Chapter 1 Research Blog Entry

In chapter 1 of the Bedford Reader, we are introduced to the various ideas involved in research, and formal writing. The early pages likened writing to that of having a conversation. As said in the book, when one wishes to join a group that is having a conversation, one must listen. After listening and becoming informed, you may then submit your views, and you are building on each others ideas. As with most conversations, we need to be aware of who we are talking to, and the context in which we are talking. In writing we are setting up a genre, in which we have to determine what style we are writing. It may be informative, argumentative, or perhaps persuasive. I believe that having a strong purpose is critical for a formal paper to work.

Selecting a Topic

Research Topics

Real reasons we elect government officials

 

-Do we vote based on politics or morals? Elections in recent years(and especially the one next year) seem to have a heavy emphasis in morals. Foreign policy and other subjects seem like a side show.

Underground Power

-I have an interest in the workings of electricity. Having dealt with Puget Sound Energy on many different occasions(tree's falling on power lines, etc...), I'd be interested in seeing the in's and out's of an underground power system.

Overpopulation

-Having commuted to Seattle, traveled to high density cities, and heard the mention of "Overpopulation", I'd be curious to see real information on this subject.

A prior paper

I had to write a paper about how merchants in Poulsbo used advertising effectively. It wasn't a hard subject, but it was frustrating to write about since it was seemingly stating obvious and basic facts. I wrote the paper and it turned out just fine, with a satisfactory grade. In the future, I probably would try to have a better attitude, since I frankly thought the work was "silly".