10th Gr. English - Culture Research

Mission:

The mission of the CBA Markert Library program is to teach information literacy in collaboration with classroom teachers within the context of the content curriculum, inspire and develop a love of reading, and provide diverse materials and services to enable students to become life-long learners and effective users of information.

Big 6 Research Method

1.1. Define the problem

1.2 Identify the information requirements

1.1 Explore the history of the world and find evidence of both the definition of culture and a time when cultures have clashed, much as they did in the novel.

1.2 Where and when am I researching?

Native culture:

Who was in charge before the invasion? Where was the power centered? What was the political structure? A monarchy? Dictatorship? Tribal?

What customs and rituals did the culture have, such as food, bringing up children, sacred ceremonies & religion, adulthood, marriage? What were the roles of the sexes? What was the family structure? How technologically advanced were they for their time? What was the language?

Were there influences from other cultures before the invasion? Did geography or climate affect the culture?

After:

How big a part did the technological differences play in the success of the invasion? What was effect of the invasive culture on the native one? What happened to the native leaders after the invasion?

Cultural Conflicts:
Asia: China's Manchu Dynasty & the West (late 1800's)	Asia: India becomes a part of the British Empire (1800's)
Asia: France takes over Vietnam (1950's)	North America: Western tribes (Lakota & Apache) and American expansion (late 1800's)
Africa: South African native states & the Afrikaner Great Trek (1795+) Could also look at original Dutch settlement in 1600's	North America: Various Carribean Islands by numerous European countries (1600 - 1700's) Example: Haiti and Dominican Republic
Africa: Congo Free State and King Leopold of Belgium (1870's)	Europe: Britain overtaken by Romans (55 BC)

2.1 Determine kinds of sources

2.2 Prioritize sources

Books - good for analysis and long-term view; especially good for historical analysis and research.

Academic journals - professional conversations; some articles may be narrowly focused

3.1 Locate actual resources

3.2 Locate information

Books: Search the catalog using keywords for your specific country/cultural concern

Databases: Any of the Facts on File databases: Gale

Internet: Be VERY careful credentialing your sources. There are many excellent sources on the Internet, but an equal number of non-credentialed sites. Use keywords instead of natural language searching.

4.1 Engage (read, view, interview)

4.2 Extract (make notes)

Take notes electronically, making sure to capture info for citation.

Citation generator

You are responsible for the accuracy of your citation, not the generator or the database vendor. Check against citation examples.

5.1 Organize information

5.2 Present information

Citation: 21 Oct 2009

6.1 Judge the product

6.2 Judge the process

Did you answer the questions you raised in the beginning? Is your thesis well defended?

What did you learn about choosing resources? About credentialing websites?