BIS 340 Approaches to Cultural Research Assignment #3 The Methods Plot Thickens: Deepening the Interpretation 10 Points Pos

BIS 340 Approaches to Cultural Research Assignment #3

The Methods Plot Thickens: Deepening the Interpretation

10 Points Possible 

Now that you have carried out some preliminary research and revised your question in conversation with some initial methods, this is third assignment offers one more chance to conduct initial framing research on your topic and refine/deepen your question before preparing your final research proposal. Remember, your goal in this class is to learn as much as you can to inform and support your question and your research proposal. During this quarter you will not be able toand are not expected to!conduct the proposed research that it would take to answer the epic cultural research questions that you have proposed. Rather, you should be conducting the basic research that it takes to design a project based on a well-informed question, make a compelling argument as to why your research question is interesting and important, and say how you will (hypothetically!) go about studying it over a longer period of time in the future. Now, choose another method that is different from the one you chose for the last assignment–could be one of “field” methodologies discussed during our methods workshop, or any of the other methods we have discussed at various points. If possible and appropriate for your question/method, you might try using that method to undertake some additional preliminary/background research on your question–that might mean doing additional textual or image analysis, doing observations, trying out an interview or two, etc. in the service of helping to refine your question and/or support some aspect of your proposal (this isn’t required or expected, but could be a compelling option for some of you).

In any case, write a 3page essay describing your progress, according to the specific guidelines provided below.

Assignment Goals:

• Build on the first two assignments to keep contextualizing your proposal and thinking about what method(s) will best help you collect information to best understand your research question, and document your research findings;

• Appreciate how your methods reflect your theoretical or analytical framework;
• Understand how your research question shapes your methods, and how your methods reshape your question and future research methods.

Assignment: A 3page (750 word) essay that addresses the following questions:

1. State clearly and specifically the research question guiding this researchit is fine if it has changed from earlier assignments, and in fact an explanation of how and why it has changed as a result of the research you have done can be a great way to frame the importance and theoretical/analytical context for your question and your project.
2. What have you found in your background research so far that supports your question and your proposal? The majority of your essay should be devoted to what you have found as a result the background research you have done-now including some experimentation with and/or thoughtfulness about at least two different methods. Convey to your reader clearly and specifically what you are thinking based on the work you have done. Use evidence from your cultural research methods and literature searches to support those findings. How has your understanding of the topic been enhanced from doing this research?
3. As an appendix you can include copies of photographs, drawings, maps or other artifacts used as part of your background work and/or to inform your proposal. If you carried out an interview, you can include a short section of your transcript. If you carried out participantobservation, you can include one short example of your observations, such as describing an event or observation made.
4. Cite all sources you refer to in the essay in a bibliography. Include at least 8 sources, two of which need to be academic articles (and yes, you can build on top of the ones you used last time, but you are encouraged to change it up if you can find better sources!). You can and should draw on class readings and include them in your bibliography, if they help you to make a stronger argument!