UU RR RURORORURG) ToSRaa eee — eo Identifying a Topic a Ay iypiting stustions, academic work, Although you have a general ope 1s professional and personal, you need to narrow it further. You might focus on a contemporary dire movies you have always enjoy ‘munity organizations might get a call for Ing, or you might focus on a di funding proposals from a federal agency. whose work has been mentioned in your The agency's request for proposals might _classand that you would liketoleern more say itis willing to fund projects that help about. Then, depending on the number low-income, singlemothers,buttoreceive _of films the director has completed, you the funding each organization must write might need to determine if you want to ‘a successful grant proposal asking for the focus on aparticulartime period or theme money. 50 each organization hastofigure in the director's body of work, In both ‘out the specific challenge to resolve that cases, the writer is given a general topic would use the funding. Similarly, in aflm with which to start; however, itis his or studies class you may beasked toresearch her responsibilty to narrow it further to a and write about a particular director's manageable, focused topic. > Call ae i eerie] writing a research question Perens Rue cra) CEE TidPeuthor: Haleyistakinga math course in college that is also Sy designated as a writing- intensive course. Topic: Haley’ math professor assigns a writing project that asks her to report on an impor- tant person in mathematical history. Pradience: Haley’ audience forthe math asignmenti her professor. Purpose: Haley needs to focus on a particular topic for her esearch paper that willbe interesting to her and to her audience while fuliling the requirements ofthe assignment. QUESTIONS \. What questions should Haley ask herself to get started on finding atopic? 2. What strategies might she use to begin brainstorming alist of posible topics? e 3. Have you ever been assigned a paper in a lass where you were given relatively free rein on the topic? Have you ever been overwhelmed with pickinga topic or needing to narrow a topic to make it manageable? What did you da?develop out of a specific situation, with a certain problem that needs to be solved ora goal that needs to be obtained. An instructor might Fequite you to research the chemical properties ofa family of plants or your boss might ask you to research various shipping methods fora new product you are sellin. In the Research and writing projects usvall cases, the context you are working and living in demands action; you have to write a per to pass a class or you have to research shipping methods to keep your job. Man ple ae personally motivated to research, Whenever you are ina situation that pres: you ce Kairos; you are in akairotic” moment. Taking Advantage of Kai? Kairos is a moment that inspires you or compels you to write. Elements of kalros are usually present in both time and space, Let's focus on an everyday example, Imagine that you are eating at a restaurant and things keep going wrong, Your friend arrives 20 minutes late, your niece spills a drink al over you, your food is cold, and then you realize at the end of dinner that you need the check to be split among everyone and yyou forgot to ask the server. The server could get frustrated with all of these complica ion by taking a long time to bring the food to the table, appearing irritated with the customers, oF not refiling drinks. However, imagin this situation the server goes above and beyond to help resolve all the issues he keeps everyone's drinks filled as you wait for your fiend, he immediately helps clean up the ‘mess from the spilled drink, he brings out a new plate of food for you, and he quickly splits the check four ways) and keeps on smiling, In that moment, you may think that it would be good to take the time to write the restaurant a letter to say how well this, server interacted with your group. However, you know itis very unlikely that you will take the time to do so. But to your surprise, and luck, there is a feed: with the receipt. Without taking too much time out of your schedule, you now have the ‘opportunity to respond to this situation and commend the server for his performance. All of these contextual forces combining to both motivate and set the conditions fo tions and convey that frustrat atin k form included your communication are an example of kairos, Inother words, communication needs to take advantage ofa timely issue (the great job of the ser have the material components necessary (the Successful communication, both written and oral, develops out of opportune times back form), Identify Kairos Answer the following questions to explore what elements of kaos might shape your rese 1. What i your motivation for doing this roject and topic? school? work? home? research and writing? course assignment community and grades? interest intopic! need ©. What has happened in the past and (change something in your fe? resent and what might happen in the 22. Whats going on around you that affects future, that affects your understanding your understanding ofthis research af this research projec and topic?To research and write about a topic that your readers will nt to read, you will need to be aware of and understand what is going on ‘ Considering the Rhetorical Situation ¢ fo understand kairo k about how and why its related to the concept “ oft cal situation. 3 Simply put, kaos presents the citcumstance that then produces. he torical situation within which to Fesearch and write.8y responding to the questions in Table 3.1, you can test the timeliness, the kaioticfit, of anissue analyzing whether the rhetorical situation emerging around your proposed topie “fits. ¢38 Identifying a Topic ‘As you can see from Table 3.2, Haley has mi any factors that help develop a kairatic moment for her math research project One of the strongest elements is that she taking a women’s studies class And after she did a litle exploratory re ‘oPla. including talking to her professors, she found that she has access toa varity of Fesources as wellas a potential “real-world” purpose andaudience. For Haley, this topic has moved beyond just a research report fora college cass into something that con change people’ lives. By taking the time to explore the timeliness of her topic, both for herself and for the community, Haley has now focused an a resea exciting and will motivate her when the work gets tough, th topic that is Analyze the Rhetorical Situation Stat thinking about what life andin you various acade going on in your research process. Focus on situations that profesional, would benefit from knowing more about and personal communities that might infu pc. How might your research impact the real ence your understanding of posible research world? Use the fllowing rd to help analyze topics. Consider resources, both people and your esearch project rhetorical situation, and Places, that you have access to while devel- use the questions in Table 3.1 to guide your ping your research topic and/ar during your responsenmon element of the rhetorical situation for many students is that someone assigns a general topic to research, Like Haley's math professor, many instructors giv students broad topics to research, usually based on the course's topics and/or themes. Your job in this situation, then, Is (0 focus more carefully on a specific topic within the guidelines of the. given free rein on your research topic, you may need to do ait eral topic. Finding same activities fini gnment. However, Ifyou are arching for a gen .neral topic, and starting to narrow toa specific one, involves the J out what is both important and motivating to you. Interested in researching Find Out WhaPs important to You ° Take some time to explore the various communities that you participate in: , personal—home, family, leisure, and professional —work and cree, past - soon present, and future : academic—school, past, preset, and 1_cvic—community,potcal (oc future rational, global), andso on Answer the following questions about these fur communities other members ofthe com th questions or concerns? = 1 Whar discuss Internet, verbally) engage you members oft ions (in writing, onthe leftyou, other munity, Cae 3, What problems or concerns ens this . 2. What events or experiences have hap particular community? - pened that ou stil member and that Focus on one or two of your answers by digging deeper with the following questions. 44. Who, which individuals and groups, is 2. Why isthe discussion, event, or problem = invlved inthis scusson, event of significant to the community members? _ problem? Why are they involved? ow does the community usually start x 5. When and where did/does the discs toresolve the discussion, event, . sion event, or problem take pace? problem? 6. What exaly isthe topic ofthe discus sion, event, o problem?Generate Topic Ideas As you think about arch, ty writing down your responses to these step compelling {you might refer to your writ- about it ss ing from the “What's Important to You? 4. Look at your freewriting and highlight or v activity). List 6 to 8 possibilities underline the most interesting idea you . Taam Bie ey ioc ae topic as a question. In other words, what you're using a word-processing program) os Tyne age aya hel wesw en ee : si wet clei ie : ampus so expensive?" You might e generate more than one question fora w find a focs that seems intresting toou. Or if you fd youself stuck - topic and think you might ot want to 3. Nave look at you ist of questions and research this topic ty one of your c chose one that sounds particulary other questions and start the exe ¢ interesting to you. Freewrite for 5 at step 3 again Consider Audience and Purpose As you make 2 final decision on your topic for research, freewrte for 5 minutes on each of the following two questions hat might your audience be interested 2, Will ths topic satisfy the purpose of your in How could you relate your topic to ting and research? What criteria must s your audience’ experience? ju keepin mind tomake sure that you are meeting your wing goals Your answers to these questions might felp you choose the bes topic fom several that you a : considering, Selecting and nartowing a topic can be one ofthe mast important things you do before engag a ing in a esearch proces. Consider talking about your answers with rend, family, coworkers, and mates. Ty putting down the questions and answers and eturing to them a couple of hous, (0 days, later Do you have new ideas? Can you add 10 some of your oder ideas?fou, the author, are an important part F engaged by the topic and motivat waccessful with your important that you explore vatio nity for you to explore y the topic related to’ What You Already Know Toexplore what youalready know about areseach topic you are considering try doing some explo tory feewrting. Open up a new word processing fle on your computer, you can (although some the thetorial situation, Ifyou are not bout it, you pmmitting (0 il have difficulty bein Specific topic, iti ch. Thisis an opportu 5 Use Technology to Explore < is okay. Just hep writing, Do no stop writing for the fl period of time you ated you get stuck over and over again ype the last word you ty until your mind slips into anew track of thinking computers might ot let you), turnoff your moni- You might realize that your mind wanders 3 tor Seta goal of writing for5 to 10 minutes, and track; however, some ofthese sietracks might 4 then write ust write everything that comes tobe interesting topics in their own right, This a : mind about your topic you wander offtopic that time to explore * Once you have a general ides of a topic you are interested in researching, you will wan 7 0 spend alittle time exploring it further shat specific elements within it inter > You. You should explore your topic prior to committing to it for two reasons, Fist you need to verify that there are resources out there (people, places, and resource ” inthe library and online} to actually use in conducting the research. Ifyou don't have > access to the proper tools, you cant do the work! Usually the best person to help you identify resources for starting your research is your instructor or any other person who - “assigned” the research project (a boss, a community leader, of a family member 3 Haley was able to find @ wealth of information on her topic after talking to both her omens studies and math professors, for examph . A second reason you should explore your topic further before committing is to 3 broaden your understanding of the topic, By gaining a better understanding of some of the complexities of the topic, you can identify subtopics of interest to further narrow your research focus. Beginning researchers should learn more about their topic so they can = then focus on a smaller chunk ofit.For example, when Haley searched online for‘women a n math history” she found a page that listed ten women with brief descriptions of ther impact on math. Asan English major, Haley was fascinated to find our that the poet Lord 2 Byron's daughter might have been the fst person to write computer code. By doing a little preliminary research, or exploration, of her topic, Haley may have found a specificIdentifying a Topic i] en nes > Use the Internet to Explore a Possible Topic < 1 \m not sure what | want to research, There ae some resources that ndude lists _ of possible topics, and even include places Depending on which of these descriptions best Sn eae emu he fits you, choose oe of the following two acti ©. Web directories te amore linear Way tiesto use the Intemet to explore, or even find search for esources eth atopic instead ofust dumping terms search engin Web directory. The director 12 think know what | want to research. workyour way Inthis case, we recommenda vation on 6 an activity hat you might have done wth broad topicareasané allows the ist chapter ofthis book Ty nding youto continu narowing down to Some running discussions about you subtopics. As younarow the detory topic With he explosion ofthe Blogsher wills provide esourest start ther are lots bogs on jst about an ain, ry working hough a couple topic You ould also consier looking at thefallowing rectors whathas been writen in Wikipedia o 1. The Open Directory Projet Gu topic but you shouldbe wary of the tp mono reliability of any information you fnd in F Coadescary Wiipeda perry google.com © Keepin ind that tisisthe explo © Yahoo Directory tory stage; bags and I tp Fit yahoo com likely be the most reliable resources StumbleUpon fa useful reso ood for finding topics and resources Farting pois for understanding that might interest to you. It what people ae saying about you rocks sa toolbar within Firefox, topic Try answering the following and you antryitout at questions as you read what you find hetpy/www stumbleupon cam, aout your topic youl find But they an be emerging congress cher la publication for © What discussions al leadersin their around your o attempt tostay uptodate on cure are some ofthe key players and events andisues. Forty-four ‘groups interested in your topic? the yeat anew report on a specifi ‘sue is published, The reports ude list of related issues, specific arch questions with essays, and © What subtopics emerged in discus sions of you topic?RU Uo list af resources tneead more on the 0 What discussions are emerging api. (Q Researchers published in around your topic? ale f the key players and ‘groups interested in your topic both har sony and in an elec lata Most college bea subscribe to ane format or the other What subtopics emerged in discs 1 Heatify and ra a few Web directories nvr topics that you might be nested in, thea try answering the fl lasing questions sions of you subtopic she is very interested in; therefore, she Is more motivated to do the research, ‘Narrowing a larger topic, lke the one Haley started with, to a more focused subtopic will make your research project, and your vriting task, much more manageabl (Once Haley confirms that there are resources available on her ic and that other People are dialoguing about that topic, she needs to reassess whether her topic is Ippropriate for her shetorical situation. Will her chosen topic be interesting to hy nce? Is it appropriate for the assignment she was given? Will she be able to fing {enough information to meet the requirements of the assignment (or will she have too ‘much information, which would mean she might need to narrow her topic further)? Can | Make a Topic Manageable? When choosing a topic for writing, simp to make sure that your topic actually manage appropriate for the specific writing station Gore continuing with your writing, take a ment to reflec on the topic you are working with by cesponding to the following questions |. How appropriates this topic to the writing situation? in ter words, wil this topic ul the requirement ofthe assignment, you are wniting for lass? If you are motivated ty an at work or in your personal fe, wl explocing this topic satisfy the need that fist prompted you to explore this topic sustain your intrest long enough to complete the writing and research nec fic aspect of your topic tat bolds more interest for you that would ti time to explore this topic thoroughly? svete too much infomation avaiable about the # Ture si liu to nd information about your topic io, you mig need to vefocus or broaden your tai doable your writing task? Consider how broad your toicis ight now, Wil you have topic Ho, you might need tona Identit nga Topic Haley found many no idea how to narto was reading, Haley hee to decid development. what she was really interested in, Take 5 minutes things that peo 0 brainstorm a list of the debate regarding your topic. hink of conversations that people would ha about your topic and points of disagreement You might think of these as subtopics within the larger topic youre exploring If you are in a classroom setting, pass your list on to your lassmats and have them add tt Ifyou don’ have aces to other student, ask your frends and family toad tothe ist, Once you have yout ist of related topics a subtopics, try visually depicting your topic the topic further to help her decide on while researching and reading. Although she was exci was overwhelmed with information, and women's studies instructors. Both asked her questions that help resources on Lord Byron's daughter, Ada Lovelace, but she had nat she needed to focus ut all the material she he dlecided to talk to both Focus Your Research Topic 4 her velace’s impact on the field of softwar piece of paper. Write your various subtopics fn branches. Ifyou can break down any ofthe subtopics further, create additonal branches hat stem from the subtopics. You might hat. some than others, an more Interested in one or two branches than the others These observations can help you ck a narowed focus within your topic. Yo ill probably want to focus your research and writing on one ofthe second> ar third generation branches away fram your central ranches generate more id you may find that you are i writing your topic in the center of 2 broad topic Re Developing arch Question Once you hav covered a topic that fits your rhetorical situation, and you've nar rowed it down to a workable subtopic, it's time to really begin your research. Some: times itis difficult to determine where to start, however. One of the most effective ways (0 get started on your research s to think of your topic in terms of a question that you would like to answer: your research question, Your natural inclination when you hear ‘a question is to respond to it, and phrasing your chosen topic as a research question 1 you to begin thinking of ways to answer. Ifyou. research question is another rowing your focus on your topic, writing it in the form of a way te work on focusing your topic. ANAAARARARRARANHAR Li wee B BeBe BoBeoeaokhe eo ae eee eee eee ee eae ee eeeresearch question should bs something ike thi What in learly stated and provide the sp your tesearch. For example, Haley might fic focus and tea research question that looks lence did Ada Lovelace have on the development oFeomputer code Thy to avoid yes/no questions because they won't help you generate as much research Was Ada Lovelace the fist person 10 wr hen it could be an in exception to this rule n in that case, Haley n would be the an accurate research quest \. Tostart developing posible research 3 ‘questions, begin with some bas {question words. Try to write at east ‘ne question tha someone might ri abaut your issue that starts with each of the following ward Think about what your goa isin writin you want to share information about yout issue? Are you defining terms o reyouevaluating Something ot comparing contrasting aspects of your sue with something ese? Ae you identifying a solution? Take a ook t your questions and cic any that specifically mat your goal, Cross out questians that d not ul that goal fed either “yes! or *no"’ but sh question, might not have much mor ight be if there were a controversy surrounding ould write about the controversy. Even so, a more aback to the writing and thinking you have done about your audience and purpose in writing, Who are you writing to? What are their interests? Whats your purpose in writing Use you responses to these questions to consider each of your preliminary ques tions from number Cross out questions that would not meet the needs of your audience oul your purpose in writin, Finally, choose the one remaining seach question thatinteests you most Are there any terms you should efine mare clearly to someone ese and askifit is clear. You might exchange your question witha smat, a rend, or family member, aw your questionIdentifying a Topic Throughout our discussion of research, we have talked about the importance of choos ing something to research and write about that interests you. Furthermore, the activ tes inthis chapter have encouraged you to choose a topicin which you are invested. in other words, you have a stake in the outcome of your research, For example, if you are researching whether you should purchase a hybrid or a standard automobile, you have a stake in the outcome you discover might determine what t our research, The answer ype of car you purchase, You are invested in your research because it will have an impact on you. You might be specifically invested in the topic because of various influences in your life—you might be living on a tight budget, so cost isa major factor to you. Or, you might be concerned about the environ, ment and the emission of chemicals from standard automobiles, Any of these factors ‘might influence the way that you conduct your research, the sources th the way you read and use those sources in yo for choosing the best answer to your research question. We call this bias, and it ts the Unique perspective that you bring to your research, We are not using the term bias in a negative sense—everyone has bias. We all have unique experiences and backgrounds that influence the way that we see an issue. As you concluct your research, however, we want to encourage you to be aware of your blas and to consider how it might influence the way that you research and write about Your topic It’s really not possible to be completely objective about an issu the world and the issues surrounding us through the lenses of our own perspectives, influences, and experiences. The audience that you envision for your research might not share your specific bias, though, and this is something that you wil Consideration f you are trying to persuac hat you choose, Jr writing, and the criteria you develop to take into de your audience to take action on your topic | What Is the Writers Place in the Rhetorical Situation’ Reflect on how and why you ae interested in your narowed issue and research question, Consider the following questions as you compose this election ‘G. Whatinitialy sparked your interest in this sue? Uhat dd youl ‘question right now? now about the issue, and how wel could you answer your esearch After conducting a preliminary exploration ofthe issu, havé those interests been confirmed? ‘What has suprised you as you've conducted the preliminary exploration? Why do you valu this issue? NMNNNAANANAANAODAG AD5 2 Wi a perc o sb > How mig sls de epee lenny cao sd wn logontis sn = hile answering these questions, you will want to be sure to explore past events that have molded = iyo way. What exons hve ou that hate yo bee 2 ie dosing the eperiens se concete deta lg, mol, toch 2 ins mat eer le her she asad te san ee - you have chosen a topic in which you are interested and invested, changes are that 2 you already know something about it You might not bean expert, but you will sil find 5 it helptul (o reflect on what you already know about your topic before you begin to ° tink about what other resources you will need to find Once you identity what you alteady know, look for different perspectives in order 0 understand the complexit Feseaiching capital punishmen and controversy surrounding the issue. If you are for example, find resources that discuss why some resources that disagree with that perspective. I you already have @ specific opinion on Z ho issue that you are researching, be very careful fnel resources that both agree andl - disagree with your opinion. I you start with what you know and believe, however, you 5 ill be able to piece together a plan for wat you still need to find out. The fist step, 7 though, is determining what you aleady know. Take an Inventory of What You Know 4s you make your final deciion about the tpic you wil research and write about, take a personal _ inventory of hae you know | > What sthecenrassue that people debate when they talk about yourtpic rds = yournesearch questo? In ower was, whats the main conttoversy (or, what ar the - sie}? What do people disagree aout? = Whar lo you believe abot this topic evidence makes you believe hi? Where dl yo inl or eam about this evidence?oe Identifying a Topic 2 What different people, o groups of peopl, ae interested in your esearch question? What do you believe others think abou this topic? What evidence do you belive they base their pions on? Where do you tink they found that evidence? G_ Where do these people discuss thelr position on yourissue?Inather words, where would you goto find out what people are saying? Based on what you already know, what perspectives do you need to Jeam more about? Try conducting this activity more than once, returning to it numerous times as you research. And don't do this activity alone—get friends and family members to participate na dialogue with you > Thisactivity should not only help you figure out what you know, butt should also give you a sense cof what you think you know but need to verity. Keep in mind that theres difference between what we know as fac and what we thnk we know,