| Review TS/IS 14 & 15, Reading for the Conversation & Research as Conversation |
Assignment Overview:
Now that you’ve practiced synthesizing what others are saying about a given topic, it’s time to select a topic of your own interest, and develop research questions (or inquiry questions) about that topic. These questions may stem from your literature review (Assignment 1), where you analyzed lingering issues or open questions in the conversation about your topic; alternatively, you may develop new research questions based on conversations with your peers, your professor, and your interests.
Your task is to write a research report that answers your initial research questions on the (broadly defined) subject of “Higher Education”, analyzing secondary sources to do so—this is the “they say” portion of the assignment. Based on your findings, you will come up with preliminary recommendations for how you can use the information you’ve found to develop a local focus for Assignment 3—this is the “I say” portion of the assignment. For example, you might recommend research methods, resources, or avenues for applying broad issues to our local context.
The Rhetorical Situation:
Genre: Research Report: As a genre, the research report is both informative and persuasive. As Jack and Pryal write, “A report is a communication that answers these questions: What is happening? What happened? Sometimes, reports answer these questions as well: Why is this happening? What should we do about it? The report may provide the results of an activity, investigation, or study. Reports sometimes take these results and formulate recommendations” (358). To that end, your report should include the following sections:
- An executive summary, which is a brief summary of the contents of the report
- An introduction that provides an overview of the topic or issue under discussion, including the issues you will address or the questions you will answer and how those issues or questions relate to your committee’s larger topic.
- A body, which reviews secondary sources related to your issue and analyzes the most relevant aspects of what “they say.”
- A recommendations section that clearly articulates the next questions you will to address as you move toward a local context. You will need to incorporate an “I Say” that defends your recommendations by arguing how and why your research findings can be applied locally. This may mean developing a thesis statement that answers your research question, or building a controlling idea and offering avenues for further inquiry.
Audience: As with previous assignments, imagine an audience of other members of the university population. In this instance, you might expand your range to consider, not only students, but employees (e.g. other faculty, staff, administrators?), as well as other members of the public. What issues might concern them? When and how would their interests come in?
Purpose: Your task in this report is to inform potential readers about a specific sub-topic, and then to explain how your findings can contribute to moving toward developing a local project. This report will develop your understanding of conversation surrounding your topic beyond the literature review (Assignment 1) and a broad overview of the issue you’ve selected, as it relates to your committee’s topic.
Writer’s Role: By synthesizing and discussing the current research on your topic, you are becoming an expert who can inform the committee about the implications of your research. As an expert, you need to address the needs of your committee. Your goal is to produce a well-developed research report that summarizes and analyzes your findings, while also offering suggestions to your committee for how to move forward in the research process. To do this, you will need to present yourself as an informed thinker and writer, demonstrate your knowledge of the conversations surrounding your issue, and communicate how those conversations can be applied to other contexts.
Criteria for evaluation:
- Evidence of Writing Process (drafting, deliberate revisions based on feedback)
- Evidence of information literacy (e.g. ability to distinguish reliable, useful sources)
- Answers to research questions through reports of what others have said, and interpretation of that information for the benefit of the audience
- Recommendations to audience about how to continue in the researching process and make decisions toward developing a local focus (this is essentially a set-up for the next assignment)
- Coherent organization of the document according to the conventions of the genre (review the sections on research reports from HWW)
- Proper citation of sources
- Careful attention to language (e.g. syntax and grammar)
