How a Project Develops

Hey — I’m Ajay. Click the words in the blue bar below and see what I did to compose my last research paper.

Now that it’s done, I can say I had a good time writing this. While it was happening… well, parts of it were fun, anyway. I liked how much I learned—and that I use what I learn all the time in conversations with other students about tuition and who we are in college.

The topic I chose was Education

I’ve always been interested in what happens in school. But I knew that ‘education’ was too broad. I mean, I could have written about differences in education between the U.S. and India, where my parents are from (and they always talk about the differences). I could have written about how different high school is from college, or about what psychologists consider to be the best ways we learn. So I am glad I had to do a little initial research to narrow things down.

I narrowed my topic to focus on whether students are customers.

One day just before class started there were a few other people complaining about how much tuition they pay—and how they are not getting As. I never thought that what we pay for school should bring us good grades. But I started researching tuition and learned how much it has gone up at public colleges and universities in the last 20 years. So no wonder many people wonder about what they get for all they pay. I found an article in The New York Times that describes how students who pay more demand more for their money, wanting to be treated like customers. And that got me real interested in how this all ties together—education and money and who we think we are—and whether it matters in how we learn.

My thesis statement is as follows: Education requires students to take active responsibility for their learning, wait for rewards, and be challenged and uncomfortable in the process; therefore, treating students as customers damages their education.

I was kind of worried that I wouldn’t find good academic sources—but I found lots, and lots of popular sources like newspapers that I could use. I was surprised how many people have argued about whether students are students or customers. I also found a ton of statistics that helped me learn how tuition has gone up and why, and how that connects to how everyone thinks about learning and students and customers. The reading was sometimes hard, but I got into it: I want to learn and get a good education and so I liked having to think about how the way my teachers think of me helps me learn or not. Putting all this into a thesis statement really helped me figure out what I needed to talk about in my first draft.

See a draft of Ajay’s paper in the “Peer response” and “Revision” modules.

See Ajay’s final paper in the “Sample MLA and APA Papers” module.

Hey! I’m Van.

Click the words in the blue boxes below to see how I thought my way to my last paper.

It took me a while to narrow my topic and develop a thesis statement. I'm happy about how the paper turned out.

The topic I chose was Technology

My name is Van. I came to the United States when I was eight. Before I came here we had no computers or other digital devices. After we came here and I started school, we had computers in every classroom and lots of kids had them at home. It made me very curious about how computer technologies affect how we learn and what we do.

I narrowed my topic to focus on how our uses of computer technologies changes our abilities to be patient

My parents have never really learned how to use computers (except for using the Internet to call back home: They love that! But I have to help them every time!). They like to read the newspapers in the morning over coffee. They still write letters back to my grandparents and aunts and uncles. When I watch them, they seem to move so much more slowly than everyone else I know who uses computers a lot. They listen to me really well.

I did a quick Google search using terms like computer, time, and attention, and found that lots of people think about how our uses of computers—and their speed—and have even studied how computers tie into our sense of time.

I am interested to learn more. I am curious about the effects of this on me and my friends—but I also think about the kids I want to have.

My thesis statement is as follows: Children who spend a lot of time on computers (and other digital devices) do not learn how to be patient; therefore, children who spend a lot of time on computers do not learn as well as children who can be patient.

I was surprised by how many good sources I found on how children respond to a lot of time playing on computers and other digital things. The sources suggest that the quick time of computers and cellphones— combined with how entertaining stuff is on those devices—can cause children to be easily distractable and to have short attention spans. My thesis statement is short-hand: I know how much I have to fill in with definitions of terms (including “learning”). But I think the research I have done really does persuade me that too much time on these devices gets in the way of children learning.

Van's STATEMENT OF PURPOSE

My thesis statement is

Children who spend a lot of time on computers (and other digital devices) do not learn how to be patient; therefore, children who spend a lot of time on computers do not learn as well as children who can be patient.

My warrant is something like Impatient children do not learn as well as children who learn how to be patient—and I think everyone else in class will accept that. Even though they might accept that, though, I probably still need to bring in some of what I found in my research about the values of patience (and of impatience, too).

I learned something from talking with everyone in class about this topic: No one in class thinks that they are affected by using computers and cellphones—but they are all worried about their little sisters and brothers or about their own children. I learned from that that I probably should avoid any suggestion that maybe they are messed up. Instead, I can appeal to their concern for their little sisters and brothers and for their own kids (whether or not they have kids).

I also learned that when people are as concerned about their sisters and brothers or their own kids that they can get pretty emotional. When I brought up some of what I learned, many often wanted immediately to stop the kids they cared about from using computers. And that’s not it at all. I need to be careful to stay realistic here: it’s clear that there are some amazing educational uses for computers but that there can also be too much. So I need to be clear that my purpose here is to help my readers think about just how much time they want kids to be on computers—and what the kids should be doing in that time. Beyond that, I do want us all to be thinking about how we use our time. I want us to be thinking about how we can slow down or speed up our sense of time based on our activities, and how that shapes how we live with others. I do respect the care my parents give our family, and I can see that they have time for that respect—so I want to be able to fold all that in. (But, like I wrote above about how people in class responded when it seemed like this could apply to them, I need to be careful here not to make it seem like I am saying they are doing things wrong.)

I think I have enough sources for what I need to argue. I guess I’ll learn this as I really dig into writing, though. I’m looking forward to thinking this all out on paper.

Van developed a first draft that needed more sources.

Van found more sources to help him think about his argument, and he wrote a solid final paper.

Hi. My name is Riley. Click the words in the blue bar below to see what I did to compose my last research paper.

I didn’t know about my topic at all before I started my paper. I lucked out because the night before we had to turn in a topic a friend’s mom happened to bring up something interesting that I had never heard of before: microloans. I was able to do just enough initial research online to see that it really was a good possible topic.

The topic I chose was Microloans

Microloans are these very small loans—sometimes even like just $10—to people who otherwise don’t have money. Someone in Bangladesh started them because poor people there couldn’t get bank loans, but he saw that even a small amount of money could help them buy materials or a hen or, with a little more money, a sewing machine. Just the small amount of money could make a big difference in their lives.

And it’s mostly women who get the loans. It’s a really interesting set-up.

I narrowed my topic to focus on microloans and the role of women in developing countries

There’s a lot of information about microloans online. I was quickly able to come up with different search terms (microloans, microcredit, microfinance, women and money in developing countries, women and microcredit in developing countries). Those different search terms helped me find newspaper articles and videos—and I talked some more with the friend’s mother who had first told me about this topic. It turns out she makes small loans herself, through online organizations, to women in other countries—and all the loans she’s made have been repaid.

My thesis statement is as follows: Women who receive microcredit without discussion support groups and classes in economics won’t know how to change the community conditions that encourage poverty; therefore, microcredit should only be offered with such support.

I was able to find a lot of information online: newspaper articles and videos but also information from organizations that give microloans and reports from international organizations on how well microloans work. And through our library’s database subscriptions I found even more reports from different national agencies on how effective microloans are. I also found some academic articles.

What really interested me in all that I found was how many people speak as though microloans are like miracles in people’s lives—but how a number of researchers are starting to talk about how the money affects women and their families, and not always positively.

That was way interesting and made me want to learn more.

Riley's STATEMENT OF PURPOSE

My thesis statement is

Women who receive microcredit without discussion support groups and classes in economics won’t know how to change the community conditions that encourage poverty; therefore, microcredit should only be offered with such support.

My audience is others in class—and, of course, my teacher. From talking with the others in class, I know that even if they have heard about microcredit, they don’t know much about it. They’ve maybe heard of the man who started microcredit, Muhammad Yunus of Bangladesh, and how he won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2006. They’ve also only heard good things about microcredit. Unless I make my topic interesting to them, they’re probably not going to have much interest.

But when they are finished reading, I’d like my readers to be informed about what microcredit is and to understand how it’s way more complicated than just giving people small loans. I also want them to care about the women who need the loans, so that they can make good decisions about donating money to a microcredit organization if they want or about working with one.

I’m interested in this because I got all caught up in all the stories about microcredit when I first read about it: It was exciting to read about something that seemed so simple but that could make such huge differences in people’s lives. But then as I was doing more research I realized that all the promises people were making about microcredit mostly really weren’t coming true. They weren’t coming true because people’s lives are so much more complex than just some money can fix. It’s whole communities that need “fixing.”

So that’s why it seems like it’s so important that the loans be accompanied by support groups and classes, so that the women can really make the differences in their lives that seems possible. I wonder if I write my paper in the way that I learned about microcredit (first, how good it seems to be and then telling about the problems and why the problems exist), then maybe my readers will get caught up in it the way I did. All those stories of all those women going from having almost nothing to having their own businesses can suck you in, I think.

If I did that, it might just move my readers from caring about the women and their stories to caring about what doesn’t always work with microcredit. Then I can describe what needs to happen to make it work.

See a draft of Riley's paper in the “Peer response” and “Revision” modules.

See Riley's final paper in the “Sample MLA and APA Papers” module.

Hi, I’m Tyler. Click the words below to see the steps I took in developing my last research paper.

The paper took me more time than I thought it would, but I really got into it and learned a lot. I surprised myself by how passionate I got about my topic, once I narrowed it down.

The topic I chose was Voting

This past election was the first time I voted — and the whole process of registering and then actually voting (and all the stuff I heard about voter ID and registration fraud and voter fraud and vote counting weirdness and all that) made me very curious about voting.

I narrowed my topic to focus on how electronic voting machines might be manipulated in U.S. national elections

When I started thinking about voting, I already knew that I could write about voter and registration fraud, voter ID bills, and things like that. I also knew that I’d better narrow things down because there’s so much to say about voting.

And then when I went in to vote the whole thing seemed so old-fashioned! I had to fill-in check boxes with a pen and then feed the ballot into a machine. Somehow it all has to get counted. I thought it would make so much sense to have it all on the computer—why shouldn’t we be able to vote at home, on the Internet? It could be so easy and quick!

But then a friend told me about an article he read about electronic voting machines. The article said that electronic voting machines are privately owned and whoever programs them can change how they count. This makes me want to learn more.

My thesis statement is as follows: Electronic voting machines developed and owned by private companies that tally the vote themselves are not accountable to the voting public; therefore, electronic voting machines developed and owned by private companies that tally the vote themselves should not be used in elections because our democracy depends on fair elections.

What I learned from my research was fascinating — and kind of scary. Electronic voting machines can make voting more accessible for lots of people, and they can make counting ballots much, much faster. But given current laws about them, the companies that make the machines can own them and no one can check that they are counting accurately. So because such machines can be useful, I want to argue that they should be government-owned and managed and that they print receipts.

Tyler’s STATEMENT OF PURPOSE

My thesis statement is

Electronic voting machines developed and owned by private companies that tally the vote themselves are not accountable to the voting public; therefore, electronic voting machines developed and owned by private companies should not be used in elections because our democracy depends on fair elections.

My warrant is that electronic voting machines should be accountable to the voting public (meaning that we should be able to see how they work and know who works on them) because we have to know our elections are trustworthy. How else can we trust that the person elected was really and fairly elected? I know from talking with people in class that everyone wants voting to be fair and open — and so I can start my paper with my warrant. (Perhaps in a negative way, by asking people how they would feel if they felt they couldn’t trust how their votes are counted?)

From talking with people in class, though, I also know that they don’t know much about how voting is counted. I’m going to have to explain the different ways votes can be counted and the advantages and disadvantages of the different ways. I don’t think it will be hard to show why electronic voting should be faster and make voting more accessible to all eligible voters.

And I also don’t think it’s going to be hard to give enough evidence of different kinds to show why—even though electronic voting should be good—we probably shouldn’t trust it yet. I’ve found lots of different good academic evidence about how electronic voting machines have been developed, who runs them, how no one except the company that owns the machines knows what happens in the machines, and how the votes are tallied and checked. I’ve also found out that gambling machines in Las Vegas are more strictly watched and protected than electronic voting machines! I think for now that I have enough evidence to show all of this.

In writing my paper, I need to be careful not to sound like I’m pushing a conspiracy theory. That came up in talking with others. But that’s not my purpose. Instead, I want to help others consider how voting is an important public good that needs to be protected. So I need my ethos to be a very careful and thoughtful one. I also don’t want to sound as though I am arguing only based on scaring people. I want instead to encourage my readers to think more about the details of voting and why voting is worth protecting.

See a draft of Tyler’s paper on voting machines in the Revision module.

See Tyler’s final paper on voting machines in the “Sample MLA and APA Papers” module.

Hi. My name is Harley. If you click the words in the blue bar below, you can see how my last research paper developed.

I learned a lot from this paper. I’m most proud of how it’s an ‘idea’ paper: I used my research to think about the idea of civility—how we act toward each other—and how civility is tied to democracy. And it’s funny to me how a research project that started because of funky family dinners led me to think more about how all of us get along politically.

The topic I chose was Civility

This paper got started because of how my family argues about politics over big family dinners. It’s awful.

When I did my initial online research (using the search terms ‘family political argument’) I was quickly led to the concept of ‘civility’—which one website defined as ‘the ability to disagree with others while respecting their sincerity and decency.’

I narrowed my topic to focus on how to increase civility in political discussions (in families or more generally).

As I found academic sources I learned that many scholars connect civility and our abilities to talk about hard issues that people disagree about. I learned that some writers connect what happens at family dinners—and how we learn there to talk with each other—to how we talk to each other in larger political ways.

My thesis statement is as follows: Preventing government repression and supporting a healthy democracy depends on us being able to discuss controversial ideas and beliefs civilly; therefore we should learn how to discuss our controversial ideas and beliefs civilly.

I found a lot of good academic sources. One of my sources is a book written by a psychologist for a popular audience but with research and supporting sources; in that book, the author talks about why people who have different political values have trouble talking. This author talked about how much the political polarization in our country is tied to people not being able to talk with each other—and so I started thinking about how to connect civility and having a healthy democracy.

This thesis statement helped me get to a good first draft.

Harley’s STATEMENT OF PURPOSE

My thesis statement is

Preventing government repression and supporting a healthy democracy depends on us being able to discuss controversial ideas and beliefs civilly; therefore we should learn how to discuss our controversial ideas and beliefs civilly.

My audience is others in class and, of course, my teacher. From talking with the others in class, I know that they do not like family dinners that erupt when politics comes up; they do not like the anger and yelling and bad feelings. And I learned that most people think that such bad emotions only affect their families—when my research shows that not being able to talk at any time or in any place about controversial topics is a problem for democracies. If we cannot talk about these difficult issues over which we disagree, we do not learn the wide range of opinions that help us make the best decisions. So I know that my arguments will be interesting to them…

But this also helps me think about how I need to approach my topic.

I really need to emphasize the connection between civil discussion and strong democracies. I think I need to find still more evidence about that connection.

I also probably need to demonstrate civility in my own writing. That means I need to show respect to those who disagree—but writing that makes me realize that I haven’t yet encountered anyone who disagrees. Everyone I talked to hated messy family political arguments and seemed open to learning about civility. I mean, who wants people in families to hate each other? But maybe when I lay out my evidence or discuss civility someone could disagree. This shows me again that I need to be very careful about my evidence and to discuss civility in a way that doesn’t seem all namby-pamby. But I guess, too, that this shows me I need to be very careful in how I write, so that I don’t come across as saying that my solution is the only one, suck it up or be stupid, something like that. I’ll need to acknowledge where there are places others could disagree.

And then when I think about my readers’ emotions: When I bring up the topic everyone responds with a funky mix of anger and unhappiness about their families, a feeling that they’re stuck with the mess—and also about the current political climate. I’d like them to go from that funky mix to hope. I’d like them to end by believing that they can do something at the dinner table—and in other political discussions, too. So perhaps I need to give some concrete examples of what civility looks like and how you keep it going? Would that help people feel more optimistic?

See a draft of Harley’s paper on civility in the Revision module.

See Harley’s final paper on civility in the “Sample MLA and APA Papers” module.

How a project develops

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