Final Paper

Your final paper is to be an integrative analysis of the "popular" book you selected at the beginning of the quarter. "Integrative" asks that you use a variety of different sources and approaches to conduct the analysis. The sources MUST include at least some of the program readings and your own personal experiences. The sources could well include other "popular" books, magazines or other mass media articles, and/or scholarly materials and biographies beyond the ones we are using in class.

The analysis in the paper should explore three different issues:
1) ASSUMPTIONS -- the claims the author makes which are assertions unsubstantiated by additional analysis or data.
2) LOGIC -- the mechanisms the author uses to establish the accuracy of the argument or the persuasiveness of the data, most likely a combination of "method" statements and ways of laying out the argument in the book -- chapter organization, data display etc.
3) DATA -- what the data are, where they come from and "how much" there is.

Furthermore this analysis can and should consider how "engaged/detached" or "objective" the author is, what community of people is thinking with and agreeing with this author, what traditions the writing comes from etc.

Steps in the research process

Week 1& 2 select and read your chosen book
Week 3 & 4 begin comparisons between your book and the seminar readings, posting the comparisons to webx
Week 5 begin the search for additional materials -- from the media, from the library etc. including a workshop on evaluating the "strength" of the evidence.
Weeks 6-9 more comparisons with program readings. The second time you write about Maccoby and Aries, consider starting from a description of your own book and then adding in what is relevant from the assigned readings.

First Draft or outline deadline -- Mar 1

Final Paper deadline -- March 9 at 10pm

PANEL PRESENTATIONS

In addition to writing a paper, you will craft a short presentation to the whole class to be presented on the same day as other members of your sub-group.

Your presentations are in the same style as "panel" presentations at professional conferences:

1) Your topics are only loosely linked and it is up to the audience to make the connections, not up to you.
2) You are expected to cover the topics which will quickly give the audience a chance to appraise the legitimacy of your book's analysis -- namely assumptions, logic and data
3) You will have far too little time to do a complete analysis of the material and so you must be rigorously selective.

Deadlines for panel presentations

Feb 12 Bring to class a DOUBLE-SPACED, written sketch of the kinds of topics you think you might cover. Go over that sketch with your peers in the sub group, and turn in an "edited" copy of the sketch that night to your faculty member. Yes the edited version will have rough marks all over it. The faculty will be happy to receive it in this form.

Early March -- write and practice speaking your presentation out loud.The time limits are real.

Mar 8 and 9 Presentation days. Each person will have only about 5 minutes to do the presentation.