1. Unit 2 Research Proposal Tentative Schedule
Week 6
2/19-Intro to research proposals & primary research
Week 7
2/24-Interviews & Observations
2/26-Surveys & Short Research Proposal Peer review
Minor Essay 2- Short Research Proposal Due
Week 8
3/3-Research proposal subsections
3/5-Peer review & debates
Research Proposal Final Draft- Due 3/6 by midnight

2. Today’s Goals Form debate groups Brainstorm debate strategies
Begin understanding research proposals as a genre
Brainstorm questions for research proposals

3. Debate Topics for Revision
Global warming
Are cell phones safe
Death penalty
Capital punishment
Freedom of speech
Technology in education

4. Proposed Debate Topics
Nuclear weapons
cloning
Universal healthcare
Stem cell research
Militarization of police
Standardized testing
Catcalling
Student athlete pay
Athlete (professional) salaries
Technology in education
Organ sale
Torture
GMOs
Minimum wage
Maximum driving age
Workplace attire/appearance restrictions
Racism in America
Police Brutality
Animal testing

5. Research Proposal
Why do we need this type of writing? Who would read it?
How might research proposals compare to exploratory narratives?
How might the research questions we use in our primary research differ from those in our secondary research?

6. Research Proposal APA format Divided into subsections: Title page
Abstract
Purpose statement
Statement of qualification
Literature review
Research methods
References
Appendix

7. Group Activity: Research Proposal Evaluation
In your unit 2 groups
Read through one of the sample research proposals (on the class website) and answer the following questions below.
What is the research question or issue that the writer wishes to investigate?
How is voice/person used in the essay? Is it written predominately in 1st or 3rd person? Are there any sections that are exceptions to this?
Who is the (theoretical) intended audience of the essay (aside from the professor)? How might this have affected the writing style?
In what format is the essay written (MLA, APA, Chicago, etc.)? Does this seem like a typical format for research proposals, or might another format be more common?
How are rhetorical appeals used in the essay? Are all three used equally, or are some more important than others? Are there certain subsections that have better opportunities for certain appeals?
Give a brief description of your essay’s:
Abstract/Statement of Purpose: How does this essay grab reader attention?
Statement of qualification: How does the writer establish ethos?
Literature review: What kinds of sources are used in this review? Are they credible?
Research methods section: What sort of research methods are proposed? Are these primary or secondary research methods?

8. Research Questions Exploratory Narrative vs. Research Proposal
Broad, open ended
Long, complex answers
Decisive answers not necessary
Qualitative
Explores big , often global or countrywide issues
Determinate
Concise answers
Objective is to find the answer to the research question
Quantitative or qualitative
Focus on smaller groups that you have access to for research
Can still deal with global issues but from a more limited perspective

9. Determinate Research Question Forms
Existence Questions
Does X exist in domain Y?
What is the best solution to problem X?
Best methods: interviews, observations, and surveys are all helpful here
Measurement Questions
How large/small/fast/much/many is X?
Best methods: Surveys and observations
Comparison Questions
Is X Greater/less than Y or different from Y?
Best methods: surveys and observations
Correlation Questions (If X varies, does Y vary?)
Experimental Questions
Does a variation in X cause a variation in Y?
Best method: surveys
For these experiments, keep in mind that FIU students and professors will be your best and easiest resources to access.

10. Successful past research questions
What is the best solution to global warming?
Method: interviews
Interviewed meteorology and political science professors to get expert opinions about the issue
Does violence in video games affect behavior?
Method: surveys
Examined college students and their experience with fights/crimes/violent behavior and compared that to their video game usage
Alternate method: observations
Observed people’s behavior in an arcade/game room, looking for differences in behavior between people that played violent games vs. nonviolent games
Has women’s portrayal in the media improved in the past decade?
Method: observations
Student analyzed the 3 highest grossing films in 2003 and the three highest grossing films in 2013 while conducting the Bechdel test and taking notes on the female characters
Is technology helping or hindering classroom learning?
Methods: interviews & surveys
Student began by interviewing professors about how they used technology in the classroom and whether they thought it was helpful
Conducted follow up surveys that correlated students GPA with their number of online classes, hubrid classes, and technology assisted classrooms

11. Research Methods Interviews Observations Surveys Information generated
Qualitative
Qualitative or quantitative
Quantitative
Best research targets
Experts in the field (often professors)
Observable social situations
Recorded media that can be analyzed
General’s person’s perspective (students or otherwise)
Best appeal
Ethos
Logos
Advantages
Quotes can be a powerful resource for writing
Uses expert opinions
Arguably most authentic method
Allows research of real life and everyday situations & media
Reach large number of subjects
Great for showing general opinion/knowledge/experiences
Disadvantages
Arguably the most time consuming
Requires social skills
Finding a good observation site is difficult
Requires extreme objectivity when interpreting data
Requires large number of participants
Interpreting data requires math skills

12. Group Activity- Research Proposal Brainstorm
In your unit 2 groups
Share your exploratory narrative research topics with the group as well as any topic you are considering for the research proposal
For each group member:
Formulate 2 possible research questions that fit into each person’s topic and fit the frame on 279. Keep these determinate and focus on asking questions you can realistically answer with your own research
Indicate what experimental method we discussed (interviews, observations, or surveys) would be best to answer each person’s research question)
For each question, generate a possible hypothesis or thesis statement

13. Homework: Exploratory Narrative Final Draft
Due Thursday 2/19 to Turnitin.com by midnight
Electronic submissions only. Paper copies not accepted. (technological problems are not an excuse for late submissions)
It is highly recommended that you have a conference or at least speak with me about your essay progress

14. Homework Read A&B pg. 247-250 Journal Entry 16
Focus: Primary Research Brainstorm
For this journal entry, brainstorm possible ideas for primary research you could conduct to answer the research question you generated in class.
Which of the three methods we discussed would be best suited to your research question? Why?
Which of the three research methods do you think you would be best equipped to perform?
If using interviews, what experts might you decide to interview?
If using observations, what situations or media could you observe for useful data?
If using surveys, what kind of information from the general public would be useful to your research?