This document is the directions for the 5-part winter term research paper.
Length: 7-8 pages, double spaced, 1 inch margins.
Style: MLA Style
Part 1, Research Proposal - Due Monday, Feb. 9, 2009
Part 2, Annotated Bibliography - Due: Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2009
Part 3, Outline and 2 Paragraphs with Evidence - Due Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2009
Part 4, First Draft with Peer Advice Due: Wednesday, Feb. 25, 2009
Part 5, Final Draft - Due: Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Being able to conduct research and write an effective research paper is an academic skill you will need to employ frequently in your college career. Furthermore the same skills you will need to write an effective research paper are the same skills you will need in a successful professional career. Therefore, this term we will spend considerable time developing the skills necessary for you to become an effective researcher and research writer.
Thematically this term we are examining the various ways that we, as humans, have attempted to understand ourselves through scientific investigation. Your research project will allow you to focus on biotechnology and other relevant current scientific developments and how these developments could change how we define "human." The University Studies Goals which you will continue to develop through this project are critical thinking and communication and specifically ethical and social responsibility.
Be careful that your research paper is an essay in which you develop your own original thought, i.e., thesis, and not merely a report of the existing published information on the topic. It will not be merely a parody of others ideas but rather you will use your research to develop your own position and ideas on the topic you are examining.
Genetic Engineering a laboratory technique used by scientists to change the DNA of living organisms. This area of study involves several areas. It could be as simple as examining embryos for genetic diagnosis and screening by potential parents before implantation to avoid certain biological disorders. However, it could also involve actual genetic manipulation of the DNA to create or clone "designer babies" through either somatic gene therapy or germ-line engineering. Other technologies associated with this are gene therapy and Recombinant DNA technology. Other branches of genetic engineering have involved introducing human DNA to animals, e.g. pigs, for more harvesting organs for more successful transplanting. Using genetic engineering in the area of crops and foodstuffs for human consumption, sometimes referred to as "Frankenfoods" is another example a topic in this realm one could explore.
Artificial Intelligence also know as machine intelligence, is defined as intelligence exhibited by anything manufactured (i.e. artificial) by humans or other sentient beings or systems. It is sometimes hypothetically applied to general-purpose computers but is also applied to robotics and nanotechnology in human medicine.
Human Cyborgs are combinations of people and animals or machines. Donna Haraway's influential work, A Manifesto for Cyborgs: Science, Technology, and Social Feminism in the 1980s, defined Cyborgs as "a cybernetic organism, a hybrid of machine and organism, a creature of social reality as well as a creature of fiction." We see a meshing of technology and man in healthcare when humans and technology function as one, such as with man surviving with a pacemaker, or a woman surviving with a respirator. In these cases, technology assists individuals to overcome health problems.
Sample Research Proposal
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Alex Villareal Cyborg Millenium Professor Tim Sheard Winter 2009
Research Questions: How will the development of humanlike robots impact human society and who we define as human? Suggested areas of study for the paper: In order to answer this question, I will need to find out exactly what is being done in the area of robotics. I know already that several of these areas of research are attempting to make robots more "humanlike." That is, they are working on robots who respond to and convey facial expressions. There is research into creating robots that are self-learning as well as those that look and move like humans. I plan to initially discuss exactly what research is being done in artificial intelligence as it relates to robotics. Secondly, I plan to discuss the potential benefits and "dangers" attached to this research. Two large questions surface here. First, how will these robots potentially aid or enhance human life? Second, how will these robots fit into human society? If they become sentient, i.e. self thinking, will we accord them the same rights as biological humans? If they do become autonomous and independent will this reality pose a significant threat to existing humans? The core of many science fiction movies, starting with Frankenstein, (and more recently, "I, Robot") have emphasized the fear of technology run amok but is this more hype then reality? Thirdly, I want to examine how this developing technology could ultimately change the definition of human. Maybe, humans will no longer been seen as primarily biological beings. Maybe we will develop another criteria by which to determine humanity. Could this distinction between biological and mechanical humans create schisms within society? How will biological humans be redefined with the introduction of mechanical humans? These are questions I am contemplating. Finally, I plan to end my paper with offering specific suggestions to try to advert potential dangers associated with this developing area. This may include federal or global restrictions or guidelines. Maybe there will need to be some kind of governmental oversight, some research protocols. |
What to turn in? You should turn in a 1 page proposal. I will grade the proposal using the following rubric.
An annotated bibliography contains descriptive and evaluative comments on the sources. When evaluating, remember that researchers need to be concerned about the sources they use as evidence. Some material you find might be based on incorrect or outdated information, or on poor logic. You should use books, scholarly journals, academic articles, etc. Newspapers, Popular Magazines (i.e. Time, Newsweek) and Encyclopedias are not appropriate sources and should be used only as background material. Be very careful when evaluating an Internet source. Please include 5 sources only one of which may be a web site.
Questions you should consider when choosing a source include: Is the author you are reading an established voice in the field? For example are you citing an established psychology journal to prove your point about human cloning, or are you citing a source that has recently been on the bestseller list? Is the publisher reputable? How current is the material? Can you hold the author accountable for the information dispersed? For additional help on the kinds of questions you should be asking when you are examining your sources go to http://www.utoronto.ca/writing/litrev.html.
Please follow correct MLA formatting. When listing sources, follow the same form as you would in completing the Works Cited page of your final paper. Your description and evaluative comments about a source will appear immediately following the citation, as in the example below. This description and evaluation should include a brief summary of the source as well as how you plan to use the source in your research paper. What information are you going to pull from it?
Some additional advice about formatting and annotating bibliographies can be found at the following web sites. The OWL project (and especially its page about annotated bibliographies), and the liunet website.
As a guide to formatting bibliographic references, I have included the following examples (from the OWL project page).
Each item in an annotated bibliography (for this class) has the following pieces. Your annotated bibliography will have at least 5 entries formatted in this manner.
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Richard Smith. "Capitalism and Collapse: contradictions of Jared Diamond’s market meliorist strategy to save the humans." Capitalism Nature Socialism Journal. 16.4(December 2005): 19 - 36. Electronic Journal sources at http://www.cnsjournal.org/ A review of Jared Diamonds book Collapse. Basically agrees with most of Diamond's analysis of why societies succeed or fail, but disagrees strongly with Diamond's analysis of the lessons we should learn from this study. Argues that most societies can not choose certain paths because they were controlled by small autocratic groups beyond the control of most of societies members. That this state has much in common with our own world, where big money and corporations are in control, and if we are to avoid the fate of many of these past societies, we will need to exert more control over these entities. I will use this source to argue that Diamond is the ultimate authority on the issue of societal failures.
"Diamond’s thesis is that societies such as the Easter Islanders, the Greenland Norse, the Anasazi of the American southwest, the Lowland Mayans and others collapsed largely because they exhausted the natural resources on which they depended and failed to realize the need to change, or, inexplicably, refused to change and instead pursued grim trajectories toward social and economic disintegration and collapse."
"Diamond has opened a fruitful approach to understanding the dynamics of eco-social collapse. Indeed, I think it’s the most important history lesson in his book. But the problem is that when he turns to our modern predicament, he completely forgets his own lesson."
"But we don't live in a bottom-up democratic society. We live in a capitalist society in which ownership and control of the economy is largely in the hands of private corporations who pursue their own ends and don't answer to society" |
Even after you hand in your research proposal and annotated bibliography, you may find that you may need to refine your research question as well as find more sources. However, if you put in adequate time and effort into your research proposal, this may not be significant. Your research proposal is just that, a proposal, and your thesis and research will inevitably become more focused and specific.
Your outline should have at least 3 top-level ideas. Each idea should be expanded at least one level, with 3-4 sub-topics in the outline.
You must also write 2 paragraphs you intend to use in your paper. Each paragraph must focus on a single idea, and must use evidence to support that idea. Evidence could be examples, quotes, synopsis of arguments from your sources, etc. Be sure you make clear the source of each piece of evidence using citations or explanations in the text of the paragraph.
Be sure that your final product contains both an outline and 2 evidence based paragraphs.
Grading Rubric
2 evidence based paragraphs
Outline
The purpose of this part of the research paper assignment is to find and use feedback on your writing. You will hand in a draft that has been marked up and commented on by a peer reviewer.
Construct and turn in a first draft of a 6-8 page research paper which elaborates your research proposal. A successful paper will have a strong thesis statement supported by a detailed analysis of the works of others that support your ideas. It will use plenty of evidence, and the sources of such evidence will be clearly identified.
I will use a grading rubric similar to the following
Note: you must hand in a copy of your paper which has peer-reviewed comments on it to receive a final grade on this assignment!
I will use a grading rubric similar to the following. Note the heavy weighting to given to substantial revision of the work. I will actually compare your draft to your final version. I will be looking for substantial improvements.
Writing Center: I strongly recommend making at least one appointment with the writing center NOW. It is best to meet with them when you have a clearly defined topic and at least some preliminary writing. If you wait until the end of the term you will not get an appointment. It would be appropriate to have three or more appointments if writing is a challenge for you. Even someone who already writes well can benefit from an expert opinion.
Library: Don't be shy about asking for help in the library. Our library contact for Cyber Millenium is Michael Bowman. He will be the most familiar with what we are doing. But any of the librarians are happy to help with questions, so if Michael is not available just ask at the desk. Also see the Research Survival Guide.