Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Research Papers.
Usually when I write research papers, I dread beginning them and put it off as late as I possibly can. Then, once I look up all my information and start writing my paper I realize, “This might not be as bad as I thought.” In my junior year of high school in my AP Language and Composition class we were required to write something like a 10 page research paper. At first I thought that was a ridiculous amount of pages for just one topic. My teacher pretty much let us choose whatever topic we wanted she just had to approve it when we decided. I ended up writing about the long term effects of tanning beds then, and was interested and learned a lot about different types of skin cancer. If I could research anything now, I would probably research something like eating disorders, or child abuse or maybe child disabilities. Problems like these I think would be interesting for me to write because I am interested in researching the reasons these problems exist, and why they are so common. My question for you, Mrs. O’Malley, is: Are we going to be able to use sources such as movies or songs? Or will it be strictly articles and books?
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Yeah I’m definitely right there with you on the procrastination thing. It’s really hard for me to focus enough in the beginning to actually get the paper started. My junior year I also had to write a 10 page paper for my world history class. I had transferred from Texas that summer and got enrolled late. My teacher called me and said I needed to have it done the week that class started. Everyone had had the whole summer. I ended up writing on Greek mythology, but writing about the gods only has so much interest for me. I met the page length, but it took a really long time to get there.
ReplyDeleteI also deffinitely agree that "starting" the paper is the most difficult part. At least you had some experience coming into college. I don't remember ever writing one formal research paper in high school. I also agree that having interesting topics is more encouraging. I really like the topics you are interested in writing about. Your paper about tanning beds is a good example of how one thing can lead you to learn about even more topics(skin cancer). I hope in this class we will have that kind of freedom.
ReplyDeleteStarting any paper is always the hardest part. Finding the ideas and subject to write about it always a pain. I like that you want to write about eating disorders and what really are the cause of them. That kind of science has always interested me also, maybe you could look at a few different aspects for it, like how the media portrays women in today's society and how girls feel the need to look up to such aspirations, and also the mental chemical imbalance in the brain that also distorts peoples minds into thinking the way they do.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I used to go to the tanning bed until my mom got melanoma and it scared me to death. But it would be interesting to know the percentages of getting cancer and such things from tanning beds versus tanning in the sun.