What is the best way to research a topic? This course explores
this theme. It will describe a step-by-step process
of conducting research. In the first semester
we will write a research report using books, magazines, and web sites as information sources.
This is known as secondary research because most of the data comesfrom other sources.
The second semester will show you how to design a research questionnaire
to obtain original data, then
interpret that data. This is known as primary research.
Since this course involves lots of writing, students should already
have the ability to write multi-paragraph length essays about concrete
topics. If you have trouble writing more than a paragraph on most
topics, please consider taking a more basic course. Though special computer skills aren't required for this class, students who have a computer
at home will find it easier to complete classroom assignments.
Use the search engines below to go through the previous student research papers.
After you read their papers, reflect on what sort of paper you want to write.