What are the cognitive and emotional processes underlying the development and expression of empathy towards unfamiliar individuals, and how can these processes be nurtured and enhanced in society?
By this point, you should have identified fairly specific issue in your community or the larger world that is of particular concern to you. You should have a driving research question or a research problem that can help propel you forward as you investigate further. If you are still struggling with this starting point, reach out to me and/or your fellow classmates to talk it through.
Okay, so for the first major writing assignment, you wrote largely from a personal space, investigating your sense of responsibility to the larger world. This next research and writing task, asks that you look outward and consider conversations others are having. It requires that you do library research on the issue of concern you have selected for your focus. This is an essential step because your actions will be more effective if you are empowered with some working knowledge on the issue. Your goal is to gain better understanding of the complexity of the matter and to become more conversant on the subject. These are useful goals certainly. In addition to these practical moves that will propel us forward this semester, the project at hand here will also give you practice in finding and evaluating information sources, documenting them, and sharing them with others. Further, it will work to deepen your understanding of an ongoing conversation such that you can contribute to it, create knowledge, and work toward a solution. The project I am referring to and that I would like you to complete is an annotated bibliography.
Create an annotated bibliography with five sources focused on your research question or problem. An annotated bibliography is very much like a works cited page at the end of research paper, but without the research paper. Plus each bibliographic entry is accompanied by a brief critical annotation of about 250 words each. The idea is to find useful, credible, powerful sources on the issue of concern you are focused on this semester such that you can further narrow your focus while also broadening your understanding. You are expected to know these sources well so that you can talk about them with others. In fact, I will ask that you present at least one of the sources to the class.
THE PROCESS
Creating the annotated bibliography will ask that you draw upon your skills of library work, analysis, evaluation, and exposition. There are a few basic steps to take you through the process:
RESEARCH QUESTION: “What are the cognitive and emotional processes underlying the development and expression of empathy towards unfamiliar individuals, and how can these processes be nurtured and enhanced in society?”
In an introductory paragraph, restate clearly the research question you came up with regarding a specific social issue. Bold or highlight the research question in some way. Why did you choose this question? How did you refine or narrow the question? Introduce your annotated bibliography along with your research focus with this first paragraph.
Find the sources. First you will have to work to find useful information sources using the variety of research tools at your disposal. I strongly suggest a visit to the library website and research tools page and maybe even have a conversation with a research librarian. They are there to help you through teleconferencing, e-mail, phone, chat and so on. You are not alone with this work. You will use research databases, the library collection, the web, and other avenues to find books, articles, and quality information and ideas on your issue. Examine the sources and choose those that seem to provide a variety of informed perspectives on your topic.
Create the citations. Once you’ve selected the sources you will use for your bibliography. Cite each one of them using proper MLA style. (Refer to the MLA handbook and/or another current handbook as needed. Note too that I’ve provided useful online sources in recent lesson material on this course site.)
Write the annotations. For each cited source, write a critical annotation of about 250 words. The annotation for each source should be placed directly beneath the respective citation. Keep in mind that an annotation is more than just a summary of what the source is about. It’s a critical evaluation of the source. So it should include a concise yet specific summary of the source, its focus, scope, and so on, but it should also evaluate the authority and background of the author, comment on the intended audience, compare/contrast the work with another source you’ve cited, and explain how the work is valuable to illuminating your topic of concern—some aspect of your service/advocacy learning focus. Success with this annotated bibliography requires that you examine carefully your sources and make some critical judgments. Don’t be too hasty—just choosing whatever you stumble upon. The time you spend putting this project together should serve to prepare you for the work that lies ahead. Remember, your goal is to deepen your knowledge on the issue you are studying as you do the work to complete this bibliography. The bibliography, then, once completed and presented to the class can help others deepen their knowledge. Good luck.
***This is just to give you an idea of what i have to do after the paper is done, you do not have to take a video!!**
Prepare an Informal Video Presentation. The goal with this annotative bibliography work is for you to become somewhat conversant in the sources you’ve selected, read, and evaluated before including in your list. The idea is that you will truly become better informed through this work and be able to help inform others, as well. So, with that end in mind, as final component to this project, I’d like you to prepare an informal (no need to get dressed up 🙂 video presentation where you talk us through at least one source from your bibliography. Choose the one that you think is most worth reading to become better aware and better informed of the issue you are researching. Why is the source worth reading; what might its limitations be; what value does it offer to inform one on the issue at hand? Create a video of yourself presenting this to the class; upload it to YouTube, and then embed the video as a part of your assignment on your Google portfolio site.
First of all remember that this assignment will remain a work in progress until the end of the semester, when you’ll call it “done” (at least for the moment) and include it as a part of your final portfolio; however, as an early draft that will be reviewed by members of the class and possibly others, completing it on time is essential to get timely feedback and to continue your growth as writer in this course.
The parameters and basic things we’re trying to do with this assignment are as follows. The work should:
include at least 5 carefully selected, relevant, credible, and useful bibliographic entries with critical, evaluative annotations of no less than 250 words each; you can include more
include a variety of information types such as scholarly/peer-reviewed articles, books, periodicals, news, expert interviews, and so on
include a range of sources that offers a variety of perspectives on the subject, such that the reader feels well informed on the range of conversation and debate over the topic at hand
use proper and precisely accurate MLA bibliographic style for each included source and for the annotated bibliography overall
have an effective title for the annotated bibliography as a whole
be well edited and free from careless mechanical errors
include a video presentation of about 3 minutes where you present the most valuable source from your bibliography; don’t just read your annotation; talk it through and expound upon its content and value
Requirements:
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