Independent Research Projects

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Welcome to the Belief and Truth Research Project page. The purpose of your independent project is to enable you to find out what can be known about something you believe, collaborate with peers to dig deeper, and clearly communicate your learning.

You will do your research in small groups. We recommend teams of two; teams of three or solo projects are acceptable, with faculty approval. After you form a team around a specific belief, combine with one or two other teams to form a study group of four to six people. You should rely on members of your group for help in your work on this project (and for help with other aspects of the program). At the end of the program each study group will choose the best project in the group for presentation to the class. That is, there will be 8-10 really good presentations at the end of the quarter.

PRESENTATION SCHEDULE: Those who want earlier eval conferences should do presentations on 30.Nov.

ACTIVITIES: Your first step is to articulate a belief as carefully as you can. The belief should be a common one - not commonly held, necessarily, but one that is in common circulation. It should be a belief about which you can do some reasonable research. To draw from an example in our readings, you might believe that an asymptomatic person who receives a positive HIV/AIDS test probably has the virus. You will, first, have to press yourself to be as clear as possible about the belief. You might say (and write), "I actually think a positive test almost certainly means a person has HIV/AIDS. In fact, the probably of having the disease given a positive test is close to 100%, maybe 99%."

Second, you will inquire into the sources of your belief. You may, for example, believe that a positive HIV/AIDS test probably means a person has HIV/AIDS because you were told that by a teacher or a doctor. Or you may believe it because you talk about it with friends or parents and you have been persuaded by them. You might believe it because it just makes sense (because health authorities would try hard to be extraordinarily careful before they told someone he or she is HIV positive). You may use insights about "strong objectivity," discussed by Harding, to better understand the sources of your belief.

Third, you will examine your belief critically. You will search the scientific and popular literature to find out what can be known. In the test example, you'd probably want to learn about how the tests are done, what is tested for, what kinds of errors are associated with the tests, what the sources and sizes of those errors are. And you'd want to find the statistics associated with testing (such as the ones discussed in Calculated Risks).

As you do your research you will come to appreciate the fact that a close interrogation of the strongest possible case against your ideas will either change your mind or strengthen your case. (It was said of Thomas Aquinas that the position of his opponents sounded more beautiful coming from his mouth than from the mouths of their authors.) You'll find evidence in favor of your belief and you'll find the strongest possible evidence that goes against your belief.

Finally, you will tell us what you learned. You will write a paper about your search and your conclusions, and some of you will present your work to the class.

Week 1: Online Beliefs survey

Week 2: Beliefs workshop. Articulate some of your beliefs. Discuss some reasons why you believe them. Note any doubts or questions you may have. Write this up for Project Assignment 1 (PA.1 - 500 words or less, individual assignment).
Teams: This weekend - read your classmates' posts, and start talking with people you might want to work with.

Week 3: Project Assignment 2 (PA.2): Draft annotated bibliography and teams.

PA.2 Individual assignment: During or after the Library workshop, search for sources in the Library that can help you interrogate your belief. A Google search does not count. List your best resources; give full bibliographic references, in a standard, consistent way. Aim for twice as many sources that challenge your belief, since you already have arguments or personal experience to support your belief. Seek out sources with evidence.

DRAFT ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY:

• Write a couple of sentences about the reliability and scope of each resource, and you have a start on an "annotated bibliography."
• For each source, note whether it supports or challenges your belief.
• Note whether each source includes evidence or just opinion. What kind of evidence?

PA.2 Team assignment :

• Form a team with one (or two) classmates who are interested in a belief like yours. You may productively disagree! Only one new student per team is permitted - find a veteran Greener to work with. Commit to at least one weekly Team meeting, starting later this week. Agree on a time and place now.
• Create one Discussion for your team on WebX by Friday. Include a meaningful title with a brief description of the investigation you propose to undertake together. Concisely list possible evidence for and against your belief.
• Each teammate post your draft annotated bibliography in your team Disussion by Friday.
• Read each other's posts by Sunday, give each other feedback, and deepen the conversation about your joint investigation.

Week 4: Project planning workshop.

• With your team, focus on one of your beliefs. Articulate your shared belief clearly and specifically.
• How did you come to believe that? Start to examine your belief and its sources. Read the resources you found in last week's Library workshop #1.
• Propose a method for investigating your belief more deeply. Find new resources (e.g. articles from refereed journals) for your investigation in this week's Library workshop #2.
• Write up your draft Proposal for Project Assignment 3 (PA.3, team assignment). Read each others' contributions, edit them together, and synthesize.
  

PA3: Include in your Proposal:

• A CLEAR statement of the ONE belief or question you are investigating. (Example: Are vaccines safe and effective or not?)
• The ROLES and PERSPECTIVE of each teammate in the investigation. (Examples: Seth suspects vaccines are dangerous. Kelli believes they are generally safe and effective. Everyone will do library research and contribute equally to joint writing. Kelli will be the final editor for the bibliography and presentation, and Seth will be the final editor for the written report.)
• METHODS: a CLEAR description of how you propose to investigate your belief or question. How can you test your belief or explore your question? What evidence can deepen your investigation?
• Annotated bibliography. Address the same three points as in PA2 above.

Create ONE team Discussion on WebX under PA3. Title = your last names + your investigation.

• Post your proposal by Fri.21.Oct.
• Read classmates' proposals, and respond to at least two.
• Read feedback on your proposal. Revise your proposal in response to feedback.
• On Wed.26.Oct, present your revised proposal, with your team, for PA4 (below).

Week 5: PA4: Present your polished research project Proposal in class (team assignment), and post it on WebX (in your team's discussion). Which belief will you investigate, and how? Discuss your sources and your interrogation methods. How can you test your belief? What evidence might you bring to bear? Post your Proposal (Word.doc, PowerPoint, or webpage - your choice). Include a good annotated bibliography.

Study Groups: After you hear each others' Proposals, find two other teams for your team to work with. You may or may not have similar questions. Commit to at least one weekly Study Group meeting, starting later this week. Agree on a time and place now.
Have one person from each study group create a new Discussion for your Study Group on WebX, where you can post future work and feedback.

Week 6: Deepen your research into your chosen belief. Carry out the methods you proposed last week, and modify your approach if necessary (teams).
Give specific, critical feedback to the rest of your Study Group on their Proposals, and solicit their feedback. Post feedback as Replies to Proposals on WebX (individual assignments).

Week 7: Project progress report (PA.5 - teams). What have you learned about your belief and its sources? What evidence have you found that challenges your belief? How have your doubts and questions become more specific since week 2? How might additional research address them? BE SPECIFIC AND SUBSTANTIAL.

Post PA5 on WebX. Read and respond to those in your Study Group. Work with peers' good suggestions.

Week 8: Carry out any additional research you need, and write a first draft of your Research Project Report. Post it to WebX, and have your Study Group read it. Read your peers' drafts as well. Give specific, critical feedback on both form and content. Revise your draft report based on peer feedback, and hand in a better draft next week.
Each study group choose one Research Project to be presented. Explain your choices on WebX. (PA.6 - teams)

Week 9: Final research project reports and presentations (PA.7 - teams). Your (team) report is due on WebX whether it is chosen for presentation or not. (Word.doc, PowerPoint, or webpage - your choice).

CONTENT: Address all the questions and suggestions from the Project Assignments above. Represent both sides fairly. Make clear what you have learned, what you conclude, and why your inquiry matters.Be specific and substantial. Keep the focus on your investigation - not just a book report or literature review. Write in first person, active (never third person, passvie.) Make it interesting and compelling.

FORM: We expect that a good research report will be about 5-15 pages of Word (or the equivalent in PowerPoint or a webpage). Do not pad - make every word count. We much prefer an excellent shorter report over a mediocre longer report.

EDITING: Proofread every single sentence. As always, re-read the Finkel/Zita rules for essays, and Arney's Writing Tips. Follow these rules and tips, at a minimum, or your work may be returned unread. Make it clear and a pleasure to read.

BIBLIOGRAPHY: In addition to your report, include a complete annotated bibliography, as long as it needs to be.

STUDENT RESEARCH PROJECTS: