an endorsement of the sources
PUBLIC LITERACY EXPLORATION
Important info:
Length: at least 2500 words (around 7-9 pages), typed, double spaced, with one inch (1”) margins on all sides, using 12 point font like Times New Roman
This paper will be spent mostly talking about various aspects of your chosen public literacy based on research you’ve done. You might discuss its importance to the individual and/or community, its value in applying it, the various issues at stake in its existence, the problems it encounters, the various shortcomings of its development, the ways in which it is successfully or unsuccessfully applied, or any number of other things you might think of. It’s important to remember again that you’re not simply describing or relaying information, but rather making an argument. This means you need a clear thesis statement that is focused, arguable, and revelatory and outlines what argument you are developing in your paper. It’s okay for this part of the assignment if your argument is mostly theoretical in nature, as the second part will focus on more practical applications. This assignment might instead look more like a type of literature review, where you are relaying ideas found in your research about what is valuable, misunderstood, misleading, or overlooked in your area of public literacy and making an argument about ways to move forward from those ideas
. Essentially, you’re focusing on creating a research space—locating where your argument will fit into the larger academic discussion about this topic.
Your paper will require research. I don’t specify a minimum number of sources —I want you to decide how many different sources are necessary for your particular topic in order to synthesize different ideas into a new one. My only requirement for your research is that all your secondary sources must come from the library. Due to the nature of the assignment, you might have primary sources that come from other places, but I want you to use the library’s tools and resources to find research that will help you make your argument. This isn’t an endorsement of the sources you’ll find this way as “better” or “correct,” as much as it is a way to force you to learn how to better use the library for research instead of relying on Google and Wikiped.
