ENGLISH 109
Final Project (200 Points)
Your final project is to research a topic of your choice and prepare a written bibliography and a poster presentation. Researching your topic and the process involved is closely related to a series of weekly assignments, group activities and brainstorming sessions. The assignments you complete throughout the class will be the basis for your final project.
Process:
- Choose a topic: Choose a topic that you are interested in or you can relate to: a problem you need to solve; a question you need to answer.
- Find background information on your topic: Identify the academic discipline that covers the study of your topic. Use a subject encyclopedia or other reference sources to find background information on your topic.
- Restate your topic: Focus on a specific aspect of your topic using background information from references sources. Restate your topic in the form of a question or a statement that can be tested. Describe the scope of your topic, what you already know and what you intend to find out.
- Find the best periodical articles: Find, analyze, and evaluate the articles that support your statement. Identify other possible alternative views such as those that are different than your point of view. Use both print and electronic databases. Look for reasonable, relevant information/evidence for claims and opposing point of views.
- Find the best books: Find the best books for your topic. The evaluation criteria listed below on item # 6 is an excellent guide in your evaluation process. We will also discuss these criteria in the classroom prior and during the related assignments.
- Find the best Internet sources: Finding reliable Web sources is a challenging task. You need to evaluate and judge the quality of the information you retrieve and select the best ones for your final bibliography. Use these criteria to determine the quality of your sources.
- Authority: Does the source indicate the authors’ educational background?
- Accuracy: Is the information accurate? Use encyclopedias or other reference books to do some fact checking.
- Clarity: Is the information presented clearly?
- Coverage: Is the content comprehensive, scholarly?
· Relevancy: Is the information relevant for the purpose of the assignment and the audience?
· Objectivity: Is the information presented with the minimum bias? Does the source explore opposing points of views?
Note: These criteria can also be applied to other sources of sources of information.
- Use and analysis of information: Use the sources you have found, extract the relevant information that support your claim, and analyze your findings.
- Syntheses: Put together the best sources from each section, create a poster, and prepare a bibliography in MLA style.
Note: Keep in mind that more options become available to you during the research process and you will continually build on your previous experience and knowledge of the subject matter.
POSTER PRESENTATION (100 POINTS)
You will be asked to give a brief presentation (about 5 minutes) of your research topic to the class. You will be evaluated by the quality of your poster and your presentation. The following are the guidelines for your poster project.
Presentation Style:
Talk loud and clear
Maintain eye contact
Respond to signs of puzzlement and confusion
Organization of Presentation:
Introduction: Introduce yourself and your topic
Body: State the issue clearly
Define keyword and key concepts
Summarize the main points of your research
Use examples to clarify difficult concepts and principles
Conclusion: provide closure for your presentation with a short conclusion.
Poster Requirements: Your poster should include the following:
Your Name:
Title: A title in large print so it can grasp the audience’s attention.
Findings: Major findings and their significance with arguments of both sides of the issue.
Creativity/Accuracy: When designing your poster, keep in mind that visuals can improve the effectiveness of your presentation and therefore, you will also be evaluated for your originality.
Quality of poster design
Clarity and ease of read
Spelling and grammar
Class Evaluation: Each student will evaluate a classmate’s poster and turn in the evaluation to the instructors.
FINAL BIBLIOGRAPHY GUIDELINE (100 POINTS)
A bibliography is a list of the best sources you find on your topic. Bibliography is also known as bibliographical references and works cited listing. The purpose of writing a bibliography is to give credit to the creator of the work, and at the same time allow others to fully utilize the information you have provided. You will be evaluated and graded based on the quality, relevance, and accuracy of citing sources. Your bibliography should be in MLA format and include the following:
Title Page:
· Research topic: Television and Violence
· Prepared by: Your name
· Instructor’s name: Nicole Longpré/Julia Paulsen
· Course name/number: Eng. 109 – Information Resources
· Fall 2007/Date
Mechanics:
· Arrange all sources in alphabetical order
· Word-process the bibliography using font size 12 and double space
· Indent all lines after the first line as illustrated below
Bedau, Hugo Adam. “Capital Punishment.” 4 vols. Encyclopedia of Crime and Justice. New York: Free Press, 1983.
“Danube Salmon Hucho.” Encyclopedia of Endangered Species. Detroit: Gale Research, 1994.
SOURCES: Minimum of 9 sources including:
Four Periodical Articles:
- Two articles from EBSCOhost
- Two articles from ProQuest or other database
Three Books:
· One reference book
· Two books (at least one from the BCC library)
Two Internet Sources: At least one educational site. Wikipedia sites and .com sites (commercial sites) will not be accepted.
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