2.2 Introduction to methods used in Writing Studies

This evening's class was spend laying the groundwork for the course.  We talked through the major assignments in more detail, discussed your research interests, looked at the readings associated with the particular methods we will be studying, and closed with a discussion of why it is important to have training in research methods and methodologies.

Research essay 
The research essay is your chance to do some guided work "trying out" the methods from the course.  The idea is for you to choose a topic you want to study; your topic can be related to your project for Senior Writing Seminar, to your future vocation as a teacher or writer, or it can simply be something you are interested in studying - so long as their is a focus on language, literacy, literacy learning and teaching - or "discourse" (you will have a better feel for what counts as discourse after we work on discourse analysis).  I introduced the assignment and talked with you about possible topics so that you would have time to work into your projects - which are due at the end of the term.

I realized as we were talking that if you were going to do research you would need approval from Kean University's Institutional Review Board for your projects.  I submitted to forms for requesting permsission - and will give you an update on where we are with that next week. My impression is that you will be able to conduct research projects that involve human subjects, but that there will be some limitations on the kinds of projects you can conduct.

Presentations on readings & sign up
You also looked at the list of presentations for the methods we will study, and I talked through the sample readings and the assignment sheet.  If you have further questions - bring them to next class - and we will talk them through.  Meanwhile - read through the sample methods essays and think about which two methods are a match for your research - and identify 2 or 3 methods you might like to present on.  You will "sign up" during class next week.

Research Interests
We spent most of our class time talking about your research interests, brainstorming ideas, and thinking about what methods (and methodologies) connect to your interests.  You were great at generating ideas with classmates, and your contributions are what is going to make this class really work.  You are not "committed" to the ideas you put out there - we are still in the brainstorming stages - and no one "owns" any particular area of research.  This is a chance to try out and explore your interests and ideas.

Discussion of Griffin
We did not spend much time on skills, methods, and methodologies (I can get back to that on your blogs) - but we did talk through reasons for (and against) "institutionalizing" training for writing studies researchers, and the underlying assumptions of reactive and proactive approaches to research training.  Points in favor of providing researchers with methods training include the facts that it
1) makes researchers more conscious of the ways assumptions and methods shape what they can and can't discover in their research;
2) provides them with a broad range of approaches to choose from.

Points against providing up-front training are that researchers can pick up what they need in the field, and that it can categorize and make formulaic understandings of research - so that decisions about how to study problems may in fact become less creative and contextual.  My hope is that Griffin's approach (and the approach we take into this class) will be flexible enough that this second drawback does not become a problem for us.

Good discussion - and I am very excited to watch your research ideas as they develop through this course.

For next week:
Read: Moreno (link under Course Readings at the right), and Fetterley, available in the Kean ebook resources under The Resisting Reader,  If you try to access this link from home - you will need your library barcode.  "A Rose for 'A Rose for Emily'" begins on page 34.  

Blog 2:  Write in some detail about your ideas for a research project.  Think about your focus (what you will study); what questions you will ask, who you might talk to/observe/work with to find answers; what kinds of places or things you will need to study, and so on.  The more brainstorming you do here, the more I will have as a basis to give you feedback.

In class we will use discussion of Fetterley and Moreno as a way to characterize the genre expectations and the form of research essays.  We will also talk about methodologies and methods in these two studies.  

And - you will sign up for your presentation essays, and we will continue talking about your research ideas.