Annotated Bibliography Assignment

Background

Your readings in this class proposing differing perspectives on the Holocaust and history, your interview with someone connected to your own historical legacy, your study of argumentation and the fallacies, and your proposal of a research question have brought you to the launch pad for your research paper.  It is time now to clarify your thinking, to think about strategies for making your argument, and to begin assembling and evaluating the sources that will help you answer your research question, both for yourself and for your audience; for these activities—at the heart of the research process--your annotated bibliography will be your laboratory.  Finding the truth and presenting it convincingly is a complex business, one full of dead-ends and missteps; if you work through these problems here, you’ll save time in your research and in your writing.  This will be work in progress, one that you should continue to revise as your thinking evolves.

Why Do This?

Your success in your project will depend on two things: the strength of your argument and the quality of your evidence.  The Annotated Bibliography will help you in each of these regards in the following ways:

•    By answering and, as you move forward with your research, re-answering the questions in Section A, you will refine your argument, preparing yourself for the eventual writing of your paper.

•    In Section B, you are asked to compile bibliographical information about six of the sources you have found that you are using or intend to use to help you answer your research question. These should include both primary and secondary material, and they may include web resources, journals, books, film, video, field research and/or other research.  There is an almost infinite amount of data for you to select from as you gather evidence for your particular argument; therefore, you need to choose wisely and intelligently.  For each source that you review, make sure to copy down (in MLA style) the bibliographical information so that you will be able to find it when you need it.

•    Finally, in Section C you will need to provide annotations that evaluate the credibility of the source and its value for you as evidence for your argument. I am requesting only six by the date the Annotated Bibliography is due, though I suggest you use this method of annotation for ALL of your sources, so keep expanding and revising this list and description as you proceed further along whatever line of inquiry you are following.

How To Do It: SECTIONS

A.   With the understanding that your project will evolve with your research and with your thinking, describe the paper you are writing by answering the following questions as completely and specifically as you can:

1.  Purpose: Describe as precisely and concisely as possible what your overall purpose will be for this paper. Be sure to refer to the Research Paper assignment so you can paraphrase what is being asked of you but in the specific terms of your own subject.

2. Audience: Describe as precisely and concisely as possible the audience(s).  How much do they know already about your subject?  What preconceptions about your subject are they likely to have?  On what points are they likely to disagree with your perspective on the events you describe? 

3. Question at issue: You developed this question your Essay #2 assignment.  That was, however, only a starting point.  This question may (and probably will) change in your research process.  If you find yourself straying from this question in your thinking then ask yourself if you need to refocus yourself on the question or revise the question itself.

4. Claim: What is the point you wish for your audience to accept about the subject you are exploring? Assert an answer to your question at issue.  It should have a concrete subject, an active and descriptive verb, and include any qualifications you think are necessary based on the limitations of your evidence and the likelihood of your audience of accepting your claim.

5. Reasons or data: List between and one and three central reason assertions you will use in support of your claim.  Ask yourself the question, why should my audience accept my claim?  Your evidence will support these reason assertions.

6. The Other Side:  What are some of the primary points that your skeptical audience might raise in objection to your claim or to your credibility? Who, from your research, appears to represent the audience that would be generally opposed to your point of view?  (Do not concern yourself overly with those on the extremes; instead focus more on those likely to be persuaded by a good case.)

7. Warrant or Assumptions? What common ground can you assume you share with your audience?  This will function as a premise upon which you can build your case.  For example, while the Turks disagree that their nation committed genocide against the Armenians during WWI, most would state unequivocally that they are appalled by genocide.  This might represent common ground.

B.  Use MLA style to provide full bibliographical information for each of six sources that will play a role in the making of your argument.  These sources should represent a variety of sources, some primary, including, perhaps, your interview, and others secondary.  At least two of these must be obtained through a library or a database that you access through the library.  While you may, of course, conduct some internet research, this cannot be the exclusive means you use to access your evidence.

C. Beneath EACH of these sources, include the following annotations:

1. How you plan to use this source in your research and/or the making of your argument: Is this a source for general information only? Does it provide evidence in support of your thesis or for an opposing perspective?  Which of your reasons for why you hold your claim to be valid is strengthened by this material and how? If you intend to quote from it, how will these quotations be useful to you? 

2. An evaluation of each source's authority and limitations:  How do the probable biases of the author appear to influence its content?  Does the date of the material affect its value to your argument?  What larger institutions are the authors affiliated with?

3. How this source relates to other sources you are using or choosing not to use:  How does this source comment on the other sources you are planning to use?  Why is it preferable to other similar source material?