Making progress

Next week you should be able to give a 5-minute presentation on your progress by sketching

• the general concept of your project: What is the main aspect you`re interested in?
• what steps you took to a) obtain material, b) analyse it?
• how your topic connects to the documentary / life and laws in the US
• what more you want to achieve?
• how your portfolio will look once it`s finished.

Portfolio

• should contain a title page
• a table of contents
• a personal introduction showing your interest in the topic and its relevance as well as the way you proceed and the the methods used
• an overview of the materials
• an analysis of the materials you specialise in
• your topic`s connection to the documentary BOWLING FOR COLUMBINE
• a conclusion

ASSESSMENT CRITERIA

DEADLINE: 7th March, 2011

Your folder should

• look neat and appealing
• contain images and visuals which underline your findings
• provide sufficient information for the understanding of the topic
• reflect your own work on the topic, e.g. texts, graphs, creative writing exercises, sound tracks, video footage (on a CD)
  
• be a pleasure to read
• be something you are proud of

GROUP “MONSTER KIDS”: pp.72f: -> ´”Why the young kill”; pp. 78f. “Killer Kids”; pp.82f. “German gunman…”

The Tuscon shootings

Hi there!

Please check out the latest from Tuscon [tu:sen]! Found the article about a popular gun fair in a British newspaper. Pink guns for girls apparently… Mind you, this is NO joke!

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/us-politics/8262874/Arizona-shooting-business-booms-at-Tucson-gun-fair.html

See you soon,

Mrs B.

Welcome back & Happy New Year to you all!

Let`s resume our work by obtaining detailed information on the latest shooting incident in the States

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2011_Tucson_shooting

Please read the wikipedia entry and point out the significance of the shooting for the nation. Search the net for information on important people`s reactions, e.g. the President or Michael Moore.

(More about the weapon laws in Arizona can be found here

http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/local/articles/2010/07/29/20100729arizona-concealed-weapons-law.html

Be prepared to present your results in a 5-minute statement.

As a second step, you should browse all the materials you received today and decide on a “component”. Please comment on this post to let me know which project you opt for.

Once you`ve decided for an option, have a closer look at the materials and think of a strategy how to proceed. Also consider the amount of materials you already have and the information that is missing.

Best regards,

Mrs B.

Little Miss Sunshine

Post-watching activity

Three groups work on the following topics

• Little Miss Sunshine as a reflection of contemporary American society
• The beauty pageant
• The Hoover family

The road ahead

Good afternoon!

Now that you`ve handed in your research papers – what a relief, eh? – you can feel just a little pleased with yourselves and enjoy the wonderful feeling of not having to have a “research paper in progress” sitting on your desk and relentlessly asking for your full attention .

It is, however, very important not to forget completely because there will be presentations coming up, which will hopefully tip the scales favourably for you. Besides, you will be asked to write a scientific abstract. In academina [der akademischen Welt] it`s the done thing to submit an abstract of your research because other scientists are bound to be interested in your findings and need to get a quick overview of what you`ve been working on.

Please check out the relevant pages on

*abstract writing and

*assessing a presentation

in order to get ready for your performance.

You will be required to bring 15 copies of your abstract on the day of your presentation so that everybody gets an insight into your project. Please stick to the scheme the worksheet on abstract writing provides.

The presentation should last about 15 minutes and the number of transparencies or slides you use should not exceed four. Please stick to this rule as it guarantees a certain focus on the topic itself and avoids distraction. During the fifteen minutes of your time centre stage you are not allowed to involve the audience. It is only afterwards that questions will be asked and a (short) discussion can evolve.

Each session three students will present their results. The dates in question are the following. As Belsazar has volunteered to be in the first set, his name appears top of the list. Please comment on this post to register for a date.

• 3rd November: Belsazar, Torbor, Simba
• 10th November: Oeknoekb, Terranigma
• 17th November: Londonear, Goregonzola, Mrs Elephant
• 24th November: Tiadalma, Biggerben
• 1st December: wiovoiw, Ragnaroec

On 8th December you will get the report on your paper which I will have written by then and with it the final mark, i.e. 70% the paper itself and 30% for the presentation. The mark for the presentation will be awarded in the session immediately following the event. As a matter of course, you can have a look at the marked copy of your paper. Your access is, however, limited to the confines of the school premises.

Hope all the arrangements sketched above are in line with your expectations .

Best regards,

Mrs B.

Taking stock

Hi all!

Today you should make a list of all the things you KNOW about your topic. What information have you collected? What gaps of information do you still need to deal with? As a second step, highlight the aspects you definitely want to cover in your paper. Be very critical because you can`t include it all .

Your next step is to summarise and analyse your primary source(s). What is there to know content-wise [auf den Inhalt bezogen]? The second “layer” of analysis should be the way the book / film is presented to you. Which passages are particularly striking or typical of a phenomenon you investigate?

Of course you are not alone in your field. There is a “scientific community” you need to be aware of . Therefore it is indispensible to consult relevant works by recognised authorities [Sekundärliteratur]. Please go beyond WIKIPEDIA…

The next job you have to do is the most difficult one. You need to connect the  levels you just investigated, find the connections and create a structure that will guide you while working on your paper. Mindmapping is a great way to produce good results.

Best of luck,

Mrs B.

TYPES OF TEXTS

(broad definition)

WORKS OF ART

-novel

-film

-poem

-painting

-> subjective view of the world, distortion of reality

methods / approaches: content; style

-Eye-witness report

EXAMPLE: footbinding (chapter 1)

SCIENTIFIC WORKS

-scientific sources: essays, books, maps, studies

by recognised authorities

-> objective view, taking into consideration various studies, viewpoints of the scientific discourse

EXAMPLE: footbinding: history, consequences

EXAMPLE / TEXT:

Jung Chang mentions footbinding right at the beginning of her novel (Chang 2003: 3). In her description she stressest he extreme pain women experience when footbinding is carried out „She cried out loud with pain while her sisters watched the procedure with frozen faces“ (Chang 2003:4). This experience was rather typical in 19th century China. Bechtheld reports practices that are even more harmful to the toes when she refers to ….. „……….“ (Bechtheld 2009:101).

Taking action

Dear seminar subject students,

Welcome back to the third term, the one very much focusing on research paper writing.  Once you`ve handed in your papers, we will start with the presentation of your results (more information coming up). The grade you receive for your presentation is an achivement in its own right and can tip the scales favourably in order for you to secure a decent final mark.

Today we`ll be busy taking stock of what you`ve done so far and how to use the time until the deadline wisely and efficiently.

Please work on the following aspects on your own

• what is the aim of your research / what are you trying to find out?
• what do you think you`ll find out? /do you already have an idea what your results will look like?
• what sources have you worked with so far?
• what other sources do you need?
• what are the steps you have resp. will take towards a deeper understanding of your topic?
• what obstacles could you be faced with?
• create an agenda for the weeks leading to the deadline and define what you want to have achieved by the end of each week (“By the end of the week I want to explore autism as an illness. I want to find out about the different types of autism, particularly Asperger`s syndrom. Using the material from the following sources  I would like to come up with a working definition which I can use for my work with the novel.”)
• Finally, try to determine the single most important insight you`ve had during your research so far. Be prepared to tell your classmates about it.
• On a slightly gloomier note, please imagine a worst-case scenario for your research paper. What is the worst thing that could possibly happen?
• With another student think of ways how you can protect yourself against your dreaded situation. Take turns.

By next time you should come up with a table of contents and a list of references.  Never mind that it`s bound to be a preliminary version.

Best regards & good luck,

Mrs B.