharing your results:
- Refworks
- Emailing results
- Formatting results for the wiki page
Point of View Research Assignment, Spring 2009
In addition to the general research skills you acquire today, we'd like you to engage in a specific assignment to deepen your understanding of point of view. The goal of the assignment is to choose a controversial topic (you can use Opposing Viewpoints to locate some) and then to determine, by reviewing research, what the major points of view are on the topic. Are the points of view organized as pro/con or as a diversity of opinion along a spectrum of some kind (e.g. political, social, economic)? Note how you make the judgment that a particular point of view has "standing" or credibility. Do you base that judgment on the type of publication, the prevalence of articles advocating the position, the authority or credentials of the source, or some other factor? Make your list of points of view and include citations and your comments to exemplify the point of view.
You can work in teams on this to save time. Add your topic below and make a wiki page for your group's list and documentation of point of view.
For example, if your topic was "Middle East Conflict," you could type on a new line below: [[Spring 2009 101 Middle East Point of View Assignment]]. After saving the page, you will see your text as a link to the new page. Your group should edit the new page you just created.
