Module D (Prometheus Bound: Research Project/Paper) • MD: Introduction to Research Project Respond to the research prompt below. To choose a different prompt, please contact your teacher for permission. The last phrase of the United States National Anthem is “the land of the free and the home of the brave.” We usually think of the words free and brave as separate adjectives, but there really is a strong connection between them. If a person is truly free, it requires great courage in many situations to exercise that freedom. If we do not consider ourselves free, we will not be very likely to take decisive, brave actions. Instead, we will blame our circumstances (either our genes or our environment) and conclude that we cannot do anything but what those circumstances dictate. Think about the characters in Prometheus Bound. When Hephaestus feels sorry for Prometheus as he is being chained to a rocky mountain, Kratus tells him that such pity is useless. You can almost hear him saying, “It is what it is,” or, in other words, “You have no choice. Do what you have to do.” Prometheus, surprisingly, thinks himself as freer than anyone else in the play. He refuses to yield and accepts his punishment, so he shows himself to be free at least in his mind. We should be sympathetic because, after all, Prometheus has helped humans. Even if his crime had been awful, though, we should admire his bravery when he chooses to act in a way that other characters tell him he cannot act. The plot of “Dr. Heidegger’s Experiment” seems to suggest another view of freedom. When given another chance at youth, all the characters but one choose to make the same mistakes all over again. Dr. Heidegger, in choosing not to drink the elixir, seems to exercise his freedom by accepting what he cannot change. Is this brave? Many would think it is. Write a paper in which you share your views of freedom and bravery. Consider—and cite—the work of Abraham Lincoln (either his own words in “The Emancipation Proclamation” or from Walt Whitman’s tribute to him in “O Captain! My Captain!”). Also, cite the cases of Prometheus and Dr. Heidegger, characters who must decide how free they really are. Specifically, explain how we should think of ourselves as free and what responsibility we have for making our free choices. In what ways can we be courageous? In what ways should we be courageous? Use your own examples from the people you know, but include at least three examples from these people you have met in the readings in this module. Please note that you will write between a five and six page paper, double spaced, Times New Roman, 12 point font. Before beginning the project, make sure you consult ‘Research Project Rubrics and Guidelines.’ MD: Resources Now that you know what you will be researching, your next step is to begin gathering sources that will help you find related information to this topic. At first, this may sound simple‒‒search on the Internet, find some websites, and write your paper. The reality, however, is that in order to sound credible, you must be able to back up your claims with accurate and reliable information. So let’s ask ourselves… …what makes a good source? Is there an author listed? If the answer is no, it is probably not a good source. If the answer is yes, is the author someone who is an expert in his or her field? For example, if you were doing a research project on the composition of the Moon, a source from a scientist at NASA would be appropriate. On the other hand, a forum post by a high school student from Massachusetts who is in the school Science Club would not show expertise. Does the information come from a reputable organization? Some examples of reputable organizations include the government, colleges, universities, etc. When a source comes from organizations such as these, it is likely that they will be written by individuals who are credible and have high levels of expertise in an area. Does the author seem biased? When someone has a bias, he or she is giving a personal opinion about a topic. Think about “Letters to the Editor” in newspapers. When individuals write these letters, they are providing their own opinions and beliefs about a topic. There may be times when the author does not state his or her bias and may try to come across as having factual evidence. These sources should be avoided. On the other hand, if the author comes out and say that this is his or her beliefs on the matter, he or she is stating a bias. Sources such as these may be helpful when showing both sides of an issue. How old is the source? It is important to take note of the age of a source. In some cases, the age of a source does not matter. For example, you may use a primary source of a speech given by a historical figure; the age of this primary source does not influence what it is saying. Age can come into play, however, when new information or evidence proves a source to be invalid or incorrect. For example, physicists were unable to prove the existence of a basic particle called the Higgs boson. In 2012, the existence of the Higgs boson was proven. This means that there are many sources prior to 2012 that are no longer relevant or up-to-date based on this discovery. Does the author list references? Just like you want to show credibility by finding good sources, you should look for authors of sources who do the same. In most cases, good sources will have a list of sources that the author used to create his or her article, paper, etc. Note, when you are looking at internet resources, there are some additional things to consider: • Domain names can give you clues. (.edu, .gov, and .org are preferred sources) ‒ Educational = .edu ‒ Organizations = .org ‒ Commercial = .com (should be avoided due to commercial/sponsor bias. If used, be sure to include a source that counters this view and then explain reasons why one would be more valid or reliable than the other.) ‒ Government = .gov • Personal webpages should be avoided. • Encyclopedias that can be edited by anyone should not be used. NO WIKIS or BLOGS • Question/answer sites should not be used. (sparknotes, litcharts, cliffnotes, or similar sites should be avoided) Sources without an author should be limited to sites displaying only data without analysis. An analysis requires the author to support validity. Task: In order to complete this project, you will need to choose at least five credible sources. These sources can come from books, websites, journals, magazines, or newspapers. Out of these 5 sources, you must have at least one primary source. Remember a primary source is a first-hand account from an individual who has experienced an event or situation. Upload a Word document that contains a list your sources and provides the following information: • Title • Author • Where the source came from (name of encyclopedia, website, newspaper, etc.) • Copyright/date, publication date • Sumbit in MLA format. An online tool, such as Easybib, can be helpful. MD: NOTES Template ow that you have located all of your sources, the next step in your research project is to take notes based on each source. First, download the Notes Template. Next, fill out the template with the notes you took for each source. After each note, indicate the page number from which the information came (if applicable). Finally, upload your completed Notes Template into the space provided. ResearchProjectNotes.doc MD: Thesis Statement 1. Your research has finished, so now it is time to think about what your thesis statement will be. Remember, a thesis statement is a statement in which you clearly state the specific goal for your paper. Think of it as an opinion statement. State your opinion and make sure it is clear and only contains one opinion. Avoid grouping multiple opinions with the intent of supporting your main opinion For example, if you were writing a research paper about whether or not school uniforms should be allowed in schools, your thesis statement might look like the following: Thesis Statement: School uniforms should not be instituted in schools throughout the United States. After a thesis statement has been developed, it is important that you are able to defend it, such as the following example: Defense: Research, such as ___________ and _____________ (state 2 or 3 of your major sources you will use to support your single opinion statement), shows that school uniforms do not improve student achievement, behavior, or gangrelated activities. By comparing (or contrasting if you choose contracdicting data to support your thesis) these and other sources, it is evident that school uniforms should not be in all American schools. Your finished assignment should contain an opinion statement (thesis) and defense. Be sure there is only one opinion stated. Do not include more opinion thinking that is defense of your thesis. Thesis papers rely on fact to support the opinion, not an overwhelming assembly of more opinion. You are just letting the reader know “how” you will defend the thesis. Save key details for the body of your paper. In the space below, upload a Word document that contains your thesis statement and defense statement. It should contain both and be 3 to 4 sentences. MD: OUTLINE At this point, you have completed your research and developed/defended your thesis statement. You are now ready to begin sketching out the flow of your research project. This can be done by completing an outline. Let’s take a look at a portion of a very basic sample outline. Title of Research Project (e.g. Influential American Presidents) I. Introduction A. Thesis Statement 1. List thesis statement here B. Key Points 1. List key points here II. Body A. Key Point 1 1. List supporting ideas here III. Summary paragraph A. Summarize each key point/main idea IV. Conclusion A. Provide your final thoughts on the topic V. Sources A. List of sources in alphabetical order As you can see, outlines help you to organize your ideas and research in a coherent and logical manner. In fact, they make writing your final draft even easier since you simply need to connect your ideas in narrative form. In the space below, sketch out an outline of your research project. You may use a similar format to the example above. MD: Final Draft The final step in completing the written portion of your research project is to write your paper. For most of us, we may need to write a paper a few times in order to develop a flow that makes sense and is to our satisfaction. These multiple attempts are known as drafts. At this point, you may begin writing a draft of your paper. Your paper must include the following: • MLA Format: Title, your name, date • Introduction (thesis statement included as well) • Body paragraphs (support your thesis statement) • Conclusion • List of sources used As you write, be sure to cite the sources that you use. For the purposes of this assignment, you may number your sources on your bibliography and simply put the number in parentheses when you use information from that source. Look at the example below. World War II saw more destruction of life and property than any other battle the world has ever seen. (1) The reason why we cite sources is to give credit to others for their work. When this is not done and people take the work of others and claim them as their own, they can be accused of plagiarism. Plagiarism is not tolerated and will result in a grade of 0 for this entire project. You may download the scoring rubric from the dropdown menu to see how you will be scored on this research paper. Once you are satisfied with your paper, you may upload the final draft of your paper into the space below. You should complete your paper in a Word document. Be sure to check your paper for spelling and grammar. TOTAL of 5 Assignments same as the ones you have helped with in the past: 1. Resources (5 total resources) 2. Notes 3. Thesis Statement 4. Outline 5. Final Draft
