Let's look over Writing Project 2 and the Symposium Presentation assignment descriptions. Read through the assignments and answer the following questions that will help you determine the rhetorical situation. These are questions you need to start learning to decipher for yourself for each writing activity you come across in college. Upload to BB under WP2 Rhetorical Situation (this moved to being done in class on Monday):
What is the purpose of these two assignments (what are we asking you to do)?
What are the genres of the two projects (in what form are we asking you to give us the information for each project)?
Who is the audience for each project (to whom will you be presenting/writing for)? With them in mind, how much do you think they know about your topic? What kinds of information will you need to inform them?
What is the context of the rhetorical situation (Where will you be presenting? How will you be turning in your WP2?) How does that influence what you do for these projects?
What is the exigency for these projects (what is the need, why are we having you do these two projects)?
Conduct an in-class search for a sample topic. Keep in mind that you want your sources to help you find more information on your issue (history of the community, when did the issue arise, who are some key experts on this issue, and finally multiple perspectives on those issues in academia).
Discuss the Research Log that is uploaded to BB under Week 7. Use the Word document that is uploaded there as a template for your own Research Log for WP2 that is tentatively due November 3. This log is so that you can keep track of all the sources you come across in your research. You must have 12 scholarly sources for your Log. This sounds like it might be no big deal, but keep in mind that good research takes A LOT time!
You must have at least one of each of the following types of sources in your RL:
Book (yes, can be an e-book)
Journal Article from a Library Database ( Bell Library search)
Government-federal, state, local (.gov)
Professional Organization (.org)
Newspapers or other professional journals/periodicals not from the library
HW: Start researching and filling out your Research Log! You can't steer a parked car. The most important step in research is getting started with plenty of time to figure things out as you go. Research always informs, changes, and brings up more questions than you started with, but it's the only way to figure out what you're doing. It's ALWAYS confusing for a little while, but that's when you have to push through and keep asking questions and keep trying to figure it out.