March 26
1. Volunteers are needed for a "looking ahead" planning sub-group.
2. Plan for yourself when you are going to summit the three "drafts" -- If this all gets compressed into the last week, it won't be useful. Use the handouts from today to plan your outlines & drafts. Direct writing (see Elbow) is highly recommended as a technique to try out.
3. Marni, John L., Amita & Amanda are scheduled for Tuesday to use 15 minutes to present & get feedback on their projects.
4. Refer to the 2 & 15 minute guidelines to plan how best to present & get feedback.
5. Get research briefings done in time to be useful to other students. Contact me if you need guidance.

March 19
1. In today's class the many directions we mapped out on Tuesday were condensed into four overall directions: developing a personal process towards specified goals, paying attention to the emotional aspects of projects, using class time more efficiently, and something about reporting and getting feedback on projects (see b & c below). (I think we needed to establish a note taker -- I didn't get everything down.)
The following plans were made:
a. One class period in four, starting next Tuesday 3/24, will be set aside for you to do research, make phone calls, conduct interviews, etc. (I will be away 3/24, but on other occasions I will be in so you can use my office phone. I am also trying to arrange for you to be reimbursed for miscellaneous research expenses, so I encourage you to make calls on your own phone and keep a record of them.)
b. Every class, you will each do 2 minute reports on developments in your project, including what you managed to do with the time freed up by not meeting (see a. above). Amy (aharrin1) (with Caroline S's help?) is compiling and distributing a check list of other possible items you could address in these reports -- some interesting fact you discovered, whether you are more (or less) motivated than before, what steps you have taken in clarifying your goals and developing your own personal process to achieve those goals, etc.
c. The rest of the class time will consist of 15 minute slots for presentations on projects. A sub-group of Marni, John L., Jenny, and Amita (mschult2, jleary1, jharvey1, asudhir1) is compiling and distributing a set of guidelines to help prepare presenters and listeners so the time is used efficiently. John K., John L., Caroline, Jenny, and Marni volunteered to present next Thursday.
2. More specific actions were suggested but not instituted yet, and more may emerge as we experience the new system and reflect on the full set of directions we mapped out. But for now, this is a good start. I encourage you to identify what specific tasks you want me to undertake.
3. I want to mention some of the difficulties I observed in this planning process.
a. Considering the goal of gaining a group sense of ownership and momentum along practical new directions, it would have been better to complete the process in one session, so that everyone was there from the beginning through to making specific action plans. It was hard to keep all the things we'd gone through on Tuesday in mind, some of the momentum from Tuesday was lost, and today's planning did not involve everyone. So there's a challenge ahead to get everyone invested in implementing the new system and in refashioning it as needed. But let's do our best.
b. It was also hard for me to stay in the neutral facilitator role. Today I coached heavily and became more directive as time got short. This probably detracts from your feeling of ownership of the new system, so my unneutrality adds to the challenge of getting invested in implementing it.

March 17
1. Meet with your WA to explore the your writing preferences. Please bring examples of previous writing, including drafts, so you can have a concrete discussion. I haven't had students do this before, so I'll be interested in hearing what works well and what doesn't.
2. Complete mid-semester evaluation if you haven't already.
3. Review the assessment system.
4. If you are interested in ICA and the group facilitation I'm experimenting with/trying to learn, check out group process section of the course website.

March 5
1. During the break read "Exploring your writing preferences" and identify your preferences.
2. For class on 3/17 read Elbow, chaps. 4 & 5; reread chapters 1-3.
3. Keep working on your project during break. At the *very least* take your notebook home with you and make time to freewrite about the design of your research and/or possible shapes for your report.
4. Free writing suggestion: "My ideal report would lead readers to see... I would grab their attention by... and lead them through a series of steps, namely....."
5. Peer group presenters inform me in writing of any decisions or recommendations arising from your peer group evaluation of peer groups.
6. Pick up your notebooks and work binders from my office.
7. If you missed class, pick up the reading and complete the mid semester self-evaluation = responses to five questions:
i. This is what I like about what I have done so far.
ii. This is what I plan to do differently from now on.
iii. The most difficult thing for me to do is... and so I need support of the following kind...
iv. I need more help from my peers on... and from PT on...
v. Other comments on the course.

March 3
1. Thursday's class is very important for the rest of our work this semester -- for your individual projects, peer groups, and the course as a whole. Thursday's class will have two parts:
A. A writing exercise to begin you thinking about your report's structure and content. This does not presuppose that you have finished your research. In fact, you could continue to do research up until the day you submit your final report. At this point in the course I expect that you will still be rethinking the direction and scope of your research. Nevertheless, because writing is an excellent way to work out your ideas, your research will be helped by starting to plan your writing now.
B A mid-term self-assessment/ discussion of the gap between where you are and would like to be. The peer groups will discuss the gap between where the peer group is and you would like it to be.
A couple of comments from previous years' mid-term self-assessments: "If I had to do it all over again, I would have talked to people with a general knowledge of the topic I was considering and use their expertise to help me define my project." "I should have allowed myself more time to follow unexpected leads."
2. For class on Thursday:
a) Bring additions or revisions to research design and bibliography, plus brief update on progress if not covered by these. (Take into account the comments on your previous research design. You can be more specific about the immediate future than the longer term. The spring break is a great time for visiting and/or interviewing people. Even if you go home or go away you can use the telephone.)
b) Submit binder and workbook. Bind together pages with post-its or otherwise indicate which bits you do not want me to look at. (I will have the binders and workbooks ready by 4.30 for you to collect from Pearson 102.)
c) Catch up on any overdue assignments or, if this is not possible, check in with me about a "contract" (schedule) for catching up soon.

February 26
1. After todayÕs class compose an outline of the arguments behind your research (1-3 pages). This outline may overlap your outline for your eventual research report, but itÕs not the same. In the arguments you have to:
a) show your logic for inclusion of material and the steps or development of your overall message. Keep a clear focus on what youÕre trying to convince your reader of (as against telling them what youÕve found out);
b) identify particular pieces to your overall argument, counter-arguments to those pieces, and how you might counter them. This allows or forces you to strengthen your position;
c) identify contributing arguments and expose arguments that might have been hidden.
Where you're not sure of your argument, indicate this or fill in possible versions.
Before doing this review the examples in the handouts and read the notes in 2. to follow.
2. The following notes on how to read the overall arguments of other students should help you write your own outline of your project's/ report's arguments. (These notes were written for analyzing a completed essay. Some of the issues, e.g. voice, may be hard to discern from a mere outline.)
¥ When we analyze each otherÕs arguments we will try to see what the MAIN POINT is that person is trying to establish (and who it's addressed at), what STEPS they take (and steps within steps), the CONNECTIONS they make between the steps and the main point and among the steps.
¥ Are the sections arranged so that they appear to be parts of a developing pattern? Does the arrangement give you a sense of orientation -- of knowing where you're being taken? What makes their argument compelling, or not? What VOICE do they adopt and how does this affect the impact of their argument?
¥ To help you analyse their argument you should note when they make DISTINCTIONS and define CATEGORIES, or when they reject other people's distinctions or categories. Also note when they focus or FRAME the key issues.
¥ Note how they move between the GENERAL and the PARTICULAR or EXAMPLE, and how they play arguments and counter-arguments off each other. Where do they make themself look moderate and others extreme? How doe they cover themself?
¥ Other aspects of the structure of a written piece you may notice include REPETITION, use of EVIDENCE, LINKS and cross-referencing.
¥ Having done this you may be able to identify HOLES in their arguments -- if they weren't convincing to you, why not?
¥ Different writers structure arguments in different ways, but, if you can get in the habit of dissecting arguments and identifying the ways the pieces fitted together, you will be better prepared to make your own.
3. In order to help you imagine yourself moving out of the library and into the world of actual people, perpare 5 questions for 3/3 you would like some person or people to answer for you. These should be questions you wouldn't find answers to in published sources. Identify the person or kind of person you have in mind, and make clear the questions' relationship to your project. In peer groups we will use these in interview practice.
4. Guest speaker for interviewing class will be Prof. Joy Charlton of Soc/ Anthr department, perhaps with a student. Write down in advance some questions you have for about interviewing. These may range from the mechanics of using a tape recorder to dealing with busy and intimidating experts.
5. Review the guide prepared by someone interviewing scientists about the cold fusion controversy of the late 1980s. Note which parts of this guide would be helpful for interviews you might do.
6. Please make comments on mariah's darft research briefing and return this to her.
7. Catch up with your assignments before spring break -- Many of you are getting too far behind for your own good, that is, for your projects to go well.
8. The goal of the faculty informant assignment was to get you talking early in the semester to people with more expertise than you and to start the snowballing process of finding further informants. If you had trouble finding someone on campus or arranging a time to meet, you should have taken other steps to get talking to people off-campus with more expertise and to start the snowballing process. If you haven't done so, do this without delay -- it's a month since I set the faculty informant assignment. Don't wait until you meet the elusive faculty member. In fact, stop trying to meet them unless you think they are important to interview for your project as it has developed.

February 24
1. Having seen what's involved in designing research, do this for yourself, going through the steps: What do you most want to see happening in your project in the next two months? What is blocking you realizing this vision? What can you do to deal with the obstacles and realize your vision -- what new directions do you need to move in? What are the achievable steps by which you can move in those directions? (See more in the tasks from 2/19). Due Th 2/26.
2. Arguments: Read the examples of previous students' arguments. Note one place where the structure of the argument was strong and clear and another place where it needed development or clarification. Except for class and peer group presenters, no other preparation needed -- Continue working on your projects.
3. Suggested peer group activity for 2/26: First half: presenter presents the sketch of their argument as prepared during class (xerox copies, blackboard or overhead projector needed). Second half: facilitator takes over and (following in-class example by PT) enlists the group's assistance in detecting missing steps or connections and suggesting rearrangements of overall structure of argument.
4. If I recommend that you consult with a WA before resubmitting an assignment, you have to arrange a meeting with the WA and get your assignment with my comments to him beforehand. WAs preferred meeting times: Jeremy Petersen (jpeters3) Thurs. afternoon and evening; Sunday 8-10pm; Will Nessly (wnessly1) Monday afternoon; Thurs. afternoon and evening.

February 19
1. Design is an activity we all avoid. When we are just stumbling along, or even cruising, we don't like to be asked to state our aims and our methods of evaluating how well we are fulfilling those aims. We just hope something will come together in the end. In contrast, I want you to assess where you're going at all stages of the project, particularly when it's not yet clear or becomes unclear. To this end, you should make notes for yourself on the following: What do you most want to see happening in your project in the next two months? What is blocking you realizing this vision? What can you do to deal with the obstacles and realize your vision -- what new directions do you need to move in? What are the achievable steps by which you can move in those directions?
For the assignment (due 2/26): restate your topic/issue and controlling question; present your research timetable (taking into account the dates for assignments and presentations); who you might be able to convince and what you hope to convince them to do, i.e. action proposals. Be more specific about the immediate future. Check your controlling question -- does it dictate what you actually have to do? If so, do the steps you propose fulfill your purpose/ answer your question/ support your arguments?
These designs may be in note form, but your meaning must be clear. See examples in the handouts. These are not very satisfactory. They list many deadlines and do not make clear how the steps proposed achieve the project's goals. The class on 2/24 will provide further guidance about research design.
2. Research briefings are to be written and given to the other students on paper, not through a spoken presentation. We'll make time to ask questions of clarification after everyone has had a chance to read the briefing. I also want an electronic copy, so I can add the briefing to the course web-site. (word5 format preferred, but others are OK.)
3. For citing WWW sources, I recomend including the following elements (their order depends on your chosen citation style): Author, Title of web page, URL, Date (of last update), author's organization and location, and date viewed by you. e.g. Taylor, Peter, 1995 (April),"Teaching Philosophy," http://www.faculty.umb.edu/peter_taylor/goalsoverview.html, Department of Biology, Swarthmore College (viewed 17 Feb. 1998). Also, preserve an electronic or printed copy of the cited web page when you viewed it. (This is so someone can ask you for a copy even if the web page has disappeared or been altered by the time your paper is read.)
4. If you are planning to conduct interviews soon, please get a sample release form from me.
5. Until spring break keep a log in your workbook of the out-of-class work you do.

February 17
1. Reading: James Jeans "Why the Sky Looks Blue" & student explanation of neurotransmitters for in class exercise on explanation for layperson. Make notes on where the explanation works well for you as the reader and where it doesn't.
2. Asmt due Thursday: For in-class exercise bring material (books, xeroxes, etc.) related to a principle that is important and/or difficult in your area of research.
3. Asmt due Thursday: Annotated bibliography of reading completed or planned. Your annotations should be sufficient to indicate the relevance of the article to your topic. If your topic has changed or is more concise now, you should begin the bibliography with a brief statement of it. Make your controlling question clear. You should cite the references in the style you plan to use in your final report -- see p. 129-154 of Elements for a suitable citation style. Focus is more important than quantity. That is, don't pack or pad this with zillions of references you've found in your searches, but instead use the assignment as a stimulus to your clarifying whether and in what ways an article is relevant to your project.
4. Mini-assignment due Thursday: Write a note about meeting your initial faculty informant. Who it was, when you met, what you hoped for, what you got, and any lessons learned for the future or for the benefit of other students. If you haven't completed this assignment, submit a short note on when/ how you plan to.
5. In peer groups on Thursday, the presenter will give a verbal explanation of a concept or result central to their topic. Questions and criticisms from the others will show how the explanation needs to be refined.
6. Some of you are behind on assignments. Please submit a short note on when/ how you plan to catch up.

February 12
1. As a postscript to organizing your research materials, sketch a weekly schedule that includes 6.5 hours of work outside class on your project. Then follow that schedule!
2. Try out mapping for yourself. The idea is to do mapping BEFORE you have a cohesive argument. If you have trouble letting your self brainstorm, try the following steps:
state your subject.
what categories of things (and sub-categories) are involved in your subject?
who are the different groups that are implicated?
where is this an issue?
what changes could be promoted?
what are the arguments for and against the changes?
what tensions and oppositions emerge in all this?
Then try (perhaps after freewriting) to state your controlling question for research. E.g., for the map on the color of hospital rooms, the question might be: "What research needs to be done to convince hospital designers/administrators that room color is one of the environmental features that can contribute to patient healing?"
3. Remember that for Tuesday's class we'll meet in McCabe computer classroom on the NE corner of the top floor.
4. Submit overdue assignments.
5. Use my requests for revision not as a chore to satisfy me, but as an opportunity to "re-envision." Re-envisioning is especially important in the early stages of your research. This may mean you write a completely new assignment. Read my statement about revision in the new writing section of the course web-page.
6. Get handouts from my door if you miss class.

February 10
1. Develop a process for reading that ideally involves "focus, filter, note-taking, digestion, and summary."
Focus: What do I want to learn? Check out the title, intro, topic/thesis, ending, and subheadings of the article to see whether and how it connects.
Filter: You can't read all of every article.
Notes, especially dialoguing notes [what I put in brackets] so that at the end you have digested the article enough to say What was argued? What was not? Where could it have been taken further?
Summary: This forces you to push your own thinking further, and provides bits of text to use when you write your report.
2. Mapping. Read "Discovering your subject," p. 1/4 ff in Elements (on reserve). But this is only one way of mapping. The handouts give other examples. On Thursday, three or four students will present "maps" of their projects, that is, trace on the board all the connections among topics and subtopics, arguments and counter-arguments, background and focal issues, areas for primary and secondary research. The rest of the class (or peer group) will ask questions until they are clear about each "mapper's" subject, purpose, and audience. Out of this should emerge a focial or controlling question that captures the student's subject, purpose, and audience. The interaction between the mapper and the class/peer group should expose holes in the research proposal, force greater clarity in definitions of terms and categories, and help the mappers see how they can frame their inquiries so they satisfy their interests but don't expand out of control.
3. Looking forward to annotated bibliography of reading completed or planned, due 2/19. Your annotations should be sufficient to indicate the relevance of the article to your topic. If your topic has changed or is more concise now, you should begin the bibliography with a brief statement of it. Make your controlling question clear. You should cite the references in the style you plan to use in your final report -- see p. 129-154 of Elements for a suitable citation style. Focus is more important than quantity. That is, don't pack or pad this with zillions of references you've found in your searches, but instead use the assignment as a stimulus to your clarifying whether and in what ways an article is relevant to your project.
4. Keep doing freewriting. At this point in a previous year, students observed after freewriting that "a new question came up with more social impact emphasis and less science," "[investigative] research is great because you've got more personal input," "I have two different audiences which requires two different papers," "It is difficult to shift away from my original opinion. Should I try to be more evenhanded?", "It is frightening to look at what I'm doing along the way," and so on.
5. *A* Mini-assignment: Write a note about meeting your initial faculty informant. Who it was, when you met, what you hoped for, what you got, and any lessons learned for the future or for the benefit of other students. If you haven't completed this assignment, submit a short note on when/ how you plan to.
6. If you are presenting in class or in peer groups, come early and find me before class if you need to make transparencies for use on an overhead projector, make photocopies, etc.
7. Peer group Thursday 12: One person maps their project following the model of the class that day and/or the examples in the reader.
8. When submitting revisions, always attach the previous drafts and my comments.
9. Finish organizing your research materials.

Feb. 5
1. Suggested freewriting: "Incorporating regular freewriting into my resesarch practice is (difficult? wonderful? a not yet achieved ideal?)..."
2. Begin to organize or straighten up the organization of your research material. Bring all your notebooks and notes to class on Tuesday when we will work on getting things really into shape.
3. Volunteers needed for Tuesday (groups A & C) and Thursday (group A) peer group presentations.
a. Peer groups on Tuesday will work on finding a center of gravity in what you've done so far. Bring copies of your description and I'll bring your controversy article assignments. Reading these can be the basis for peer group discussion.
b. On Thursday presenters will present a map to the peer group and, following the example in class that day, the rest of the group will help the person find the central threads or controling questions. More info about making maps will be given out on Tuesday.
4. Notice that, in general, we are working on both of Elbow's "creative" and "critical" aspects. The creative is opening up your topic to more and more considerations (e.g., by teasing out the propositions, counter-p's etc., and by mapping). The critical is seeking order and priority in the overabundance of material produced by the creative aspect. Elbow's insight is to alternate these aspects, not to let them stifle each other.
5. Complete the peer group exercise for your own project, that is, summarize the different propositions, counter-propositions, etc. regarding some aspect of your issue.
6. No assignments due this coming week, but watch out for the bunch coming at the end of the month. Overdue assignments and revisions welcome.

February 3
1. Sign up to prepare a research briefing.
2. Sign up for conferences with me, for presenting in class, and for presenting or facilitating in your peer group.
3. Each peer group should prepare a presentation for Thursday based on teasing out the propositions or assumptions, and counter-propositions, and counter-counter-propositions for some aspect of the topic of the presenter in today's peer group meetings.
4. If you haven't submitted your initial description, or if you're revising it, here are some tips:
The point is not to have your project defined straight away, but to begin the process of defining and refining it. Describe:
your area of interest;
how you became concerned about it;
what you want to know about it by the end of the semester;
what action you think someone should be taking on this issue;
what help you foresee needing in order to do the research; and
who the audience for your research report might be.
Give a brief, interesting, provocative title.
Try to move on to stating the specific case(s) you plan to consider. What is the more general statement of the problem or issue beyond the specific case?
5. Assignment due today was: Use the on-line catalogs or databases to locate articles or sections in books describing a controversy related to your issue. Submit with a paragraph describing the different sides and indicating how the pieces connect with your proposed research. If your topic has changed, try to submit a revised title and description .
If you didn't submit today's assignment, some tips:
At this stage you might not be aware of all the different sides of your topic, but this assignment is meant to contribute to your thinking about the different sides of your topic. The article -- if well chosen/ well located -- should deal with one controversy that is related to your issue. The paragraph (which may be in note form) should indicate that relationship/connection, and should also tease out the different sides to the controversy addressed in the article.
6. If you're not able to complete an assignment but the due date, submit a short note on when/ how you plan to.
7. Complete the peer group exercise for your own project, that is, summarize the different propositions, counter-propositions, etc. regarding some aspect of your issue.

January 29
1. Read the cloth vs. disposable diaper article. Group B should come prepared to make all the relevant arguments for cloth diapers, and to rebut the arguments of Groups A & C, who will do the same for the disposable diapers side. We'll run this through in class, and it should serve as a model of identifying all the propositions of some position relevant to your research, all the counter-propositions, and then the counter-counter-propositions.
2. I need one volunteer from peer groups B & C (I already have John K for group A) to explain to their peer group on Tuesday the different propositions as they see them of their research topic. The group will help them identify other associated propositions or assumptions, and counter-propositions, and counter-counter-propositions. Please email me to let me know and I'll confirm that you're it. On Thursday, each peer group will run through what they teased out for the whole class to experience and add to.
** Note: In volunteering, it's taken as given that you're not quite ready. But you're prepared to be a guinea pig so the rest of the class can get a fuller picture of what's needed when they do the task. Moreover, you need to volunteer for these "presentations," so better sooner than later.
3. Practice using the different search tactics covered in class, and find an article that appears to be very close to what you need to move forward in your research. For example, it might review what others have said and done, discuss the state of some active controversy.
4. Read syllabus to see what's ahead.
5. Volunteer to give a verbal report on meeting with your initial faculty informant.

January 27
1. Check out syllabus and tasks above for things you should have done by now -- and do them.
2. In reading Elbow, make some simple notes about what sharing is, why do it -- the overall vision, what makes it difficult, why do it -- the particulrs, and any overall take-away message.
3. Review the types of sharing on the handout. We'll probably try using a number of these.
4. Use the clear block of time outside class (see 11 above) and do some research.
5. Facilitators from today -- please email a brief comment on what worked well, and what could have gone better.
6. Freewriting suggestion: "When I think about sharing my incomplete work, what comes up is.... And this means I should....."

January 22
1. Reading from class 1: Chap. 2 of Elbow on freewriting
2. *A* Asmt due Tuesday : Title and initial description of proposed research (1 page) -- see examples in handout from today. Bring two copies.
3. I need four volunteers to come early so I cam xerox their assignments and we can review them in class. Please email me if you're willing.
4. Pre-reading for class: Chap. 1 Elements, and for peer groups: Elbow, chaps. 1 & 3.
5. Review provisional peer groups (emailed to you).
6. Read the letter of introduction to understand the faculty informant assignment. Get suggestions from faculty you know, from me, and from other students, especially your peer group, about faculty informants. Check the course catalogs for the three colleges on the web.
7. Do more freewriting (see suggestions).
8. Contact me if there's a glitch in any of our evolving arrangements or you have any other worries.
9. Start organizing your workbinder.
10. Start locating possible readings for your work.
11. Map out your time so as to make a clear block of time outside class for your research.

January 20
1. Sign-up for initial conferences
2. Buy Elbow, binder with pocket, dividers with pockets, and workbook/notebook (to be kept always with you).
3. Review material on course website, including overview, expectations and assessment. Bring queries to class.
4. Try out freewriting for 10 minutes. Suggested topic: "I would like my work on X to influence Y to make changes in Z..."
5. Review previous reports (on reserve in Cornell). Make notes on virtues, limitations, and other features. Everyone should read Noe Copley-Woods's report from 1994.
6. Come prepared to speak about your proposed research, and how you would like your work on X to influence Y to make changes in Z.