Minor Assignment 1: The Formal Research Proposal

Directions: Following the template which I have provided, see tab above, write a formal research proposal for Major Project 1

Audience: Your instructor (me)
Length: 500 words
Purpose: To inform me about the following:
  • Introduction 1-2 paragraphs: The topic/problem you have chosen to write about (be sure to consult the material in the Major Project 1 folder) and why you have chosen the topic. Also, explain why it is important for SUNY New Paltz to address this topic/problem now.
  • Your lead research question and related questions.
  • At least one paragraph outlining what you already know about the topic.
  • The name of a person who has agreed to be interviewed for the project (the person must be wiling to go on the record and to be cited on your works cited page). Explain why you chose this person. What kind of expertise do they have?
  • At least two internet sources that you have found (i.e. pages on the SUNY New Paltz website) that you will use. Explain why they are useful. Include a hyperlink to each source (refer to the video below about how to create hyperlinks).
Minor Assignment 2: The Annotated Bibliography
Directions: Create an annotated bibliography listing two sources (published after 2010*) you have found for Major Project 1 through the Sojourner Truth Library’s website. These sources might include: article(s) found via the databases and/or a book or video from the library’s catalog. Follow the template I have provided.
Types of sources and how they will be rated when grading your annotated bibliography:

  • Scholarly journal article or book chapter (Best)​

  • Encyclopedia Article of more than 750-1,000 words or newspaper/magazine article of more than 750-1,000 words (Good)​

  • Shorter articles (more than 500 words) found via the library database (acceptable)​

Length: 500+ words (excluding the publication information; the citation); double-spaced; use MLA formatting for sources.

MLA 8 or 9 Citation: List each source separately, as it will appear on your works cited page, according to MLA 8 or 9 formatting guidelines.

[Note: The Modern Language Association (MLA) has just released a new version of their formatting guide: MLA 9. However, you may adhere to MLA 8 if you wish as our textbook and online sites may not have updated their material.]

Summary Paragraph: Then, under each source, write a paragraph identifying the author(s) of the source, place of publication of the source (journal or magazine or newspaper), and provide a summary of the source (about 150 words). Do not merely copy-and-paste an article’s abstract into your annotated bibliography.
  • Please summarize in your own words.
  • Use the present tense when summarizing, not the past tense.

                         Example: Dr. Richardson notes that college students enjoy online learning when professors                          show they are involved with the class.

  • Do use a partial quote or two if you wish–if you use a quote, include a parenthetical citation.
  • At the end of the summary paragraph, include a parenthetical citation with the author’s or authors’ names (or et al.) and the page numbers.
Reflection Paragraph: Then, write a second paragraph telling me why this source is credible and how you will use the source in your essay to build your argument (about 150 words).
  • Create Hyperlinks to information about authors. If an author or authors are listed, try to find out something about them. Their background and expertise are part of what makes a source reliable. If you find a website with information about the author, create a hyperlink to this information. See the template for example of how to do this.
Please refer to the template and use the resources I have provided. 
Major Project 1: The Persuasive Research Essay
Directions: Write a persuasive research essay about an issue in higher education that you feel needs to be addressed. Narrow your consideration to SUNY New Paltz and an issue on our campus.
As part of this essay, you will identify a problem or a need and then propose a solution to the problem/issue.
Keep in mind that your topic must be important enough so that you have the ability to find secondary sources in the library. 

Length: 7-10 pages (not including works cited page(s)). Double-spaced. Approximately, 1,500+ words (really, no less than 6 pages). Long direct quotes do not count toward the word length.

• Your primary audience: Me (your instructor who is grading you; your peers in this class, who will read your drafts and watch your virtual presentation
• Your secondary audience: Other instructors in the Composition Program who will read your essay in the context of the ePortfolio 

 Requirements: Use of 5 outside sources. 1 of these sources must be an interview with a student, faculty or staff member. 

2 of these sources should be from the Sojourner Truth Library.  1 of these sources must be either a scholarly/academic journal article or a book chapter. 

The second source from the STL may be one of the following
  • A book chapter
  • An encyclopedia or reference book article
  • An article from a scholarly journal
  • An article from a magazine or newspaper
Required: MLA formatting, which includes in-text (parenthetical citations) and a works cited page.
Minor Assignment 4: The Virtual Presentation
Directions: Using Panopto screencasting software available under the Course Content link above, create/record a persuasive, narrated and scripted Google Slide Show or PowerPoint virtual presentation of between 4-5 minutes on the topic about which you wrote Major Project 1. 

Yes, you may reuse what you wrote for Major Project 1, adapting it for a virtual presentation. Please consult the Minor Assignment 3 area to understand why just reading your essay aloud will not be an acceptable approach to this assignment.

PLEASE READ THE DIRECTIONS FOR THE SCRIPT AND MY TIPS CAREFULLY. Your script is very, very important. You will be reading this script as you move through your slide deck.
Primary Audience: SUNY New Paltz Campus Administrators (Who are they? Be sure to look them up!)
Secondary Audience: Your instructor (me), other members of the class who will click on your narrated presentation and view it, and the ePortfolio reviewers. 

Purposes: To educate your audience and to persuade them to take a particular course of action. This course of action should be what you proposed in Major Project 1.
Source Requirements: Do include information from at least 2 outside sources. You can use more, of course.
Script: Please read from the script you created for Minor Assignment 3. (Consult these directions carefully.)
Google Slide Show / PowerPoint: At least 7 slides, including a title slide.
When it comes to designing your slides, apply what you have learned from this course about slide simplicity, visuals, and minimal text. 

Length of Recorded Presentation: Approximately 5 minutes. No shorter than 4 minutes and no longer than 6 minutes.
Test Your Microphone Before the Assignment Is Due. Yes, it is important that your audience be able to hear what you are saying. Do not wait until the last minute to see whether your computer’s microphone is working or to test where you need to sit in order to be heard clearly. 

Accessibility Requirements: Closed Captioning: Be sure that your virtual presentation is closed captioned. The software provided by SUNY New Paltz will do this for you—but you must make sure to make this request.
Note: Failure to close caption the presentation will result in a grade deduction for the project.
Please refer to the rubric below—and the questions I pose—before you submit the final copy of the assignment. 

Special Note About Images: 
  • Do not use cheesy clip art
  • Do not use images with a watermark on them
  • Do use photographs and high-quality digital art supplied via PowerPoint (and perhaps Google Docs)—these images are not copyrighted
  • Do use openly licensed images from Pexels and Creative Commons
  • Do use the photographs I have supplied you with from the campus
  • Note: If you MUST use a copyrighted image found on the web for some reason, then be sure to cite the source underneath the image in very small print.

Special Note about Text on the Slides:

  • In bulleted lists, use only 1-3 words; do not write in complete sentences. You are narrating the presentation. 
  • If you are reading a quote to your audience—which is a great idea when you have a compelling quote from one of your sources—-please be sure to follow one of these recommendations:
      • READ THE QUOTE FIRST and then discuss the implications of the quote. In other words, when the slide appears, read the quote. If you do not—and talk a lot before reading the quote—your audience members will be trying to read what is on the screen as they listen to you. This does not work.

OR

      • Another approach is to HAVE THE QUOTE APPEAR right before you are going to read it.You can use the animations function in PPT or Google Slides to do this. The screen can be blank or have an image. You can talk, and then, just before you have come to the quote, hit RETURN/ENTER, so that the quote appears. When it does, READ IT to your audience.