Research Paper

Research Project

All students will do a research project, which will count for about fifty percent of their grade. The project should reflect a cultural approach, not just a cultural topic. Everyone will turn in a proposal, an annotated bibliography, and do a class presentation on their subject. Beyond that, students have three options:

A traditional research paper of 12 to 20 pages. (Guidelines below.)
A short video documentary/essay on an aspect of contemporary culture.

Number 2 should probably be done in groups; talk to me early in the semester if you are interested in this possibility.

1) The Proposal (due no later than 2/17): The proposal outlines the main idea, the point, and explains the kind of evidence and theory you plan to use to support it. It should be 1-2 pages long, typed, double-spaced. It should be organized, clear, and concise, and reflect the logic of your idea. It must have a clear thesis sentence, usually as the last sentence of the first paragraph.

Your paper should not just be a book report or a summary of others' work. It should have one main POINT, or argument. To qualify as a point, the main idea of your paper must be:

(1) debatable ("the sky is blue" is not debateable; "MTV videos help reproduce male power over women" is debateable.)
(2) supportable with evidence from your own and others' research.

It should not just list a topic area and some information (e.g., "this paper will be about rock videos and will use evidence collected from journal articles.") It should make a distinct argument, e.g., "This paper will use textual analysis to argue that rock videos sometimes have the potential to reinforce male dominance."

Making a scholarly point or argument is not exactly the same as expressing an opinion. We all have lots of opinions that come from our preferences, experiences, values, and so forth. In scholarship, however, the point is not to express your opinion, but to offer a reasoned, logical, well-supported argument that addresses counterarguments and provides substantial evidence. Everyone has opinions, but scholarly arguments are something presented by experts, by people who have done the work of mastering an area of thought and who present the results of their expertise.

2) The Annotated Bibliography (due no later than 3/31): An annotated bibliography is an alphabetical list of complete citations to all the literature on your topic, with a brief paragraph explaining the contents of each entry. (That's "complete" as in everything that's relevant, not just what you happened to have stumbled upon in a visit to the library.) Most of you will have to use interlibrary loan to get some important information; that typically takes ten days, so start planning ahead now; "the books I ordered didn't get here yet" is not a valid excuse for late or incomplete work. The annotations should contain information useful to anyone studying in the area (e.g., fellow students writing research papers). It should not summarize the article or book or list its contents; it should briefly explain 1) the author's main point or argument; 2) the author's method or approach; and 3) the place of the piece in the literature as a whole (e.g., does the author agree with other scholars?). The bibliography as a whole should provide a solid overview of the existing state of the discussion in the area you are studying.

Here's an example of a good annotation:

Fjellman, Stephen M. Vinyl Leaves: Walt Disney World and America. New York, Routledge. 1992: A detailed, largely anthropological analysis of Walt Disney World in Florida. Written with an obvious passion and love for Disney, Fjellman describes the corporate craft of Disney and how the political, ecological, technological, and entrepreneurial systems (marketing and promotion) have been developed and manipulated to create WDW, and the peculiar vision of history it promotes. He argues that Disney World acts as the muse for the allied transnational corporations that sponsor it as well as for the world of late capitalism, where the commodity form has colonized much of human life.

Here's an example of a mediocre annotation:

This book looks at all kinds of things about Walt Disney's world, from toys to decorations, and talks about how it relates to America. It has chapters on the rides, the pavilions, on corporate strategy, and on other topics.

3) The Rough Draft (due no later than 4/10; earlier submissions are encouraged): This should be full, coherent, typewritten, draft of your paper, complete with references.

4) The Presentation (during the last weeks of classes): The presentation should be about ten minutes long, and should be both informative and interesting. Again, it should be designed to communicate the logic of your main idea. It should also explain why your topic is important, i.e., why scholars, including your fellow students, should care about it.

4) The Final Version (due May 8): This should reflect the best writing and argument you are capable of, and should show that you have thoroughly researched your topic and thoroughly understand it.

Recommended Outline: your paper should be divided into subheadings. It should have clear, logical flow. Your subheadings should include (but are not limited to): 1) An Introduction of a paragraph or two. 2) A literature review that summarizes the key themes, concerns, and debates in the literature on your topic. 3) Perhaps two or three subheadings for the body of your paper that help delineate the major parts of your argument. 4) A conclusion.

Please remember the following: Make sure your topic is not too broad; make sure it has an argument or a point; and stick to SERIOUS SCHOLARLY RESEARCH, i.e., stay away from mass market books, anecdotal essays, Time Magazine articles, random web sites, and the like.Your sources must be fully documented using a standard system of reference. If you're not absolutely sure about how to do this, see me right away (Some of the basics can be found at http://bailey.uvm.edu/sage/cite.html). Remember that you need to provide references for ALL material you find in other sources even when you use your own words (NOT just for those things you quote directly). Remember that improper documentation is considered a form of plagiarism, which can get you in serious trouble, e.g., flunking or thrown out of school.

Possible Topic Areas: The following are some possible topic areas. They are too broad for specific topics, but might help give you some ideas that you can then focus down into something manageable;

Subcultures and society: punks, mods, skinheads, or other subcultural groups.

Why do women like to shop more than men?

Is skateboarding a subculture?

Malcolm X hats in Senegal: what happens when other cultures take up American symbols?

The Cultural Meaning of the Veil in Islamic Countries

The Cultural Roots of Evangelical Christianity in the US

Religion, Culture, and Politics: the Case of Jesus Freaks

The Semiotics of Anti-ads