ASIAN 236 RS 236 deeper dive paper

ASIAN 236 RS 236 deeper dive paper

ASIAN/RS 236 (Fall 2020) Deeper Dive Paper: updated prompt

What: 500-word research paper (+/- 20 words), on any topic related to the course When: posttopicby8pm,Tuesday,Oct.6(textentry)

upload draft by 8pm, Thursday, Oct. 15 (.doc, .docx, or .pdf)
finish peer reviews by 8pm, Sunday, Oct. 18 (rose-bud-thorn and media comment) upload final version by 8pm, Thursday, Oct. 22 (.doc, .docx, or .pdf)

Where: Canvas (follow the link for each assignment; peer reviews will show up on your dashboard) Other: give your title & total wordcount (excepting notes & bibliography) at the top of the page;

use three fully online, peer-reviewed sources, and model your bibliography as usual on:

Notes-Bibliography

ASIAN 236 RS 236 deeper dive paper

Overview

Having completed two assignments on one god, ghost, or monster, and heard about your classmates’ work, you understand our subject’s complexity and the range of approaches to it. Now you will find three peer-reviewed sources to present your view of a narrow but contested topic: that is, a point on which experts disagree. You may continue to focus on the same being or choose a different one; you may also explore something else entirely, like a ritual or holy site, as long as it is related to our course. Finally, you may re-use the scholarly source from presentation 1. Along with the requirements noted above, all sources should be in English and found via https://www.library.wisc.edu/#articles. You should also include endnotes or footnotes, tying specific ideas to specific scholars & their work.

Breakdown

Treat this paper as a five-paragraph essay, using the following format:

Introduction (one paragraph). First identify your topic and the debate about it, then state your claim about the current state of research; the latter point is your thesis. The thesis should give your bird’s-eye view of the subject; do not list the names of the scholars you will cite nor the details of their arguments. For example: “Based on my reading, the current consensus about X is Y,” or “Recent work on X falls into two camps, depending on how each writer views Z.”

Body (three paragraphs). The first sentence of each paragraph should identify the name of the scholar whose research you will discuss in that paragraph and how their research reflects your thesis. For instance: “Kimiko Smith sees X as a form of devotion, putting her in the majority of the scholars I read” or “Matt Hur views Y as a modern invention, contradicting the rest of my research.” Use the rest of the paragraph to discuss specific evidence from the same source to support the main claim in your topic sentence (“Smith sees X as a form of devotion” or “Hur views Y as a modern invention”).

ASIAN 236 RS 236 deeper dive paper

Conclusion (one paragraph). Restate your thesis in new words, then summarize the supporting evidence; this part should be brief. Then explain your findings (the current state of the debate as you see it). Do the scholars who agree come from the same time, place, or scholarly discipline (e.g., religious studies)? Do they start with different assumptions, or use similar kinds of evidence? You do not have to be an expert to notice patterns like this, and you will learn to see them more clearly with practice.

Process for drafting and revising the deeper dive (note that we will check for plagiarism)

1. Choose a narrow topic related to our course that seems up for debate. You may to read broadly (e.g., in online encyclopedias) to figure this out.

2. Post that topic in Canvas by 8pm on Tuesday, October 6. You only have to describe it briefly, in the text-entry box, so that we know what you’re working on.
3. Find three peer-reviewed sources that discuss this aspect of the topic and read them carefully. If you’re having trouble finding sources, do a broader search for peer-reviewed sources related to the topic and skim their introductions, conclusions, and any headings. You may be able to turn up relevant information that way; your source does not have to be focused on the aspect that you care about, as long as the general topic is discussed at some length.
4. Determine the dominant view of your topic (if any) as revealed in your sources. I recommend highlighting your evidence as you read, so it’s easy to find later.
5. Write your draft.
6. Upload it to Canvas by 8pm on Thursday, October 15.
7. Review the drafts assigned to you. Do they raise any useful points for your own work?
8. Complete reviews of the assigned drafts by 8pm on Sunday, October 18. Remember to leave a rose-

   bud-thorn written comment AND a separate media comment for each draft.

9. Revise your draft, using TA & classmate feedback.
10. Upload final version by 8pm on Thursday, October 22.

Additional Guidelines

Like the critique, your “deeper dive” paper should be easy to follow; it should not require knowledge of the topic, nor should your reader have to look at your sources to understand your points about them.

Your “deeper dive” should be both focused and thoughtful; unlike in presentation 1, where you just dug a little deeper into a broad topic, this time you are throwing yourself into learning about a narrow one and the ways in which specialists think about it. Only quote the most relevant details, to save space in your wordcount and to keep your voice at the forefront. Explain how every quote proves your point.

Your “deeper dive” should be accurate; while we want to hear your voice the most, be careful not to misrepresent your sources. All of them should be listed in the version of a Chicago-style bibliography specified above. Do not rely on automatic citation-generators for this purpose. They may use a different version of Chicago-style, and I have even seen them make factual mistakes.

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If you meet these deadlines and follow the instructions, you will receive a “complete” on each assignment, fulfilling this part of your grading contract.J

And Because You Asked Last Time

ASIAN 236 RS 236 deeper dive paper

Other than the points noted above, you may format your paper however you like (title-page or no title- page, single-spaced or double-spaced, font-size, endnotes vs. footnotes vs. in-text citations, and so on).

That said, I advise against using the author-date format, since we require a different style for the bibliography; switching styles within the same paper just isn’t done in real life. Practically speaking, the author-date format will also make it hard to get an accurate automatic wordcount; remember, we just want the count for the body of the paper, including quotes.