Assignment:
Asian American Women, Spring 2018
Topic & Methods
To introduce and situate your topic, we will use the form of an Abstract. Abstracts are usually requested by scholarly journals and written after the original manuscript was composed. In this course assignment, we will adapt elements of the abstract to function as a proposal being written before the paper is completed, while retaining the abstract's ability to present the significance of the proposed topic and enable readers to quickly decide whether or not they want to look at your completed article. While a proposal can be quite long depending on the assignment and purpose, an abstract is generally kept brief. (approximately 300 words).
Elements of an Abstract to include for this Assignment:
• A statement of the problem or question, and objectives. / Aims
• A summary of methods you will utilize or your research approach. Keep in mind you are required to incorporate both primary and secondary materials for your research. / Method; the next assignment will ask for more developed thinking on this.
• The significance of the proposed topic should become clear as well - persuade us why this study is needed and vital for expanding or illuminating our understanding of Asian American Women. / Background and Potential for Discoveries
The abstract should read as a self-contained piece of writing that can be understood independently from the essay or project
STRIVE TO
Include a valid thesis in understandable language and follow lucid, persuasive prose.
Provide clear explanations of key terms and keep digressions to a minimum, preferably limited to the footnotes in the manuscript.
Assignment is also designed to practice writing abstracts, a format typically required for science journals, and often asked for by social sciences and humanities journals.
Q1. Do you have sufficient enthusiasm for a project that will span the whole term?
Q2. Is your idea different from other books/publications/coverage on the subject? Does the idea spark enthusiasm not just in yourself but others in your field, friends, or prospective readers?
Q3. Are you willing to acquire any lacking skills, such as, writing style, specific terminology and knowledge on that field for this project? Will it fit into your career and life at the time or will you not have the time to engage in such extensive research?