This assignment, by E. Shelley Reid, is from the textbook Rethinking Your Writing: Rhetoric for Reflective Writers, available from the WAC Clearinghouse Repository.
The abstract from the site explains:
Use this exercise to uncover what is already known, arguable, and/or current about an issue you are interested in writing about before you commit to a lengthy project.
Key Features of This Assignment
- Early-Stage Research
- Students conduct preliminary research to assess the relevance, interest, and manageability of their chosen topics before committing to lengthy projects.
- Mainstream and Scholarly Views
- Students are guided to explore both mainstream sources and scholarly databases to gain a comprehensive understanding of their topic from different perspectives.
- Reflective Refinement
- The assignment includes a reflective component where students evaluate their initial criteria for a topic and suggest ways to narrow or focus their research based on their findings.
Find the full version of this resource at the WAC Clearinghouse.