WRTG 391 Advanced Research Writing

Study the PPT at the link posted here for tips about how to be successful, both in this class, in future classes and in both your personal and professional lives, Afterwards, post a comment to Discussion, week 1, that explains your reactions to the advice it offers.

Orientation tips for WRTG 391; find here the Academic Word list mentioned in the PPT. As you edit your writing, begin how to substitute conversational words with words from this list.

See here the Meryl Streep video previewed in the PPT:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=7&v=A8TSBw5JiWE

Some points to consider:

How will I manage all my responsibilities over the next eight weeks and organize my time?

What is my decision regarding writing errors and fear of embarrassment?

Based on my own experience, what language links have I observed between skill in thinking, writing, speaking and reading? (Can I excell at one and not the others? If so, why?)

How much do I read and what is the level of the material that I typically read?

KEY IDEA: We need to learn how to create in writing alone with words the kinds of effects that Meryl Streep achieves with her voice--intonation, timing, rhythm, meaning: a sense of individual style with persuasive effects. This is difficult!

While we will not be writing persuasive essays as a target, we mus master diction and effects of style sufficient to prevent a reader's boredom. The worst sin a writer can commit is to BORE his/her reader!

5. After watching the first two library tutorials, please find two articles on your chosen research topic that review and give the findings of a research study. In responding to this discussion topic, give the author(s), the title of the article, and a brief one- or two-sentence description of the research study and its findings.

In this short, eight-week course, you will will need to manage your time efficiently. One important step will be to identify as early as possible your research topic.

When you have it, you can leverage your time by using the same topic for all of your writing assignments. In particular, avoid changing topics AFTER you have completed the Critical Annotated Bibliography. This will cause a delay when you begin work on your Synthesis/literature review paper. 

Accordingly, select one of the following topics and post a description of a specific research aspect of the one that interests you most. If you focus your efforts on it from the outset, you can become rather an expert before the end of the course.

HISTORY

1. The “Great” (Royal) Library of Alexandria (or Ancient Library of Alexandria) in Alexandria, Egypt, was one of the largest and most significant libraries of the ancient world. It flourished under the patronage of the Ptolemaic dynasty and functioned as a major center of scholarship from its construction in the 3rd century BC until the Roman conquest of Egypt in 30 BC. Over the centuries, the Library of Alexandria was one of the largest and most significant libraries in the ancient world. The great thinkers of the age, scientists, mathematicians, poets from all civilizations came to study and exchange ideas.  As many as 700,000 scrolls filled the shelves. However, in one of the greatest tragedies of the academic world, the Library became lost to history and scholars are still not able to agree on how it was destroyed. Its destruction has become a symbol for the loss of cultural knowledge. Sources differ on who was responsible for its destruction and when it occurred.

Research and prepare an annotated bibliography of the most important publications that offer insight into who was responsible for the destruction of the library and when it actually occurred. Look for the sources that seem to be the most important and/or authoritative, even if controversial.

SCIENCE

2. In recent years, both private and public organizations have been devoting large amounts of time and money to the application of artificial intelligence to developing both voice recognition and machine translation technologies. Corporations see profit potential; the military sees both defensive and offensive potential.

From the point of view of cybercrime prevention, research and prepare an annotated bibliography of the most important advancements in this field and the most significant ethical and/or legal issues.

SOCIAL SCIENCE

3. The recent presidential election generated a great deal of discussion (and many publications) about the difference between “news” and “fake news,” between “facts” and “alternate facts. Overall, the issue of lying by politicians has become increasingly important. At the same time, research in psychology and neuroscience has been advancing our understanding of how we perceive and process information.

Identify the most important recent publications that address how new research findings provide insight into how we perceive information and how we act on it politically.

MUSIC

4. The digital disruption of the music business over recent decades has motivated much speculation about the future of commercial music as well as simple interest in why we like the kinds of music we do.

Prepare a bibliography of the most salient publications on research into musical preferences and how they develop, whether from a scientific or personal point of view (or a mix of both). Consider the wide range of musical experience, from ancient to modern, from religious to blasphemous, from martial to lullaby, from Pacific Islands to Siberia to Ireland, to California.