Process memo
2 most important things I learned in writing a research paper
In the writing process of assignment 4, I found that 2 things are really useful. Firstly, when I have no idea about the topic, it is good to look through materials given. Secondly, how to search for sources and give credit to them.
When I was first writing assignment 4, I was really confused where to start, since this is my first research paper. Therefore I began with the reading that was assigned to us, and found the one by Gladwell about the Ivy League is very interesting. Then I dug deeper on this topic and did some online research. I found that both parents and high school students are extremely caring about this topic since they all fancy about the Ivy League.
Two professors of different backgrounds, Mike Rose of California, and Gerald Graff, of Illinois, discuss the problems college students face today in America. Though similar in slight variations, both professors view the problem in different regards and prepare solutions that solve what they feel to be the heart of this academic problem.
Obtaining higher education is regarded as the ultimate symbol of status in the United States (US). Access to a college education in this country is seen as an expression of academic excellence and can provide access to unlimited possibilities. In the US, Ivy Leagues are considered the elite and represent the most powerful ideogram of educational opportunity. According to the National Center for Education Statistics [NCES] (2012), from 1999–2000 to 2009–10, the percentages of both master's and doctor's degrees earned by females increased from 1999–2000 to 2009–10 from 58 to 60 percent and from 45 to 52 percent. The NCES report (2012), found that in 2009-10, of the 10.3 percent Black students who earned Bachelor degrees; 65.9 percent were women. Of the 12.5% of Black students who earned Master’s degree in 2009-10, 71.1 percent were women; and of the 7.4 percent of Black students who earned doctoral level degrees (this includes most degrees previously regarded as first-professional, i.e. M.D., D.D.S., and law degrees), 65.2 percent were women (NCES, 2012)...
In this assignment, I needed a purpose and a key issue to complete this assignment. The purpose of this assignment was to create a research paper about philosophy and I had to explain how it played a role in Ancient Greece. I had to explain about my assigned philosopher who was Epicurus and I had to discuss how he felt about government and what he teaches the people of Ancient Greece. The key issue is to accurately write an organized essay with multiple sources. I had to get two physical sources and at least one source from the internet. In every quote I had to explain or paraphrase that quote and that shows Clarity. Then when I was finished with the internal citations, I had to develop a works cited page with all the sources I used in my research paper. This shows that I used accuracy and precision because I used sources ...
The film Declining by Degrees effectively argues its claim that all is not right in higher education. They do this by interviewing countless professors and students that still attend college or that have recently graduated or dropped out. Their use of personal experiences, statistics, and expert opinions helps build their credibility and emotional appeal for the viewers of the documentary. The main audience for this documentary being anyone who cares about college, parents, students, and even the professors and staff at colleges in the United States.
An industry that once promoted fairness and attainability was now itself becoming an obstacle to overcome. “American universities are in fact organized according to middle- and upper-class cultural norms or rules of the game and that these norms do indeed constitute an unseen academic disadvantage for first-generation college students transitioning to university settings” (Stephens et. al, 2012). This proposed characteristic serves as an almost uncontrollable and unchangeable disadvantage that students will likely fail to subdue. Institutions should serve as mediating platforms that allow students to start at impartial grounds, where their talents, abilities and connections are the only factors that can influence their
The author, Frank Bruni’s, main argument was that college admissions were being too selective in their process, and that they were looking into the wrong details from the student. He talks about how there will be a report coming out in the very near future from top administrators like Yale, M.I.T. and the University of Michigan, that is called “Turning the Tide”, that will point out the flaws within the admissions process of top schools. The author thinks that, “Focused on certain markers and metrics, the admissions process warps the values of students drawn into a competitive frenzy.” Not only does it bring out unhealthy competitiveness, it gives and unfair chance to kids who come from less fortunate backgrounds. The report coming out outlines, “Less emphasis on standardized test scores, which largely correlate with family income.” Also he explains how colleges should be less focused on how many AP classes a student takes because poorer high schools may not even be able to offer AP’s. The author
(Owen and Sawhill 208) After all, if our country’s leader is preaching about college being a good thing, it should reflect the views of a majority of people in this country. They then continue to try to make connections with the audience by emphasizing that this is a “we” problem and by recognizing that the decision to go off to college is not an easy one for everybody. These first words in the essay demonstrate a call to the ethos of President Obama and clear cut pathos to bring the authors down to the same level as their audience; However, the rest of the essay is absolutely dominated by
They have been some challenges in trying to figure out the right approach to follow in a research study, and this semester is more of an eye opener that reveals the expected ways in conducting research which has been a very interesting and tough process. Dudley (2011), least four major search strategies available for locating references related to the chosen topic issues these include: (1) consultation, (2) searches in subject indexes, (3) browsing, and (4) footnote chasing. Researcher needs to be aware of all of these strategies in information gathering.
Inside Higher Ed. -. http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2005/04/20/access Lehigh University. Challenges in College -.. http://www.lehigh.edu/incso/challenges.shtml Leonhardt, David (2009). The 'Standard'. Colleges Are Failing Graduation Rates.
Hutcheson, P. (2011). Goals for United States higher education: from democracy to globalisation. History Of Education, 40(1), 45-57.
Studying a university degree is one of the biggest achievements of many individuals around the world. But, according to Mark Edmunson, a diploma in America does not mean necessarily studying and working hard. Getting a diploma in the United States implies managing with external factors that go in the opposite direction with the real purpose of education. The welcome speech that most of us listen to when we started college, is the initial prank used by the author to state the American education system is not converging in a well-shaped society. Relating events in a sarcastic way is the tone that the author uses to explain many of his arguments. Mark Edmunson uses emotional appeals to deliver an essay to the people that have attended College any time in their life or those who have been involved with the American education system.
Writing can be very frustrating; laying your ideas out on paper so that others can grasp the concept you are trying to convey is a very difficult task. In Writing 101 I have learned how to formulate good theses that are arguable and also how to validate articles that have to do with my topic. The most important element of a paper is the thesis statement. It captures the reader's attention and tells them what the essay is about. Having a well-structured thesis along with evidence to support that thesis are the main ingredients to a well-written essay. I have also learned how important it is to research an author’s background to ensure their credibility. This is a very important step in writing because today we can find information on a topic, however, it is not valid. By researching the author, we can see if he or she is an expert in the area and so this would make his or her information more credible. There is a ...
The topic I chose to research and write about is the effect ones Socio-Economic statue has on their academic success. What makes this topic so particularly interesting and relevant is that there is a wide area where people fall on the social economic status spectrum and those on the lower end seem to perform not as well academic wise to their higher counterparts. In fact, a study conducted in the mid-1990's called" The Bell Curve: Intelligence and Class Structure in American Life '' by Richard J. Herrnstein, and Charles Murray concluded that there is a strong correlation been a higher social and economic status resulting in higher academic achievement status with the inverse being true as well. The reason why more concern should be addressed to this issue is that with such a large gap economic and social wise many potential great minds may never be
The next step is to determine what kinds of sources you will need; books, articles, magazines, videos, etc. Once you’ve figured out what it is you need and acquired said source types; it may be necessary to confirm
One of the things that were really helpful was seeking help from my professor during class time and office hours. Another useful thing was the opposing view website, in providing me some pother views of my topic that I can search for. For example, I had some so difficulties with the effect that postmodern architecture has on society, but when I looked it up on the opposing view website, they provide me with articles that talk about how architecture can save the heritage, then I linked it with the concept of postmodern architecture as having the traditional element and I end up with the second effect on society. “It would benefit the society by conserving their heritage” (Taifour, 2016, p.6). One of the things that I learned is that I have to make enough researches on the topic, after that I can narrow it down based on the opposing views that I have