Workshops and Lectures
This term we will do a series of workshops designed to learn and practice various skills needed for academic writing and research.
Altering sources
Annotation
Argument analysis
Argument summary
Argument synthesis
Bibliography | Works Cited
Peer review
Sentence variety
Show, don’t tell
Working with sources
Theoretical argument
Considering audience
Rhetorical analysis
Introduction to Cultural Studies
This class will frequently use a mode of analysis associated with cultural studies. This lecture provides a brief (and wholly reductive) introduction to this form of inquiry.
Introduction to Academic Research
An introduction to academic research and some strategies for success. The lectures and workshops below each build on this initial description of the research process.
Workshop 1: Searching with Precision
This lecture and workshop will help you learn how to query databases and catalogs with precision, saving you time and headaches.
Workshop 2: Finding Periodicals & Electronic Databases
This lecture will help you learn how to locate online periodicals (such as magazines and scholarly journal articles).
Workshop 3: Finding Books and other Physical Holdings in the Library
This lecture will help you learn how to locate physical items in the library’s stacks.
Workshop 4: Works Cited or Bibliography
This lecture will help you gain familiarity with constructing a bibliography for a research paper or project.
Workshop 5: Cutting Corners in Research
The best researchers know how to cut corners and work efficiently. This lecture presents you with some tips that will save you time.
Workshop 6: Getting Sh*t the Library Doesn’t Have
As a researcher you will encounter many problems, but one of the most annoying is discovering that some other person has rudely checked out your book. Sometimes we don’t own a book or article that you want to read. What do you do when these things happen? You have many options that won’t cost you a dime.
Workshop 7: Bibliographic Software / Research Journal
Over your career as a student and a professional, you will make use of thousands of books, articles, and assorted media. Many of these texts will be very useful to you later, if you take the time to save and organize them now. There is an app for that.
Workshop 8: Managing Large Research Projects
How do you begin when you’ve collected a large pile of books and articles that will be parts of your research project? Often, a large collection of sources leaves you feeling paralyzed. This lecture gives you some ideas about how to process your research and start writing.
Workshop 9: What is Peer Review?
How do you know if you can trust your sources? This workshop explains the process of peer-review, a form of quality control in academic publishing.