In this assignment, you will identify an issue and gain an understanding of it by engaging in primary and secondary research. You will quote, paraphrase, summarize and analyze ideas and information that you extract from four or five sources, synthesize this information and your analyses, and put it all together in a well-organized reflective annotated bibliography. You will preface your annotated bibliography with a letter to the lecturer (that’s me) introducing the issue you chose to address and explaining your rationale in selecting sources. Throughout the process of quoting, paraphrasing, engaging in rhetorical analysis and synthesizing, you will unpack and analyze dense information, articulate insights and describe connections.
Hypothetical Writing Scenario: Imagine that you are invited to the show Science Friday on National Public Radio (NPR) as an expert on the issue you are investigating in this class. Listen to this podcast about a citizen-science project tracking the effects of climate change on fall foliage for an example of an expert sharing their synthesis of research. Imagine that you are going to be interviewed by NPR about the issue that you chose to research in much the same way as NPR guest Heather Goldstone, producer and host of “Living Lab Radio” at WCAI, is interviewed about fall foliage, leaf-peeping tourism and climate change. To be able to answer the interviewer’s questions as as if you were an expert like Heather Goldstone, you will need to conduct your own solid research, which begins with this first assignment.
To begin to gain expertise in the issue you choose to research, you’ll need to develop an awareness of the main scholarly research results and non-scholarly information surrounding the issue. Then, you will perform extensive research by selecting, reading and analyzing primary and secondary sources in order to understand the ‘conversation’ that has been carried on by scholars and other experts on that issue. Through this process you will gain the solid understanding of your topic that you would need if you were to attend the Science Friday show on your issue and respond to the hosts’ questions intelligently as you addressed a public audience.
Requirements:
- 1700 words (300 words per entry and 500 words for the letter), double-spaced, Times New Roman or MS Sans Serif, size 12. Use APA.
- Use this Reflective Annotated Bibliography Handout as a guide to complete your assignment. Here’s a Student Sample.
- Use at least 1 scholarly source (at least one book chapter or one academic journal article) and 2 non-scholarly sources (news sources, government, commercial, and educational websites/reports).
- Your fourth entry must use primary research. You are highly encouraged to interview a professor at Baruch who is an expert on your topic. If you cannot find an expert, you can conduct a Google Forms Survey (if you prefer, you can use Qualtrics or another app that you are familiar with. If you choose to use another app, please talk with your instructor about the app you want to use).
- Write a Rhetorical Analysis Letter. To help you in this process, answer the questions in this Rhetorical Analysis Guide for each of your sources to provide you with the information you need. You do not have to submit this guide itself. However, in 500 words, write a conventionally structured formal letter addressed to me with a rationale that answers the following questions/criteria:
- In the first sentence of your letter, describe the main idea or research question you are addressing, and explain how your sources help the reader understand the idea or how they help answer the research question. This first sentence is your thesis statement. Note that in this sentence your sources should be listed in the same order that they are discussed throughout your letter. Do not use bullet points.
- Explicitly demonstrate your rhetorical analysis of the sources. This refers to your ability to connect the purpose(s) of each source, the audience(s) of each source, and the impact of tone, genre, and media/mode of communication on the purpose and audience of each source. These constraints must be explicitly discussed.
- Synthesize by connecting ideas. Explain relationships between ideas within and across your sources (consequence, definition, solution, explanation, examples, cause, agreement, differences, etc). As you establish relationships between sources, state what each source adds to the ‘conversation’ about the issue. Another way to think of this aspect is to ask yourself: how does each source communicate with the other? For example, one source provides more details than another on a particular issue, discusses the definition of an important concept, builds on the definition of the concept in another source, addresses the causes or consequences of the issue, approaches the same issue from a different perspective, or provides a solution to a problem raised in a different source.
- You must refer to ALL four sources in this letter so that you can explain the logical relationship between the ideas of each source.
- Include the synthesis letter at the top of your annotated bibliography.
Project Objectives: 1. Learn to analyze content critically; 2. Learn to draw connections between different ideas; 3. Be able to conduct research and identify relevant, reliable, and interesting information on a particular issue; 4. Be able to identify and use credible/reliable sources of information to answer research questions in preparation for a research-based argument paper; Be able to conduct a rigorous rhetorical analysis
Submission and Deadlines: All due dates are in the Course Schedule. Drafts 1 and 2 must be continuously revised in Google Drive and available before the date they are due. The Final Draft must be available in Google Drive before the beginning of the class when the course schedule indicates it’s due.
Grading: Please find information here on: General Grading and Assignment Grading
Keywords: Analysis; Synthesizing Information; Secondary Research; APA Source Citation
Notes & Bonus Points: While conducting the interview is highly encouraged if you choose one research method only for your analysis paper’s primary research entry, if you decide to do both a survey and an interview, you are eligible for up to 5 bonus points. The interview allows you to begin building a relationship with a faculty member within your major. Faculty-student relationships are shown to be the most important aspect of a college education. See this link for example for a study that shows that a caring professor determines how happy and successful a student will be in their future career. You are highly encouraged to make the interview your priority and schedule it as early as possible during the semester. Get in touch with a professor ASAP, the same day when you know your research topic. If somehow you really struggle finding a professor to interview, you can always do a survey with, for example, fellow classmates. For the survey, you’ll need at least 30 respondents.