Literature and Philology

Quick Facts
▪ Worth 15% of your overall grade
▪ Research something you need to know
now—doesn’t have to be “scholarly”
▪ Write the story of your search; use “I”
▪ May be revised for your portfolio
Rhetorical Situation
An I-Search tells the story of your search for
answers to a question and your process of
integrating those answers with what you already
know and believe. The best I-Searches seek
answers to questions that matter to you right
now (see back). Write about your search
process in first person (using “I”). Write the
story of your search as you go; allow your
audience—anyone who might have a similar
question—to discover answers along with you.
This project invites you to research something
you really want to learn about or how to do.
Almost any topic can work, but all topics need
my advance approval.
Focus your quest on learning through
research—look for information that can help
you answer your question(s). Explore various
kinds of sources and practice evaluating them.
You’ll practice interpreting, summarizing,
quoting, incorporating, and citing a wide range
of sources. You must incorporate information
from numerous sources, including one oral
interview and one scholarly article. Seek the
best information to answer your question. Look
deeply and research rigorously.
Resources
▪ Everyone’s an Author: Ch. 1, “Thinking
Rhetorically; 6, “Reading Rhetorically”; 7
“Annotating, Summarizing”; 9, “Managing the
Writing Processes, 21, “Finding Sources; 23,
“Evaluating Sources”; 25-29
▪ Can I Use I?: “What Makes a Good Research
Q?; ”Where Do I Start…?” “How Do I Back
up…?”; “When Should I Quote…?”
Due Dates
▪ Research question: ________________
▪ What I Know section: ______________
▪ In-class Workshop: ________________
▪ Your Peer Conference:_____________
▪ Revised Submission Draft: __________
Tasks to Check Off
 Decide what your research question is:
What do you want to learn? What do you
already know? What immediate difference
will this search make in your life?
 Workshop question and get it approved
 Search for answer(s): Whom will you
interview? Where will you search? What
search terms will help?
 Draft sections as you start to research—this
project almost writes itself as you go
 Work on your Works Cited/References
page as you find sources. Compiling
correct and complete citation information
is not a task to save until the end, but
important from the very beginning of your
research.
 Create an original title
 Workshop your draft
 Revise your draft and submit on time
 Consider what Learning Outcomes you
have practiced or met through this project
Length and Format
▪ 1800-2400 words/~6-8 pages in narrative
style. Label four sections:
o Part One: What I Know and What I
Want to Find Out (~1-2 pages)
o Part Two: My Search Process (~4-5pp)
o Part Three: What I Concluded/ How
This Search Matters (~1-2 pages)
o Part Four: Works Cited/References
▪ MLA or APA format; no line-breaks
between paragraphs
Some Previous Students’
I-Search Research Questions
▪ Ultimate Frisbee- origins and getting on
the team
▪ How can I explain vegetarianism to my
parents so they won’t think i will die or
get sick if i don’t eat meat?
▪ Am I a perfectionist?
▪ Do I have obsessive-compulsive
disorder?
▪ Does my brother really have ADHD?
▪ Exploring electrical engineering as a
major/career
▪ How can I get a Disney internship?
▪ Coping better with stress
▪ What effect does marketing have on
me/college students? How?
▪ Med school: A good plan?
▪ What does the FBI actually know
about me/people like me?
▪ Trans-racial adoption
▪ How can I start a soap business?
▪ What do I need to know to decide
whether to study abroad in spain?
▪ Seizure disorders: What might help my
brother?