Monday, November 7, 2011

11.7.2011 DA drafts + Interview

Due dates for the DA revisions + draft of the Research essay will be as follows:
First Draft DA: Nov 3  Thursday
Returned by Nov 7
Final draft DA: Due Nov 17
Returned Nov 21
Draft Research Project: Due Nov 28


Revisions to DA essays.
We began class with a general discussion of what to work on for your revisions to the DA essays.  My impression from your drafts was that almost everyone is doing good work using discourse analysis as an analytic tool.  Most of what needed work was connected to not being familiar with the academic discourse for research essays => the particular "moves" research writers in writing studies make in order to present their findings.


We used the Goldman essay in Bloome et all to look at a pattern for setting up an essay.  The introduction contained the following information: 
1.    Identified text she will analyze
2.    Identified method = discourse analysis
3.    Specific statement of what she will study
4.    Elaboration of what the analysis will show => opportunities to make meaning through critical analysis of text
5.    Context for transcripts = setting, different moves made in the transcript
6.    features of text she analyzes
7.    [importance of the question]


While your essay does not necessarily need to present exactly this same information in exactly this order = this list does represent the kind of information that writers use their introduction to set up. 


Presentation of evidence.  We also discussed how to present evidence  for what your analysis shows about the transcript.  Again - looking at Goldman's essay - you paid attention to how she presented a larger section of transcript -and then drew attention to particular patterns in language use, or turn taking, or other features.  Presenting a larger section of the transcript allows the reader to understand the context for the patterns you point out.
Conclusions:  We also discussed what to include in your conclusion.  The focus of your conclusion will necessarily reflect what you "discovered" and the methods you used to discover it.  In general - the conclusion points out what your evidence shows with respect to your focus.  In addition to summing up findings, you might also:

  • discuss strengths + weaknesses of different answers suggested by your analysis
  • generalize your findings  + ask questions about how & whether that generalixation will hold
  • point out the usefulness/importance of your findings for researchers/etc
Interviews
Amanda and Melissa began their presentation on interviews.  We left off in the middle of the discussion on methodology.  We were discussing  Strangman's methodology - and were considering the possibility that her assumptions may have been quite different from those of her interview subject.  

On Thursday, we will finish this discussion, and move into more in-depth talk about interviewing as a research process (as set forward in Griffin's article).  After we finish discussing interviewing, we will map out a rubric for your research projects and set up the assignment sheet.

For Thursday:
Read: Griffin in Griffin
Blog 15:  Post your plan for revising your DA essay

Good class and see you on Thursday.

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