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Copy and paste the option you selected for this project. If everyone can see the entire description of your task, it will be easier to comment, give suggestions, etc.
List the steps you plan to take to set this project in motion and to complete it.
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Individual Research Paper (Choice of Methodology): 4-5 pages (20%)
Your essay draft is due by November 9th, for peer review
The final draft is due by Tuesday, November 23rd.
Save the dates!
Here are your options. Read through them and select one of them.
Option 1: Ethnography of Community
Students will conduct a mini-ethnography where they will observe individuals engaged in literacy practices (e.g., a Bible reading group; book club). Specifically, they will focus attention on the way that literacy is a tool that assists in the development of community, how communities create literacy practices, and the relationship between that community and identity formation (e.g., gender) and/or hegemonic or counternarrative discourses.
Option 2: Literacy Landscapes and Superdiversity: Literacy in the Community:
Students will study a diverse community in New York City and explore the language employed in the local environment (e.g., signs in store windows) and consider a) the expected literacy and language demands of members of the community and b) the landscape’s relationship to the concept of superdiversity. Analyses should focus on how language relates to identity, community, power, and/or hegemonic or counternarrative discourse.
Option 3: Literacy History Project For this paper, students will analyze how members of a particular minority community (e.g., indigenous groups in Northern United States) have been affected by the institutionalization of literacy in the United States. Students will examine scholarship that points to literacy practices within this community that are devalued or ignored by formal schooling while considering the strengths of the literacy practices of minority communities. You should also consider how minority communities have used the hegemonic tools of literacy practice to gain access to power.
Option 4: Think-Aloud Experiential Study Students will conduct a mini-research project where they gather data about individuals’ experiences with a particular literacy practices (e.g., the reading of a Supreme Court opinion addressing equality). Students will ask participants to engage in think-alouds about what they understand/do not understand while reading; what they disagree with. In reflection, participants will then discuss their overall thoughts about the relationship between literacy their access to power by being able to comprehend and evaluate the reading. Students will analyze data and their relationship to identity, community, and/or hegemonic or counternarrative discourses
Option 5: Analyses of Literacy Tests
With or without a partner, students will distribute a historic literacy test to at least five adults. As we will discuss in class, post-Civil War, many states required adults to pass a literacy test to be eligible to vote (with the explicit purpose of limiting voting access of African-American voters). Students will ask these individuals to take the literacy test. After the participants finish the test, students will ask participants to discuss their reactions to/experiences with taking the literacy test (e.g., did they feel there was cultural bias in the way the literacy test was structured). Individually, students will then write a 3–4-page reflection outlining what they learned through the activity while using data from participants to inform their reflection.
In a nutshell, a hegemonic discourse is the story that the ruling class tells. It justifies their power and confirms that they deserve it.
In a nutshell, a counternarrative discourse is a form of resistance to those in power; it contradicts the main/ generally accepted discourse.
22 thoughts on “Research Essay Resources”
My research paper will be on Option #3
My steps for this research paper is to watch videos, read & take notes
Good start, Debanie. Watch which videos? Read what? Take notes how? Be more specific.
I’ll be doing Option 1: Ethnography of Community. Doing basic observation, reading up on some more literacy aspect and doing mini interviews with people in my community.
Sounds good, Elecia. What is your community? What do they have in common, other than a similar address? Which literacy aspect? Elaborate.
My community involves the people that live around me …might be my family, church or the overall community…so most likely my church community. They have a common belief…The literacy aspect they have in common ??If so..it’ll be speaking and listening.
i will be doing option 3
I will research the groups, and read about them while taking notes.
Ok, Marryam, but we need more here. Research which groups? Read about them where?
Ill be doing Option 5: Analyses of Literacy Tests.
My steps are that I will create a quiz and also interview 5 adults while analyzing.
Ardit: ok, good start. Which tests exactly? How many? How will you create a quiz? Interview who?
Option 1: Ethnography of Community
Using my own personal experience and observing the community.
Good start, Sung. What community? Observing how exactly? Be more specific.
I’m set on doing Option 3: Literacy History Project but I’m not sure which community to research on. I chose this because I can do research and learn more about a community I’m not familiar with. First, I will choose what I want to research, do research, then find some good quotes to analyze. I will use these quotes and compare them to the sources of previous units we went over and also compare them with my own experience.
Good start, Abdulkadir. Ok, so perhaps make a list of several communities you know and then decide which one to focus on. And how will you research this community?
I want to do option 5 but where would I get the test? because it says the historic literacy test. Or do I make one myself?
Natalie–you should be able to find them online. Let me know if you need help. Best to email if you need more immediate assistance.
Hello Professor Is it okay to use questions from the literacy test posted this week in Week 10?
Yes, absolutely, use anything from our course materials.
Option 2: Literacy Landscapes and Superdiversity: Literacy in the Community:
Students will study a diverse community in New York City and explore the language employed in the local environment (e.g., signs in store windows) and consider a) the expected literacy and language demands of members of the community and b) the landscape’s relationship to the concept of superdiversity. Analyses should focus on how language relates to identity, community, power, and/or hegemonic or counternarrative discourse.
– I really want to do my research on Asian American culture, especially here in New York City. There are some predominately Asian areas I could travel to, and maybe get a feel of what languages might be spoken there and even what products I might find more frequently. Checking out stores for common goods and trying to find out what different languages are spoken could be really fun. Since Asia is such a diverse place with many different cultures, seeing how they fared here in a common place could be cool to learn about. Also what generational expectations might come about being in close proximity of those who come from different/shared backgrounds.
Option 1: Ethnography of Community
I was looking into researching information on indigenous Australians literacy challenges. Watch videos based on the Australian western culture and the literacy challenges they face day to day.
My research paper will be on Option #2 : Literacy Landscapes and Superdiversity: Literacy in the Community
We’ve all been to Brighton Beach, haven’t we? We all saw a lot of store signs in Russian, regardless of the fact that we are in America and the national language is English. Let’s look at the process of development and ossification of this region in the context of time. Let’s analyze the reasons, consequences of this phenomenon. Let’s take a look at the people living there and find the connection, the reasons for the craving for their native language and the rejection of American culture for them.
I Choose option 5 because I am curious as to what they put on these Literacy test and how difficult they were. The whole idea of targeting the African-American voters is upsetting enough so I plan the distribute the exam to those in my home who are of voting age and also take the exam myself.
Option 5: Analyses of Literacy Tests
With or without a partner, students will distribute a historic literacy test to at least five adults. As we will discuss in class, post-Civil War, many states required adults to pass a literacy test to be eligible to vote (with the explicit purpose of limiting voting access of African-American voters). Students will ask these individuals to take the literacy test. After the participants finish the test, students will ask participants to discuss their reactions to/experiences with taking the literacy test (e.g., did they feel there was cultural bias in the way the literacy test was structured). Individually, students will then write a 3–4-page reflection outlining what they learned through the activity while using data from participants to inform their reflection.