The goal of this assignment is to help you consider your “dream team” of scholar

The goal of this assignment is to help you consider your “dream team” of scholars, activists, journalists, professionals, and/or practitioners with whom you would like to have an ongoing dialogue about your project. By completing this activity, you’ll be identifying several individuals who are writing about, thinking about, researching, or activating change in ways that inspire and resonate with you. These are people who you might potentially cite or refer to in the first few pages of your proposal (literature review), who you might hope to have read your research. Thinking about who you want to write to, or whose work you want to build off of, lets your audience understand the types of impact you are hoping to have through the project, setting the tone for your project’s rationale. Reading others’ research or writings will also help give you examples of how you might frame your research or what lens you might consider examining certain social issues through.
Your assignment should:
State your guiding research topic or related research problem(s) (i.e., why what you care about matters to you, and what do you need to know to be able to make the difference that makes a difference for those you want to help) upfront.
Overview 3-4 individuals you would like to invite to your conceptual cocktail party. Why do you want to enter a conversation with these individuals? What makes them important, credible, and valuable to your research interests? What do you stand to gain from understanding their work?
Consider what group(s) (i.e., professional societies, organizations, universities, publication sources, social movements, government agencies, etc.) they belong to. Why are these groups potentially important to your research interests?
Share how each of the individuals you have chosen can help advance your research (e.g., Do they provide you with a format to borrow from? Does their research help inform and guide your interests? What makes their writing and research compelling to you?)
Overview 1-2 specific resources each individual has written, produced or contributed to. Write about what research methods they commonly use in these resources (e.g., What types of data are they collecting? What theories are they using in their analysis? What are common themes in their research?).
What form does their work take on (e.g., academic journal articles, performances, multimedia, presentations, etc.)?
Self-reflection: Based on your selected cocktail party guests, what have you learned about the kinds of goals, research methods, service communities, theoretical or grounded perspectives, or types of knowledge you’d like to contribute to? Are you now more drawn to a type of research or method? Did you discover a new type of research method or style that you weren’t familiar with before?
Mechanics:
Update instructions for assignment:
Your paper should:
Start with an introduction (1-2 paragraphs) that includes a problem statement,
Follow with a body (1-3 paragraphs for each party guest outlining their research, why their research goals align with your goals, and what you learned about them in the process of reading about their research, and compare/contrast their research and methods with other guests),
Include a conclusion (1-2 paragraphs) that summarizes how you plan to use the experience and knowledge of these guests in your own research, and proposes a research rationale for your own research
References of all the sources you cited/included in your paper
Be written in your own words, and properly cite any quotes or other content written by another source
Use proper APA (7th edition) format for your paper and citations.
Your submitted assignment should be 1,000-1,500 words (4-6 pages in length, double-spaced).
Assignment #1 Rubric
Criteria Ratings Pts
This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeClearly articulates and situates a research problem (problematizes) worth addressing, and summarizes/highlights existing voices involved in addressing that problem.
15 pts
This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeSummarizes 3-4 individuals, the group(s) they are a part of, and their key contributions.
15 pts
This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeClearly synthesizes the research/work of the conceptual cocktail party guests. Summarizes and compares/contrasts the research methodologies, perspectives, and research goals of each of the guests.
20 pts
This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeStudent describes their own orientation to the research problem and articulates what they hope to bring to the conversation (i.e., the strengths, perspective, and motivations they have for engaging with this research community).
15 pts
This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeIncludes a variety of credible source support from the course materials with citations and source information referenced in APA format.
15 pts
This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeWrites at a graduate level with proper grammar, mechanics, organization (introduction, body, and conclusion), and editing.
20 pts