INFORMATION LITERACY Research Assignment: Practical Logic PHI 121
With so many challenges facing our community and our world today, we cannot rely on others to make the necessary changes. It is up to each of us as involved, caring citizens to contribute our skills, passions, talents and critical thinking skills to making this world a better place.
This two-part assignment focuses on using the concepts we learned in Practical Logic in the real world to address pressing social issues. To begin this assignment you need to select a social problem. Think about what needs changing in your community? (i.e. homelessness, illiteracy, pollution, gangs, elder neglect, inhumane treatment of animals, etc.)
An important component of addressing these social issues involves understanding the problems and learning what other people have done to try to improve them. Part 1 of this assignment is researching your topic.
In Part 2 of this assignment (the final paper) you will be delving deeply into your chosen social issue by participating in some type of related community service, writing a 600 – 700 word paper on the topic. **The community service component is being altered this semester because of the pandemic. (You can use a past service you have been involved in, think of a service that can be done virtually or at home, or discuss a service you would do in the future instead). If you feel safe, you may participate in a community service as part of your final paper/project.
Complete: Part 1: LIBRARY VISIT (see below) in preparation for your final paper. Please attempt to do these activities first on your own and then make an appointment with a librarian to make sure you have done the work correctly. If you are unable to go to campus and meet with a librarian, you may work with them via e-mail. These preparatory activities are designed to help you think more critically about information sources and how to choose, present and cite information accurately. This assignment requires an email confirmation from a reference librarian that has helped you with this assignment. Please ask the librarian you work with to e-mail me confirmation that he or she has worked with you. My email address is: ecasanave@necc.mass.edu.
Part 1: LIBRARY VISIT Criteria 1 – 5
Name: Date:
Submit a question about a social issue you are interested in exploring. (For example, why is plastic pollution such a threat to our environment? Why is homelessness so prevalent in Massachusetts? How is gang violence affecting citizens of my community?)
Define the scope of your research. (For example, what populations are you identifying? If you are studying homelessness, how can you make this large study more defined – homeless veterans? Homeless children? Homelessness and alcoholism? Etc.)
Select, list and describe (website, scholarly article, book, etc.) at least five sources, appropriate to the topic, to be evaluated.
Identify the author/publisher of each source and give a brief evaluation of him/her. (Are they qualified to present this information? Do they have any affiliations or biases that might influence the information presented?)
Evaluate the five sources. (Are they credible sources? Why?)
Explain the difference between web sources and library databases, scholarly and popular sources, and/or primary and secondary sources.
For each source, you plan on using in your final paper/presentation, summarize the content with formal citations using MLA or APA format.
Explain your overall research process. What have you learned about the importance of good research and how it is done?
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