As our discussion of the conversation makes clear, it’s important to realize tha

As our discussion of the conversation makes clear, it’s important to realize that our ideas come from somewhere, a context, an ongoing conversation. Recognizing what we don’t know, immersing ourselves in the conversation, figuring out what to include and what to leave out, is part of the creative process: “How I make my way through this thicket of information–how I manage it, parse it, organize and distribute it–is what distinguishes my writing from yours” (Goldsmith; see also Ferguson).
On four Mondays, you will be responsible for reporting back on what you’ve read, listened to, watched, seen about your research topic.(your research proposal is located in the attechment)
Each of those four Mondays, you should locate at least four texts (one needs to be a scholarly article). Provide enough bibliographic information (author, title, publication, date) or a link for you and me to find the four texts. Then, choose two of them to provide a more thorough report. For two texts, do the following:
Summarize the text. Do not give a blow-by-blow synopsis, but identify the main issues, using quotation to highlight key terms and phrases, and paraphrasing to focus on specific points.
How did you find the text? Be specific. (What search engine and key terms did you use? Did you work with a librarian? Was it referred to in other things you’ve read? Did you follow a link or series of links?)
What type of text is it? What genre? (popular article, recipe, photograph, video, podcast, scholarly article, government document, narrative, art review, etc. etc.?)
Is the author credible? Do you trust the author’s arguments and explanations? Why or why not? (Note: in your final project, you might refer to authors you don’t find credible, especially if they represent an important element of the conversation, but you will need to distinguish who is credible and who isn’t.)
How might this text be useful? (Is this author an expert? Does the text provide an interesting example or anecdote? Will you argue against something the author says? Does it provide background information about your area of inquiry? Does it point you toward other possible sources? etc. etc.)
You will list four texts with bibliographic information, but only write about two of the texts.