English Homework

Sources and Research Methods: 

Which types of sources have you used so far? Which types of sources do you plan to use? Why will these sources be the most useful for learning more about your topic? (Don’t just say, “I’m going to look at some books and websites.” Build your credibility as a researcher by being specific and naming authors, articles, publications, or other sources.)

Example: 

Sources and Research Methods 

This research proposal is based on sources that I found through library or online research. One of these sources is a book titled The American College: A Criticism written by Abraham Flexner, one of the most influential educators of the twentieth century. In this book, Flexner provides an interesting analysis of the evolution and application of the so-called Core Curriculum in different stages of pre-college education. His analysis is important for understanding how pre-college path leads to college educations. This understanding is essential to the proposed research. Another source that informed this research proposal was a book by Thomas Bender, titled Transforming Undergraduate Education. In this book, Benders captures some of the major problems that undergraduate education faces, and tries to address those issues analytically. His analysis informed this research by providing insight on challenges that our current educational system at the college level grapples with, especially those that have remained unresolved for years. Regarding the theme of why it is a necessity to bring about a transformation in the Core Curriculum system, I used an insightful article titled “Restoring a Core,” by Lauri Kempson, Tom Bako, Eric Markley, Arum Richard, and Josipa Roksa (active participants of the American Council of Trustees and Alumni). This article casts light on the background of Core Curriculum, why our education system has persistently used it, and how it underwent periods of change over time. In addition, Richard and Roska in Are Undergraduates Actually Learning Anything offer a perspective regarding the Core that is more futuristic. Here, the authors portray Undergraduate Education as the backbone for the future of America[H1], this a notable matter that deserves more attention than it receives. This work can be very helpful in putting the issue of college education into a broader perspective. Looking forward, I plan to use articles from specific journals such as Phi Delta Kappa, a professional magazine for educators or Insight, an annual journal that primarily focuses on teaching innovations. Some of these sources are, but not limited to, "The Terrible Erosion of the College Curriculum" (2016) by George Leef, "Up for Debate: Should Colleges Continue to Require a Core Curriculum'?" (2014) by Jeff Chen, and "Do We Really Need a Core Curriculum?" (2011) by John Sener.