I don't think I'm going to write about celebrities anymore simply because it takes too much work to write about them. I'll think of a new direction for my blog this weekend. For now, I need to finish up my research proposal. Since the topic of research papers are on my mind right now, that's what I'll talk about. A lot of this stuff I'll probably put in my process log, but maybe I'll write about it here to share with everyone.
I agree that it's important to write research papers as a student, but there are some obvious obstacles in doing this that deserve to be discussed. As students it's hard to do enough research on a topic. Most articles in journals or online are written by people who have a PhD in the subject. Sure, journalists have to write newspaper articles in a short period of time on subjects they are unfamiliar with, but those are usually news reports that don't try to make an argument; if they are making an argument, it usually has a neutral point of view. It's hard to do enough research to be able to critique literature that have authors who have studied the topic more than us.
Another problem is that it is hard to do research other than library work. I don't have any personal connections to anyone in the field I am studying, I don't have any money, tools or time to do my own investigations. And if I do find someone to interview, some probably wont be to interested in helping me because I'm a mere student who is not going to publish this paper.
Finally, even if I do formulate a strong argument for my paper, how can I be sure that it is original? There are too many articles out there for me to read all of them. Unless my topic is really obscure, there is probably someone out there with a mind similar to mine.
Again, I see the value in writing research papers, but sometimes I think the expectations are a little unrealistic.
3 comments:
you suck
its been a few days and I NEED CELEBRITY NEWS you bastard
Woah! Anonymous must be jonesing . . . .
Anyway, I think you're right on with all your observations, and all the factors you mention are, I'm pretty sure, why writing teachers will often dislike reading student papers. If you set up students in a situation that I would call inauthentic, then you deserve what you get.
It's one reason why I prefer to give students the option to do autoethnographic research. Using you own life as data and then going beyond telling stories to situate experiences in what's happening in culture and also finding published research about your topic (your life) is a more accessible form of research.
What we know about "academic discourse" and practices is that they are learned/acquired in specific contexts *over time*. And we (the teachers) should have realistic expectations.
My advice is to take the assignment seriously and do you best but with the understanding that it isn't just about the end-product but rather the process of getting there.
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