Chapter 15

Chapter 9: Searching for Information with Print Resources

Working Bibliography

Works Cited

Abbott, Jillian. "Interdisciplinary Teaching Through Learning Communities: A Perspective From A Part-Time Faculty Member." Peer Review 14.3 (2012): 10-13. Academic Search Premier. Web. 14 Oct. 2014.

Benson, Thomas. "Five Arguments Against Interdisciplinary Studies." Issues In Integrative Studies (1982): 38-48. Web.

Cooner, Tarsem Singh. "Learning To Create Enquiry-Based Blended Learning Designs: Resources To Develop Interdisciplinary Education."Social Work Education 30.3 (2011): 312-330. Academic Search Premier. Web. 14 Oct. 2014.

Friedow, Alison J., et al. "Learning Interdisciplinary Pedagogies." Pedagogy 12.3 (2012): 405-424. Academic Search Premier. Web. 14 Oct. 2014

Humes, Walter. "Curriculum for Excellence and Interdisciplinary Learning." Scottish Educational Review (2013): n. pag. Web.

"Interdisciplinary Courses and Majors in Higher Education - Rationale for Interdisciplinary Courses and Programs, Interdisciplinary Study in U.S. Higher Education." - StateUniversity.com. State University, n.d. Web. 16 Oct. 2014.

Mathison, Sandra, and Melissa Freeman. The Logic of Interdisciplinary Study. Rep. Albany: National Center on English Learning and Achievement, 1997. Web.

Newell, William H. "The Case for Interdisciplinary Studies: Response to Professor Benson's Five Arguments." (n.d.): n. pag. Miami University Ohio. Web.

Spelt, Elisabeth, et al. "Teaching And Learning In Interdisciplinary Higher Education: A Systematic Review." Educational Psychology Review 21.4 (2009): 365-378. Academic Search Premier. Web. 14 Oct. 2014.

Woods, Charlotte. "Researching And Developing Interdisciplinary Teaching: Towards A Conceptual Framework For Classroom Communication."Higher Education 54.6 (2007): 853-866. Academic Search Premier. Web. 14 Oct. 2014.

Chapter 3: Developing Your Research Question and Proposal

In Class Lab 9/30: Evaluating Paper "Reinstating Compulsory Conscription"

His own work, but shouldn't have ended his paper with a quotation
Met requirement for word count; 4,000 words
Did not employ MLA Format
Repeatedly used both "I" and "my" when the paper states it's suppose to be in third person
1. I watch CNN, as previously noted, and the assessment there too is U.S. troop strength is still thin, even with the measures taken to supplement the forces.
Sloppy argument, wasn't necessarily clear on his thesis on where he stood on the matter
Argument wasn't phrased in a way that we would believe it was his argument, rather than have us feel it's just his own opinion.
1. Obviously, reinstating compulsory service is a benefit to the United States by not only reintroducing citizen pride in defending America, but also by unifying America as a whole.
2. Moreover, draft opponents contend that compulsory national service will be too costly for an already severely economically challenged United States.
When using transition words, he used repetitive words that wasn't engaging for the reader
Works Cited..
1. So states Charles Moskos, late professor of sociology for Northwestern University, recipient of the Distinguished Service Award for the U.S. Army, and a draftee for the U.S. Army Combat Engineers (Moskos)
2. This lack of balance is unsustainable in the long term” (28). 
He didn't build his case logically in a systematic order of presentation   
1.  It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same, or one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children and our children’s children what it was once like in the United States where men were free (qtd. in “Learn").
Overall grade, C+

Source Evaluation: Interdisciplinary Courses and Majors in Higher Education - Rationale for Interdisciplinary Courses and Programs, Interdisciplinary Study in U.S. Higher Education Read more: Interdisciplinary Courses and Majors in Higher Education - Rationale for Interdisciplinary Courses and Programs, Interdisciplinary Study in U.S. Higher Education

Source Evaluation: Five Arguments Against Interdisciplinary Studies

Source Evaluation: Curriculum for Excellence and Interdisciplinary Learning

Chapter 3: Developing Your Research Question and Proposal

Chapter 7: Avoiding Plagiarism

Chapter 8: Searching for Information with Digital Resources

Chapter 4: Reading Critically

Chapter 6: Managing Information and Taking Notes

Chapter 2: Exploring and Focusing

In Class Lab 10/14: Incorporating Sources Effectively

1. Using two of the examples above as models, open a Word document and compose two (2) sentences including quotations from one of your sources.

In their publication, The Logic of Interdisciplinary Studies, presented at the Annual Meeting of  Educational Research Association, Chicago, 1997; Sandra Mathison and Melissa Freeman assert that the “most prevalent [interdisciplinary learning approach]… is interdisciplinary studies, which require[s] the least change to current teaching and curriculum, while integrated and integrative approaches depart more significantly from teaching and curriculum as we know it, and thus are less common” (Mathison and Freeman 24).

In Professor Newell’s article rebutting Professor Benson’s arguments against interdisciplinary learning, he clarifies the role one plays in examining a question from an interdisciplinary perspective: “The interdisciplinarian, then, may not simply combine disciplinary insights; rather, each world view and its assumptions underlying those insights must be illuminated and then evaluated in the context of the question at hand, before any interdisciplinary answer can be attempted” (Newell 2).

2. …Compose 2 brief paragraphs, each containing quotations from two of your sources and highlighting the credibility of their authors and indicating where each is published.

Former Professor Walter Humes of Stirling University discusses interdisciplinary learning at the college level: “It is significant that, at university level, many fields of intellectual endeavour are now described as ‘studies’ rather than disciplines. For example, we have Renaissance Studies, Urban Studies, Environmental Studies, Management Studies, Disability Studies, Discourse Studies, Conflict Studies, and so on. ‘Studies’ serves as an umbrella term indicating that several different perspectives are required to understand the field of enquiry” (Humes 86). Professor Humes specialized in education and continues to publish topical papers to this day. In agreement with this analysis,

3. Note the citations on the next pages and how the entries vary according to the various types of sources included in the paper, making notes in the margins to indicate which type of source it is
4. Find 5 peer-reviewed sources that pertain to your topic.

Abbott, Jillian. "Interdisciplinary Teaching Through Learning Communities: A Perspective From A Part-Time Faculty Member." Peer Review 14.3 (2012): 10-13. Academic Search Premier. Web. 14 Oct. 2014.

Cooner, Tarsem Singh. "Learning To Create Enquiry-Based Blended Learning Designs: Resources To Develop Interdisciplinary Education."Social Work Education 30.3 (2011): 312-330. Academic Search Premier. Web. 14 Oct. 2014.

Friedow, Alison J., et al. "Learning Interdisciplinary Pedagogies." Pedagogy 12.3 (2012): 405-424. Academic Search Premier. Web. 14 Oct. 2014

Spelt, Elisabeth, et al. "Teaching And Learning In Interdisciplinary Higher Education: A Systematic Review." Educational Psychology Review 21.4 (2009): 365-378. Academic Search Premier. Web. 14 Oct. 2014.

Woods, Charlotte. "Researching And Developing Interdisciplinary Teaching: Towards A Conceptual Framework For Classroom Communication."Higher Education 54.6 (2007): 853-866. Academic Search Premier. Web. 14 Oct. 2014.

5. Find 5 graphics for your topic.

Source Evaluation: The Case for Interdisciplinary Studies: Response to Professor Benson's Five Arguments

1. 1. Provide the complete citation for the source.

   Newell, William H. "The Case for Interdisciplinary Studies: Response to Professor Benson's Five Arguments." (n.d.): n. pag. Association for Interdisciplinary Studies. Web.

   2. In what ways are the information, ideas, and arguments in the source relevant to your research writing project? It’s a response to a negative evaluation of interdisciplinary learning based models, very pro-interdisciplinary learning. This was originally the way I was leaning with this topic, and unless I find compelling evidence to the contrary, where I am still leaning. It also provides counterarguments to any anti-interdisciplinary learning arguments I may encounter (and in fact, I will, because the arguments this source is responding to come from another one of my sources).
   3. Is the line of argument in the source sound and well supported? In what ways can you use it in your project?

   It seems to be well supported, lots of footnotes and citations. This article seems to discuss interdisciplinary learning in a college context. I will probably use some of the arguments as support in my paper, especially if I find additional sources that agree with them. Another way I could use is to look at some of the sources it cites.

   4. What have you learned about the author and publisher that would lead you to accept, question, or reject the line of argument presented in the source?

   He is a professor of interdisciplinary studies, so pretty biased toward that viewpoint. However, it may be that information about interdisciplinary studies does come from mainly that camp, other professors rooted in their disciplines might have a vested interest in resisting interdisciplinary learning approaches. Saying this is a bad thing could be like saying that because scientists are the only ones experimenting, investigating, and reporting on a certain issue that this makes their findings biased. It may be that they are the only ones with the training to conduct certain types of research.

   5. In what ways does the publication date of the source affect your judgment of its usefulness for your project?

   I couldn’t find the publication date, but the sources it cites go no later than 1982. In conjunction with information from my first source, this may just be telling that this was a more widely researched and discussed topic in the mid to late twentieth century than it is now. Depending on the other sources I find, I may have to consider this part of the historical canon, or I may discover that this is still relatively recent and relevant research.

   6. In what ways does the comprehensiveness of the source affect your judgment of its usefulness for your project?

   Although it is sixteen pages, it is limited in scope to rebutting the arguments against interdisciplinary learning presented by another professor. This means that it does not introduce any new positives that might exist. It also seems to be discussing interdisciplinary learning in a college context, which limits its usefulness for arguments pertaining to pre-collegiate education.

   7. In what ways does the genre of the source affect your judgment of its usefulness for your project? As it is academic in nature and published by a major university, I trust the information in this source. As a rebuttal of previous arguments, the format of this article means that it does not introduce new ideas or describe educational processes in depth.
   8. In what ways could this source help you achieve your purpose and address the needs and interests of your readers?

   Readers might need or want to know the opposition to interdisciplinary learning, as well as some of the responses to those arguments. Knowing the opposition could help improve my argument in itself by anticipating and being better able to respond to objections. My purpose as of yet is to argue for interdisciplinary learning approaches, so an article arguing for interdisciplinary learning approaches should be quite helpful.

Source Evaluation: The Logic of Interdisciplinary Studies

1. Provide the complete citation for the source.

Mathison, Sandra, and Melissa Freeman. The Logic of Interdisciplinary Study. Rep. Albany: National Center on English Learning and Achievement, 1997. Web.

2. In what ways are the information, ideas, and arguments in the source relevant to your research writing project?

This source [claims to] describe philosophical arguments for interdisciplinary learning in what appears to be primary education (i.e. public school, K-12), without evaluating the success of such models. It claims that no sources are able to evaluate the effects of interdisciplinary learning yet, but it was written in 1997 so it remains to be seen whether this is still true.

3. Is the line of argument in the source sound and well supported? In what ways can you use it in your project?

I think the historical/philosophical background of interdisciplinary learning models should be a very helpful framework from which to write. I should be able to use it to set the stage for a paper either on the benefits or drawbacks of interdisciplinary learning. It also cites many other sources (which may be print or web based) which could be useful to the project.

4. What have you learned about the author and publisher that would lead you to accept, question, or reject the line of argument presented in the source?

I would accept the work of two academics, especially when they are upfront about their purpose and its limitations (admitting to not be evaluating effectiveness of interdisciplinary models, only philosophical perspectives). The publisher is a university, which is what makes me think it is the work of two academics. To me, this makes it a pretty decent source, not that academics are always completely unbiased, but academia is supposed to be about the search for truth (I think?) and is at least not motivated as much by profit/readership as other mainstream sources.

5. In what ways does the publication date of the source affect your judgment of its usefulness for your project? The publication date of 1997 does not seem particularly recent in this field, there may have been more recent research done or even more discoveries concerning the historical/philosophical background of interdisciplinary learning that changes some of the claims made in the document. However, as background information I still think it could be pretty useful. In addition, it might be useful to show how people’s opinions on interdisciplinary learning have changed over time.
6. In what ways does the comprehensiveness of the source affect your judgment of its usefulness for your project?

Seems pretty comprehensive (twenty-six pages), although does note at the beginning that it does not evaluate the effectiveness of interdisciplinary models, only strives to bring together perspectives on interdisciplinary learning into a historical framework. On the other hand, not all of it may end up being useful to the ends I want to achieve with my project. Depending on what direction I end up going in, some of the information may become unnecessary.  

7. In what ways does the genre of the source affect your judgment of its usefulness for your project?

It’s an academic report, written to inform and (in this case) to investigate. I would judge those to be pretty worthy, somewhat objective causes (as mentioned above in number four). Academic reports also tend to be pretty thorough in their investigations as mentioned above in number six, so I would say that adds to the usefulness of this document.

8. In what ways could this source help you achieve your purpose and address the needs and interests of your readers?

My readers will need to have background information about interdisciplinary learning (even perhaps a working definition) to understand arguments for or against it. They may be interested in the historical context as well, if they are first hearing of it and wonder where it came from. This document in particular discusses not just the philosophy of interdisciplinary learning itself, but the conceptual understandings of whole-part relationships in various disciplines that underpinned it.

Chapter 1: Getting Started

Chapter One begins thus: “Getting started can be the hardest part of a research writing project. You’ll likely find yourself staring at a blank computer screen or twirling a pen in your fingers as you ask, ‘Is this project really necessary?’ or ‘What in the world should I write about”? (Palmquist, 3). I certainly found this to be true and some of the strategies and advice in Chapter One helped me out of this hole. Chapter One discusses how to get started on any research/writing project. It stresses personal investment in the topic and considering the purpose and audience in choosing a topic. For instance, it offers this comparison:“If you are writing an argument, your overall process will be somewhat different than it would be if you are writing to inform your readers” (Palmquist, 4). After discussing the importance of context and advising students to be aware of requirements and limitations to any writing project, the chapter presents some strategies for choosing a topic. This is the part I found most helpful, I successfully used the freewriting strategy-writing without pausing-to uncover topics.

Palmquist, Mike. "Chapter 1: Getting Started." The Bedford Researcher. 4th ed. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2012. 3-22. Print.