Public Affairs Research Seminar 2012

Hi everyone.

With the annotated bibliography assignment coming up, I’m doing a lot of reading (I’m sure all of you are as well). I’m finding a lot of good information regarding my topic in the scholarly articles I have acquired. But one fear I have is figuring out which information is the most relevant and useful for my topic, and which information is not. Most of the sources that I am reading have tons of good information but I want really want to pick out the information that will strongly support my argument. In order to achieve this, I list the important information that I find as I read the article. And when I finish reading the article, I go over the list and only keep the information that I believe will strongly support my argument. It’s actually a very good way to keep track of all the information I will be using in my paper because as I have mentioned before, it is easy to get information overload when reading so much. Also another fear I have is not knowing if I have enough information to write 20 pages. I don’t know if anyone else is feeling the same way, but it is something that has scared me since the beginning. Hopefully after completing the annotated bibliography assignment, I will know if I have enough information or not.

Hi everyone,

I would like to say I hope everybody is  safe from the effects of the storm last week.

Onto my research, I have formulated my argument (but am still working on the wording),which is “preventative care measures established in the Affordable Care Act are the best way to take care of the populations’s health and health-related economic issues.”

As for the presentation, I am always looking for new sources and trying new techniques, key words, and term searches and have been pleased with what I have found. Like many of my peers, I’ve noticed that simply trying new keywords and following the keywords allows for really great resources. I’ve also been looking at the references that are listed in the sources that I’ve read.

Hey class I haven’t been able to post this past week because Hurricane Sandy knocked out my internet and lights for a few days.  So for this blog post I’m going to combine last weeks topic and this week topic together.This past week I have been doing a lot of reading and writing developing my argument moreHey class I haven’t been able to post this past week because Hurricane Sandy knocked out my internet and lights for a few days.  So for this blog post I’m going to combine last weeks topic and this week topic together.This past week I have been doing a lot of reading and writing developing my argument more more each day. I realized that I’m not going to specifically talk about financial incentives for people only donating kidneys but instead discuss why providing financial incentives to people donating organs in general is the best solution to solving the organ shortage in America. 

I’m excited to present my research however I need to start focusing on how I am going to organize this presentation, from gathering all the information from all the different sources and blending it so it meshes well together. I find that a lot of my sources have the same or similar information however different dates and the statistics so deciding which forces are more relevant will be a challenge. Figuring out how to combine all of the information together is what I’m trying to figure out right now. After completing the argument assignment I realize that I have many strong reasons backing up my original claim however I am still unsure of how it’s going to flesh out my entire paper. I think I’m going to start on a basic outline that is very detailed to give me an idea of what exactly I have to write about for the entire paper. So that’s where I’m at right now see you guys in class!

 -Maggie

Dear Class Members,

I hope that everyone has fared okay during these difficult times and that you and your family are safe and well. With respect to the progression of my argument, I have been able to widen my database of available resources using specific key words, which has allowed me to find studies and articles that align more closely to my area of study. Whereas, I had started my search with the use of “community college” and “vocational/ career-based programs”, I have been able to extend the variety of resources by simply replacing “vocational programs” with “internships”, which specifies a critical component of vocational programs in community colleges. In turn a relatively minor change has resulted in significant progress, which has enabled me to further develop my argument. I have established my main argument in support of increasing financial funding toward the implementation and expansion of vocational programs with a focus on transfer that demonstrate an integration of vocational and academic programs in community colleges. Vocational programs were originally established as a bridge toward workforce development and known as terminal programs but over times, changes in structure and objective have resulted in successful programs that integrate the main objective of transfer programs and the coursework found in academic programs. I seek to established the importance of the effective allocation of funding toward vocational programs with a transfer focus that demonstrates increased levels of receptivity to the needs of a diverse student base and have shown to bolster social integration, expectations and ultimately transfer rates.

Hello All,

I feel that the past few weeks (excluding the past week ) I have been pretty productive. I have a set argument, yet i’m still concerned about the way I’m wording it. I have the reasons and evidence however I still need to clean up the way I worded it a little bit. I started working on the annotated bibliography, which I must admit has been very helpful because of the individual analysis that goes into each one. It gives you a better understanding of the topic.

I know that presentations are coming up soon, and while I am not yet prepared to present, I have a good idea of what I want to say , now its just a matter of organizing my ideas appropriately.

I hope everyone is well after the recent weather catastrophe, if not I would like to offer help to anyone who may need it. Please let me know and I will do what I can to help.

Hi class,

who thought that a little hurricane could effect  a life so much even if your area wasn’t the epicenter.

Over the unofficial brake Ive been reading my sources and getting to know the topic more. i feel confident that i know enough about the topic and where i can pull my evidence from which make me feel better. What I’m confused about is starting to put these things together I am not ready for the presentation but hopefully my group is gonna encourage me on this. My unofficial argument is: US government put Americans at risk of lower quality public health when the bush administration rejected the Kyoto accord. Various scientific research provides proof for this argument.