Some research strategies that I have found from this class were to how to use advanced searches on Google, how to look for news report sections only on Google, how to look for magazines and alternate magazines as well as newspaper reports and articles using the Marymount website and their library database, but one of the most useful was learning how to evaluate and judge an adequate website from an inadequate one. Other useful tips included how to look for certain select websites only, like educational, commercial, or government websites. I also learned the value of how Google actually works, the importance of keywords, the importance of links, how to do an important research paper and I learned how to categorize research sources into their appropriate categories, why these sources are defined that way and what use they are, such as how to research and categorize books, dictionaries, websites, magazines, newspapers, etc. I also learned the value of the form of media and the news in general, how a topic is brought about and what sources report on it, when and for how long, also what sources come from an event and what sources change over a period of time and the change in the flow of information.
What I enjoyed learning the most about the class was how to tell a good resource website from a bad one, what the differences are, the tricks to spotting them and how to avoid inadequate websites. I also enjoyed learning how adequate other resources are, for example just how poor a blog can be for research because of bias opinions, etc. Some information I would like to have learned was how radio and social networking sites work in the process of acquiring information, we only covered a small portion and I would like to have learned the difference between the two and how social networking really worked, eg. if it really is a credible source or the general process.
My thinking has really changed on the sorting excercises. I first thought that you couldn't categorize scholarly journals at first, but I managed to this time, to make it into a category and then put in textbooks, books, and such under it, I wasn't able to dot his before. Also I managed to adequately categorize government websites into statistics, which I didn't know before and also didn't realize that newspapers could also be classified as this as well as under popular journals, which was a concept I was unfamiliar with in terms of magazines and such. THis time I was able to categorize some stuff I wasn't able to do more specifically before such as scholarly journals, statistics, research, etc. My thinking on these subjects has greatly changed, I was able to use periodicals and label everything more accurately than before, such as Editorials, Periodicals, Scholarly Journals, Popular Periodicals, Scholarly etc. Also Peer reviews, which I learned to be a valuable category, learning categories that I did not know before and applying them more specifically.
Kevin Bruehl
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Blog Post #10
The scholarly article I found for my research topic was:
Pisani, Joseph. "The Smartest Superheroes." Business Week Online, copyright 2006, page 8 URL: http://web.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.marymountpv.edu/ehost/detail?vid=7&hid=112&sid=3edf1043-4ec2-4f0a-81df-9c2f69dfcad4%40sessionmgr11&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=aph&AN=21505354
The journal reviews that one possible and large aspect of superheroes are high in demand and popularity is because of their intelligence. Superheroes are popular because they use their intelligence which is every bit as important as their powers to fight off evil. For many of the most popular characters in the superhero world, intellect is one of their key arsenals, that great power "unfettered by intelligence can often have terrible consequences, they learn how to harness their powers intelligently."
One of the newspaper articles that I can across in my research was "Invasion of the Superheroes," which was the name of the article. This magazine article is deals with the theory of popularity in superheroes in that, "I've seen them all this summer, looking for common themes and conflicts that might help us understand today's American psyche. Judging by the movies, we don't place our first priority on superheroes immigrating from a distant planet, a la KaI-El from Krypton (Clark Kent); we prefer heroes who come from ordinary circumstances but do extraordinary things - a little like ourselves. We prefer quasi-natural explanations for their superpowers - a spider bite, a chemical spill, a nuclear reaction, or a genetic predisposition - and we want them to be reluctant men or women who are not motivated by lust or greed and would just as soon not have the responsibility of possessing super powers." (Skousan).
This pertains to the scholarly article as well, delving into the issue of intelligence in superheroes, a quality that we all posess, hence "a little like ourselves" are the best kind of superheroes to us and the most popular. They are not motivated by lust, greed or power which goes with the scholarly article's bit that they use their intelligence to do the best good, a quality that we all posess and admire and long for to make those kind of decisions in our own life. Intelligence is popular, a quality that we all have, why we seek a superhero who comes from ordinary circumstances like us, but they do extraordinary things with their gifts, including their intellect that we want to do.
The journal reviews that one possible and large aspect of superheroes are high in demand and popularity is because of their intelligence. Superheroes are popular because they use their intelligence which is every bit as important as their powers to fight off evil. For many of the most popular characters in the superhero world, intellect is one of their key arsenals, that great power "unfettered by intelligence can often have terrible consequences, they learn how to harness their powers intelligently." We all want superheroes to have our own aspects like righteousness and intelligence which is why we find them so popular. These two articles carry one aspect to another, why we find them so popular because they are like us, and one aspect of ourselves is the use of our intellect.
The articles differ in the case that the magazine article "Invasion of the Superheroes" deals mostly with film reviews and the result of superhero popularity in film and media as a result. The scholarly article is meant as a regular article actually posted in a business section. The difference between the two is that the scholarly article actually takes a step further and explain carefully what one of the most popular aspect about superheroes is compared to the magazine that gives the overall general idea that superheroes are popular and why dealing with similiar linear aspects of popularity but never into detail about intellect as a quality. It mostly goes into who find it popular and what people may like about a movie rather than the comics and into their superhero specifics, what their qualities are that make them so popular to us.
Pisani, Joseph. "The Smartest Superheroes." Business Week Online, copyright 2006, page 8 URL:
Skousan, Jo Ann. "Invasion of the Superheroes," which was the name of the article. from ProQuest Research Library - Alt-Press Watch, magazine article. Liberty. Port Townsend, October 2008, Volume 22, Issue 9, page 42
Kevin Bruehl
Pisani, Joseph. "The Smartest Superheroes." Business Week Online, copyright 2006, page 8 URL: http://web.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.marymountpv.edu/ehost/detail?vid=7&hid=112&sid=3edf1043-4ec2-4f0a-81df-9c2f69dfcad4%40sessionmgr11&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=aph&AN=21505354
The journal reviews that one possible and large aspect of superheroes are high in demand and popularity is because of their intelligence. Superheroes are popular because they use their intelligence which is every bit as important as their powers to fight off evil. For many of the most popular characters in the superhero world, intellect is one of their key arsenals, that great power "unfettered by intelligence can often have terrible consequences, they learn how to harness their powers intelligently."
One of the newspaper articles that I can across in my research was "Invasion of the Superheroes," which was the name of the article. This magazine article is deals with the theory of popularity in superheroes in that, "I've seen them all this summer, looking for common themes and conflicts that might help us understand today's American psyche. Judging by the movies, we don't place our first priority on superheroes immigrating from a distant planet, a la KaI-El from Krypton (Clark Kent); we prefer heroes who come from ordinary circumstances but do extraordinary things - a little like ourselves. We prefer quasi-natural explanations for their superpowers - a spider bite, a chemical spill, a nuclear reaction, or a genetic predisposition - and we want them to be reluctant men or women who are not motivated by lust or greed and would just as soon not have the responsibility of possessing super powers." (Skousan).
This pertains to the scholarly article as well, delving into the issue of intelligence in superheroes, a quality that we all posess, hence "a little like ourselves" are the best kind of superheroes to us and the most popular. They are not motivated by lust, greed or power which goes with the scholarly article's bit that they use their intelligence to do the best good, a quality that we all posess and admire and long for to make those kind of decisions in our own life. Intelligence is popular, a quality that we all have, why we seek a superhero who comes from ordinary circumstances like us, but they do extraordinary things with their gifts, including their intellect that we want to do.
The journal reviews that one possible and large aspect of superheroes are high in demand and popularity is because of their intelligence. Superheroes are popular because they use their intelligence which is every bit as important as their powers to fight off evil. For many of the most popular characters in the superhero world, intellect is one of their key arsenals, that great power "unfettered by intelligence can often have terrible consequences, they learn how to harness their powers intelligently." We all want superheroes to have our own aspects like righteousness and intelligence which is why we find them so popular. These two articles carry one aspect to another, why we find them so popular because they are like us, and one aspect of ourselves is the use of our intellect.
The articles differ in the case that the magazine article "Invasion of the Superheroes" deals mostly with film reviews and the result of superhero popularity in film and media as a result. The scholarly article is meant as a regular article actually posted in a business section. The difference between the two is that the scholarly article actually takes a step further and explain carefully what one of the most popular aspect about superheroes is compared to the magazine that gives the overall general idea that superheroes are popular and why dealing with similiar linear aspects of popularity but never into detail about intellect as a quality. It mostly goes into who find it popular and what people may like about a movie rather than the comics and into their superhero specifics, what their qualities are that make them so popular to us.
Pisani, Joseph. "The Smartest Superheroes." Business Week Online, copyright 2006, page 8 URL:
Skousan, Jo Ann. "Invasion of the Superheroes," which was the name of the article. from ProQuest Research Library - Alt-Press Watch, magazine article. Liberty. Port Townsend, October 2008, Volume 22, Issue 9, page 42
Kevin Bruehl
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Redo Blog #5 Extra Credit
For my next blog, I will choose two internet sources for my chosen topic and compare the two, how one is better than the other and how you can reject them based on subtle differences.
We need to find who authorized the site, what their authority on it is, who published it, what's their authority on it, the purpose of the site, motives for publishing the site, who the intended audience is, and what the objective of the site is, is it treated fairly.
The first site is more of a "sell to students" type website that prays to those who need free essays, research papers, college essays, school essays. It is purely a commercial use website.
The first website treats the subject as more of a commercial site,and is more of a website with no authorized user, no name of a professional. There is no authorized user and thus no one published it. The purpose of this site is more a cheat sheet to students, offering them to pay for research papers made about Greek mythology. The intended audience is more those who haven't done any research on their own and need a quick paper to turn in without any research. Desperate people, especially students. The motive for publishing the site is to cheat college students out of learning on their own. As a result, it's not treated fairly. However, the website is mostly a huge advertisement campaign site, promoting such items as film schools like the New York Film Academy, advertising student documents for sale, reports on the topic of Greek mythology. The currency of the site is recent, copyrighted from 2000-2010. The documentation and quality of the site is very basic, but has just enough backstory and name of the God and a bit in-depth information on the subjects. The site is published by GreekMythology and we can read more about their authority in the a little bit.
However, the problem with this is that the facts technically aren't accurate, as they do not have a source and no author to attribute their research to. The level of opinion here is more basic facts for advertisement purposes, no specific evidence for the site or the information. There is no reviews for the site, no peer reviews to legitimize the site for a research paper, thus making this site rather ineffective for us. However, the site does have an online book source that we may look at for reviewal of information. WHile the site is logically ordered and organized in a simple manner, there is no scholarship or anaylytical thinking involved in this site, just basic facts. The conclusion is that the information is slightly well-documented, but not a good site to use for information because there are no references, author or sources for the site except for some online books about Greek mythology.
The second source is an educational site, created by Aaron J. Atsma, the designated author. We have certified that there is an author, there is a certified bibliography on site for educational purposes. The site is for educational purposes to the audience as attributed to the sources and biography of the author on the page, showing us that they have legitimate organization of the website. The intended audience is those who love classic mythology, hence the style of the page, and who love researching this stuff, especially those interested in Greek mythology. The site is treated very fairly as a result. The 2nd site is copyrighted to 2000-2008 by Aaron Atsma, which makes this a current site. The information is well-documented with a certified author and a list of their respective links to other sites and sources from Theoi classical texts. Both websites end :.com, but only one, the first website, has advertisements while the second one does not, just a reference section to buy from. We can also tell by something you may read about the author or something they may have written.
The conclusion is that I am more reluctant to use the 2nd site, Theoi, simple because we know little of the author, even googled names can yield excellent results of a named author, and quality is nuanced throughout the site, it is objective, more encyclopedic in nature, i.e. summaries, factuals, etc, rather than opinionated. The site also doesn't use exaggerated emotional language, the marks to use for a legitimate site, or claims that are not supported by evidence. There is no affiliation or formal partnership with Amazon, the author is just telling us that you can buy the books designated in their bibliography section.
To learn more about the author or publisher of a website, simply look for the texts or more info links, such as Greek-Mythology-Gods.com, even though sometimes there may be no "About Us" section on the website, which is usually not a god sign. All the info on the 1st site was free, making money off of their advertisements. The fact is that we have no authors and no info on their authority to write on the given topic. Plus we know nothing of the authority of the publisher, making this content highly uncredible. We also have no references to verify the validity of the site, thus we can conclude that the first site is no good, as they are more interested in making money off of advertisements rather than going for quality and objective information.
No author.
Atsma, Aaron J. The Theoi Project : Greek Mythology, Auckland, New Zealand. Website copyright © 2000–2008,
We need to find who authorized the site, what their authority on it is, who published it, what's their authority on it, the purpose of the site, motives for publishing the site, who the intended audience is, and what the objective of the site is, is it treated fairly.
The first site is more of a "sell to students" type website that prays to those who need free essays, research papers, college essays, school essays. It is purely a commercial use website.
The first website treats the subject as more of a commercial site,and is more of a website with no authorized user, no name of a professional. There is no authorized user and thus no one published it. The purpose of this site is more a cheat sheet to students, offering them to pay for research papers made about Greek mythology. The intended audience is more those who haven't done any research on their own and need a quick paper to turn in without any research. Desperate people, especially students. The motive for publishing the site is to cheat college students out of learning on their own. As a result, it's not treated fairly. However, the website is mostly a huge advertisement campaign site, promoting such items as film schools like the New York Film Academy, advertising student documents for sale, reports on the topic of Greek mythology. The currency of the site is recent, copyrighted from 2000-2010. The documentation and quality of the site is very basic, but has just enough backstory and name of the God and a bit in-depth information on the subjects. The site is published by GreekMythology and we can read more about their authority in the a little bit.
However, the problem with this is that the facts technically aren't accurate, as they do not have a source and no author to attribute their research to. The level of opinion here is more basic facts for advertisement purposes, no specific evidence for the site or the information. There is no reviews for the site, no peer reviews to legitimize the site for a research paper, thus making this site rather ineffective for us. However, the site does have an online book source that we may look at for reviewal of information. WHile the site is logically ordered and organized in a simple manner, there is no scholarship or anaylytical thinking involved in this site, just basic facts. The conclusion is that the information is slightly well-documented, but not a good site to use for information because there are no references, author or sources for the site except for some online books about Greek mythology.
The second source is an educational site, created by Aaron J. Atsma, the designated author. We have certified that there is an author, there is a certified bibliography on site for educational purposes. The site is for educational purposes to the audience as attributed to the sources and biography of the author on the page, showing us that they have legitimate organization of the website. The intended audience is those who love classic mythology, hence the style of the page, and who love researching this stuff, especially those interested in Greek mythology. The site is treated very fairly as a result. The 2nd site is copyrighted to 2000-2008 by Aaron Atsma, which makes this a current site. The information is well-documented with a certified author and a list of their respective links to other sites and sources from Theoi classical texts. Both websites end :.com, but only one, the first website, has advertisements while the second one does not, just a reference section to buy from. We can also tell by something you may read about the author or something they may have written.
The conclusion is that I am more reluctant to use the 2nd site, Theoi, simple because we know little of the author, even googled names can yield excellent results of a named author, and quality is nuanced throughout the site, it is objective, more encyclopedic in nature, i.e. summaries, factuals, etc, rather than opinionated. The site also doesn't use exaggerated emotional language, the marks to use for a legitimate site, or claims that are not supported by evidence. There is no affiliation or formal partnership with Amazon, the author is just telling us that you can buy the books designated in their bibliography section.
To learn more about the author or publisher of a website, simply look for the texts or more info links, such as Greek-Mythology-Gods.com, even though sometimes there may be no "About Us" section on the website, which is usually not a god sign. All the info on the 1st site was free, making money off of their advertisements. The fact is that we have no authors and no info on their authority to write on the given topic. Plus we know nothing of the authority of the publisher, making this content highly uncredible. We also have no references to verify the validity of the site, thus we can conclude that the first site is no good, as they are more interested in making money off of advertisements rather than going for quality and objective information.
No author.
Atsma, Aaron J. The Theoi Project : Greek Mythology, Auckland, New Zealand. Website copyright © 2000–2008,
Blog Post #9
The first magazine article I found was this:
"Invasion of the Superheroes," which was the name of the article. from ProQuest Research Library - Alt-Press Watch, magazine article, Skousan, Jo Ann. Liberty. Port Townsend, October 2008, Volume 22, Issue 9, page 42. The title of the magazine was called Liberty.
This magazine article is very good as it pertains to my theory on popularity.
The article quotes, "I've seen them all this summer, looking for common themes and conflicts that might help us understand today's American psyche. Judging by the movies, we don't place our first priority on superheroes immigrating from a distant planet, a la KaI-El from Krypton (Clark Kent); we prefer heroes who come from ordinary circumstances but do extraordinary things - a little like ourselves. We prefer quasi-natural explanations for their superpowers - a spider bite, a chemical spill, a nuclear reaction, or a genetic predisposition - and we want them to be reluctant men or women who are not motivated by lust or greed and would just as soon not have the responsibility of possessing super powers." (Skousan).
"What does this say about the state of angst in America? Today we are engaged in another drawn-out war and another frightening economic downturn; in the words of Bonnie Tyler from "Footloose," we appear to "need a hero . . . a white knight upon a fiery steed . . . a superman to sweep [us] off [our] feet." Enter the superheroes." (Skousan).
This article is very good in dealign with the issue of popularity and why it is such a huge gambit in today's movie audiences and also deals with the issue of why people find superhero movies so popular, why they are popular, to who, and what it entails for them, making a great case for my report on superheroes and their popularity today. The best part was the new information that the article gave me, which as a detailed review of the major blockbuster superhero movies, who went to go see them, the majority audience, why they liked it, and went into a review, as detailed above, of what kind of people like these movies, what they want in a movie and why they need a superhero movie, a new topic to include in my report.
Both articles deal with the theme of comic books, heroes and heroism as viewed by the world today, the general moviegoing public and the comic book community. WHat people don't realize is that a lot of people go to these kind of movies for a specific reason, mostly by popularity but in order to get a sense out of it that we can be more than what we are, we can do more with our lives.
The other article I had looked up regarding my topic was full of reviews for several superhero films released over the summer that the magazine premiered.
"The Cape Escape." Morgan, Tara. Boise Weekly. Boise, Idaho. December 17, 2008. Volume 17, Issue 25. from ProQuest Research Library - Alt-Press Watch
This was the alternative news article I had researched in Blog Post #8. The name of the magazine/news article was the Boise Weekly. The URL was. This article was found on ProQuest at Alt-Press Watch from the Marymount Library Research database.
The other article, "The Cape Escape," compared to my latest magazine article, deals more with superheroes through the use of photography. As stated in Blog #8, the alternative news article deals with the recent rise of superhero movies and the rise in popularity fore them, telling the interest in what's driving the need for superheroes and movies. Also stated was, "they decided to take a closer look at not only how superheroes and secret identities help express human fantasy, but also how they help combat fear of the unknown."
The article is not mainstream but makes a very good point parallel to my topic of popularity and the drive to superhero movies, characters and why they are so popular, why people go to see them and what they get from it, dealing with my topic exactly as to popularity that is not mainstream, which is good because it lets me research my topic from other people of my stature's standards, using photography, and art exhibits to support my exact topic through indirect sources such as photography and art, instead of a regular blog post or newspaper that carries a more direct approach then alternative newspapers, relying on up-to-date info, current events, who, what, when, where and why, opinion and editorial, in just one spot which is why alternative news sources make a good source, keeping all the info of a newspaper from indirect sources relevant to a topic.
Both articles deal with the issue of popularity and why it is such a huge gambit in today's movie audiences and also deals with the issue of why people find superhero movies so popular, why they are popular, to who, and what it entails for them, making a great case for my report on superheroes and their popularity today. Both use different visual mediums such as photography while the other deals with movies. As said before, best part was the new information that the article gave me, which as a detailed review of the major blockbuster superhero movies, who went to go see them, the majority audience, why they liked it, and went into a review, as detailed above, of what kind of people like these movies, what they want in a movie and why they need a superhero movie, a new topic to include in my report. Thats's the difference between the two sources.
Kevin Bruehl
"Invasion of the Superheroes," which was the name of the article.
This magazine article is very good as it pertains to my theory on popularity.
The article quotes, "I've seen them all this summer, looking for common themes and conflicts that might help us understand today's American psyche. Judging by the movies, we don't place our first priority on superheroes immigrating from a distant planet, a la KaI-El from Krypton (Clark Kent); we prefer heroes who come from ordinary circumstances but do extraordinary things - a little like ourselves. We prefer quasi-natural explanations for their superpowers - a spider bite, a chemical spill, a nuclear reaction, or a genetic predisposition - and we want them to be reluctant men or women who are not motivated by lust or greed and would just as soon not have the responsibility of possessing super powers." (Skousan).
"What does this say about the state of angst in America? Today we are engaged in another drawn-out war and another frightening economic downturn; in the words of Bonnie Tyler from "Footloose," we appear to "need a hero . . . a white knight upon a fiery steed . . . a superman to sweep [us] off [our] feet." Enter the superheroes." (Skousan).
This article is very good in dealign with the issue of popularity and why it is such a huge gambit in today's movie audiences and also deals with the issue of why people find superhero movies so popular, why they are popular, to who, and what it entails for them, making a great case for my report on superheroes and their popularity today. The best part was the new information that the article gave me, which as a detailed review of the major blockbuster superhero movies, who went to go see them, the majority audience, why they liked it, and went into a review, as detailed above, of what kind of people like these movies, what they want in a movie and why they need a superhero movie, a new topic to include in my report.
Both articles deal with the theme of comic books, heroes and heroism as viewed by the world today, the general moviegoing public and the comic book community. WHat people don't realize is that a lot of people go to these kind of movies for a specific reason, mostly by popularity but in order to get a sense out of it that we can be more than what we are, we can do more with our lives.
The other article I had looked up regarding my topic was full of reviews for several superhero films released over the summer that the magazine premiered.
"The Cape Escape." Morgan, Tara. Boise Weekly. Boise, Idaho. December 17, 2008. Volume 17, Issue 25. from ProQuest Research Library - Alt-Press Watch
This was the alternative news article I had researched in Blog Post #8. The name of the magazine/news article was the Boise Weekly. The URL was
The other article, "The Cape Escape," compared to my latest magazine article, deals more with superheroes through the use of photography. As stated in Blog #8, the alternative news article deals with the recent rise of superhero movies and the rise in popularity fore them, telling the interest in what's driving the need for superheroes and movies. Also stated was, "they decided to take a closer look at not only how superheroes and secret identities help express human fantasy, but also how they help combat fear of the unknown."
The article is not mainstream but makes a very good point parallel to my topic of popularity and the drive to superhero movies, characters and why they are so popular, why people go to see them and what they get from it, dealing with my topic exactly as to popularity that is not mainstream, which is good because it lets me research my topic from other people of my stature's standards, using photography, and art exhibits to support my exact topic through indirect sources such as photography and art, instead of a regular blog post or newspaper that carries a more direct approach then alternative newspapers, relying on up-to-date info, current events, who, what, when, where and why, opinion and editorial, in just one spot which is why alternative news sources make a good source, keeping all the info of a newspaper from indirect sources relevant to a topic.
Both articles deal with the issue of popularity and why it is such a huge gambit in today's movie audiences and also deals with the issue of why people find superhero movies so popular, why they are popular, to who, and what it entails for them, making a great case for my report on superheroes and their popularity today. Both use different visual mediums such as photography while the other deals with movies. As said before, best part was the new information that the article gave me, which as a detailed review of the major blockbuster superhero movies, who went to go see them, the majority audience, why they liked it, and went into a review, as detailed above, of what kind of people like these movies, what they want in a movie and why they need a superhero movie, a new topic to include in my report. Thats's the difference between the two sources.
Kevin Bruehl
Thursday, May 6, 2010
Blog Post #8
1. "Superhero Blog," copyright 2003.
"Top 10 Best Superheroes Ever,"
2. Superman's Identity Crisis, mainstream newspaper article, copyright. Jones, Gerard. Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, California: June 25, 2006 pg. M.3
3. "The Cape Escape." Morgan, Tara. Boise Weekly. Boise, Idaho. December 17-23, 2008. Volume 17, Issue 25, page 40, 1 page.
Comic Books and Heroism and Heroes
The first blog website I found, "Top 10 Best Superheroes Ever" had a detailed list of the most popular superheroes and why, what problems they face, what makes them human, their entire background story and why people find them to be so popular. Though it is a blog, a personal blog that someone made based off of popularity and movies of the particular superheroes, which movies were considered best as a result of quality, had a detailed outline of the superhero and why they are so called "supers," what people find so irresistible about them.
The mainstream newspaper article from the LA TImes contains an intimate history of Superman and why he symbolizes the ideal superhero and why he is so popular. It also contains a difference of why Superman is popular against superheroes like Batman or the X-Men. The article also states the ideals of heroism compared to today, perfect for my research on most popular superheroes and why, which is what this article does, mainly on Superman, the pinnacle of heroes and why compared to other heroes. It deals with popular culture, motion pictures, comic books and heroes and heroism. This is probably the best article for me to use for my research paper because it deals with my exact topic. This source compared to the first blog offers a detailed anaylsis of why SUperman is the best superhero compared to others, while the blog merely reiterates the most popular superhero movies and why, stating also along the way that these superheroes are popular, actually the blog mainly deals with the same thing as the mainstream article, just also includes the heavy affect of movies on popularity with superheroes into account.
The alternative news article I found, "The Cape Escape," deals with the recent rise of superhero movies and the rise in popularity fore them, telling the interest in what's driving the need for superheroes and movies. Also stated was, "they decided to take a closer look at not only how superheroes and secret identities help express human fantasy, but also how they help combat fear of the unknown." The article is not mainstream but makes a very good point parallel to my topic of popularity and the drive to superhero movies, characters and why they are so popular, why people go to see them and what they get from it, dealing with my topic exactly as to popularity that is not mainstream, which is good because it lets me research my topic from other people of my stature's standards, using photography, and art exhibits to support my exact topic through indirect sources such as photography and art, instead of a regular blog post or newspaper that carries a more direct approach then alternative newspapers, relying on up-to-date info, current events, who, what, when, where and why, opinion and editorial, in just one spot which is why alternative news sources make a good source, keeping all the info of a newspaper from indirect sources relevant to a topic while also carrying detailed info of blog-type information, plus editorials in one location instead of spread out, which is what newspapers usually align with their material.
Provide the titles and URLs for all 3 sources (full citations NOT necessary)
Briefly comment on the information found in each source, especially consider how each source differs
"Top 10 Best Superheroes Ever,"
2. Superman's Identity Crisis, mainstream newspaper article, copyright
3. "The Cape Escape." Morgan, Tara. Boise Weekly. Boise, Idaho. December 17-23, 2008. Volume 17, Issue 25, page 40, 1 page.
Comic Books and Heroism and Heroes
The first blog website I found, "Top 10 Best Superheroes Ever" had a detailed list of the most popular superheroes and why, what problems they face, what makes them human, their entire background story and why people find them to be so popular. Though it is a blog, a personal blog that someone made based off of popularity and movies of the particular superheroes, which movies were considered best as a result of quality, had a detailed outline of the superhero and why they are so called "supers," what people find so irresistible about them.
The mainstream newspaper article from the LA TImes contains an intimate history of Superman and why he symbolizes the ideal superhero and why he is so popular. It also contains a difference of why Superman is popular against superheroes like Batman or the X-Men. The article also states the ideals of heroism compared to today, perfect for my research on most popular superheroes and why, which is what this article does, mainly on Superman, the pinnacle of heroes and why compared to other heroes. It deals with popular culture, motion pictures, comic books and heroes and heroism. This is probably the best article for me to use for my research paper because it deals with my exact topic. This source compared to the first blog offers a detailed anaylsis of why SUperman is the best superhero compared to others, while the blog merely reiterates the most popular superhero movies and why, stating also along the way that these superheroes are popular, actually the blog mainly deals with the same thing as the mainstream article, just also includes the heavy affect of movies on popularity with superheroes into account.
The alternative news article I found, "The Cape Escape," deals with the recent rise of superhero movies and the rise in popularity fore them, telling the interest in what's driving the need for superheroes and movies. Also stated was, "they decided to take a closer look at not only how superheroes and secret identities help express human fantasy, but also how they help combat fear of the unknown." The article is not mainstream but makes a very good point parallel to my topic of popularity and the drive to superhero movies, characters and why they are so popular, why people go to see them and what they get from it, dealing with my topic exactly as to popularity that is not mainstream, which is good because it lets me research my topic from other people of my stature's standards, using photography, and art exhibits to support my exact topic through indirect sources such as photography and art, instead of a regular blog post or newspaper that carries a more direct approach then alternative newspapers, relying on up-to-date info, current events, who, what, when, where and why, opinion and editorial, in just one spot which is why alternative news sources make a good source, keeping all the info of a newspaper from indirect sources relevant to a topic while also carrying detailed info of blog-type information, plus editorials in one location instead of spread out, which is what newspapers usually align with their material.
Provide the titles and URLs for all 3 sources (full citations NOT necessary)
Briefly comment on the information found in each source, especially consider how each source differs
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
Blog Post #7
Marymount Library Search
1. Fingeroth, Danny. "Superman On the Couch: what superheroes really tell us about ourselves and our society. New York Continuum, 2004
2. Detweiler, Craig. "A Matrix of Meanings: Finding God in pop culture." Grand Rapids, Mich.: Baker Academic c. 2003
3. Kenneth, Davis C. "Don't Know Much About Mythology: Everything We Need to Know About the Greatest Stories in Human History but Never Learned." New York, NY.: Harper Collins Publishers copyright 2005
4. Kapur, Jyotnsa. "Coining for Capital: Movies, Marketing and the Transformation of Childhood." New Brunswick, N.J.: Rutgers University Press, copyright 2005
5. "Signs of Life in the USA: Readings on Popular Culture for Writers." Maasik, Sonia. Solomon, Jack. Boston: Bedford Books, St. Martin's Press, copyright 1994
6. "The Worlds Greatest Superheroes." Dini, Paul. New York, NY: DC Comics, copyright 2005
7. "Superman: The Man of Steel. Volume 2" Byrne, John. Woflman, Marv. New York, NY: DC Comics, copyright 2003
8. "George Bernard Shaw's Plays: Man and Superman." Shaw, Bernard. New York, W.W. Norton, copyright 2002
9. "Heroes, Highbrows and the Popular Mind." Gurko, Leo. Indianapolis, Bobbs-Merril, copyright 1953
10. "First Break All the Rules: What the World's Greatest Managers Do Differently." Buckingham, Marcus. New York, NY: Simon & Shuster, copyright 1999
11. "Your America: Democracy's Local Heroes." Siceloff, John. New York, NY: Palgrave Macmillan, copyright 2008
12. "Teenage: The Creation of Youth Culture." Savage, Jon. New York, NY: Viking, copyright 2007
13. "Killing Monsters: Why Children Need Fantasy, Super Heroes, and Make-Beleive Violence." Jones, Gerard. New York, NY: Basic Books, copyright 2002
Useful Subject Headings:
1. Folklore and Superstitions -- Dictionaries
2. Superman
3. Movies
4. Superheroes
5. Contexts and Criticism
6. Single Magazine Form
7. Heroes
A good subject heading is good in finding a book you need for a subject because it may be in the title or may have an entire section on that particular subject, such as heroes. Keywords make all the difference in finding books
The book that appears to be most relevant to my new topic from my last post is book #13 on my list, "KIlling Monsters: why Children Need Fantasy, Superheroes, and Make Believe Violence." The reason that this book is so relevant is because my topic consists of why are the most popular superhero movies the most popular deals with the teenage and children culture, especially one of popularity that pertains most to teenage culture, dealing with what they may go see at the movies and the logic behind why they would choose that movie, especially superhero movies as pertaining to the title of the most relevant book. Though it says children, it can pertain to teenagers as well, as teenagers also create such fantasies and act on the issue of popularity, making the book focus on the instinctive drive that we all have to go see whichever movie we choose to see.
The books that are least relevant to my search from the list above are:
"George Bernard Shaw's Plays: Man and Superman."
"A Matrix of Meanings: Finding God in pop culture."
"Your America: Democracy's Local Heroes."
The reason these books are not relevant to my search is that the Man and Superman book deals mostly with the plays of Bernard Shaw rather than relating to the topic of superheroes in comics and pop culture, written mostly as an analysis of what one the plays means, the themes, and mostly a critique. The Matrix of Meanings book deals mostly with religious views in pop culture rather than the idea of a God we project in pop culture or movies, which is what I was trying to find. Religion, though a topic concerning mine as a figure we want in media, does not relate to the term of superheroes or their meaning in society today, not delving into popularity of heroes, but rather popularity of religion in media, a broad subject for a different topic. The last book, Your America, deals mainly with the heroes in politics rather than fictional heroes in pop culture and why they are popular. Politics though dealing with my subject as part of the way teenagers think, this book mainly looks at the views of Democracy in America today and how they relate to modern cultures, not delving into the topic of heroes, though put as a keyword, yielded this result and acts more as a bio on famous people in politics rather than pop culture icons that teenagers and children relate to.
1. Fingeroth, Danny. "Superman On the Couch: what superheroes really tell us about ourselves and our society. New York Continuum, 2004
2. Detweiler, Craig. "A Matrix of Meanings: Finding God in pop culture." Grand Rapids, Mich.: Baker Academic c. 2003
3. Kenneth, Davis C. "Don't Know Much About Mythology: Everything We Need to Know About the Greatest Stories in Human History but Never Learned." New York, NY.: Harper Collins Publishers copyright 2005
4. Kapur, Jyotnsa. "Coining for Capital: Movies, Marketing and the Transformation of Childhood." New Brunswick, N.J.: Rutgers University Press, copyright 2005
5. "Signs of Life in the USA: Readings on Popular Culture for Writers." Maasik, Sonia. Solomon, Jack. Boston: Bedford Books, St. Martin's Press, copyright 1994
6. "The Worlds Greatest Superheroes." Dini, Paul. New York, NY: DC Comics, copyright 2005
7. "Superman: The Man of Steel. Volume 2" Byrne, John. Woflman, Marv. New York, NY: DC Comics, copyright 2003
8. "George Bernard Shaw's Plays: Man and Superman." Shaw, Bernard. New York, W.W. Norton, copyright 2002
9. "Heroes, Highbrows and the Popular Mind." Gurko, Leo. Indianapolis, Bobbs-Merril, copyright 1953
10. "First Break All the Rules: What the World's Greatest Managers Do Differently." Buckingham, Marcus. New York, NY: Simon & Shuster, copyright 1999
11. "Your America: Democracy's Local Heroes." Siceloff, John. New York, NY: Palgrave Macmillan, copyright 2008
12. "Teenage: The Creation of Youth Culture." Savage, Jon. New York, NY: Viking, copyright 2007
13. "Killing Monsters: Why Children Need Fantasy, Super Heroes, and Make-Beleive Violence." Jones, Gerard. New York, NY: Basic Books, copyright 2002
Useful Subject Headings:
1. Folklore and Superstitions -- Dictionaries
2. Superman
3. Movies
4. Superheroes
5. Contexts and Criticism
6. Single Magazine Form
7. Heroes
A good subject heading is good in finding a book you need for a subject because it may be in the title or may have an entire section on that particular subject, such as heroes. Keywords make all the difference in finding books
The book that appears to be most relevant to my new topic from my last post is book #13 on my list, "KIlling Monsters: why Children Need Fantasy, Superheroes, and Make Believe Violence." The reason that this book is so relevant is because my topic consists of why are the most popular superhero movies the most popular deals with the teenage and children culture, especially one of popularity that pertains most to teenage culture, dealing with what they may go see at the movies and the logic behind why they would choose that movie, especially superhero movies as pertaining to the title of the most relevant book. Though it says children, it can pertain to teenagers as well, as teenagers also create such fantasies and act on the issue of popularity, making the book focus on the instinctive drive that we all have to go see whichever movie we choose to see.
The books that are least relevant to my search from the list above are:
"George Bernard Shaw's Plays: Man and Superman."
"A Matrix of Meanings: Finding God in pop culture."
"Your America: Democracy's Local Heroes."
The reason these books are not relevant to my search is that the Man and Superman book deals mostly with the plays of Bernard Shaw rather than relating to the topic of superheroes in comics and pop culture, written mostly as an analysis of what one the plays means, the themes, and mostly a critique. The Matrix of Meanings book deals mostly with religious views in pop culture rather than the idea of a God we project in pop culture or movies, which is what I was trying to find. Religion, though a topic concerning mine as a figure we want in media, does not relate to the term of superheroes or their meaning in society today, not delving into popularity of heroes, but rather popularity of religion in media, a broad subject for a different topic. The last book, Your America, deals mainly with the heroes in politics rather than fictional heroes in pop culture and why they are popular. Politics though dealing with my subject as part of the way teenagers think, this book mainly looks at the views of Democracy in America today and how they relate to modern cultures, not delving into the topic of heroes, though put as a keyword, yielded this result and acts more as a bio on famous people in politics rather than pop culture icons that teenagers and children relate to.
Monday, May 3, 2010
Blog Post Research Question
My new updated question for the class would be:
Why are the most popular superheroe movies the most popular?
Kevin Bruehl
Why are the most popular superheroe movies the most popular?
Kevin Bruehl
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Blog Post #6
We pages offer a variety of useful information in a number of ways, but a very reliable way is to look for a high ranking in SERPS, or search engine return pages.
Imagine you're looking up a certain subject and created a website for that subject. As a result, you've just created it and it's brand new and thus not listed on any SERPS yet so then you must submit your site to search engine such as Google or Yahoo.com. Include exciting information and photos and various links, other website footnotes on your website to guide new visitors to your site to other resources available to them. Even though you may have a lot of information, you're site won't appear as the top search thus they will be taken to inferior websites.
Search engines are very successful because of one secret, if they provide a user link to the best web sites related to your particular topic. If your site is the best source for that particular topic, it will really help search engines to list your website high on the SERP systems. The key is to find a way to show search engines that your site belongs in the top search profiles.
The key to this is through search engine optimization, or SEO, which is a collection of various ways and techniques that a webmaster can have access to to improve the SERPs on your site.
Two SEO are very handy:
The white hat and the black hat techniques
Strong content for your site is also a key to top search results. Content can make your site very high in SERP. However, there is no guarantee and a long wait for confirmation. Web advsetisements for products means more visitors and more money. Large companies spend lots of money on SEO consultants. It depends on how your engines work, legitimate methods include keywords, relevant words regardign your website and also use spiders and crawlers to search and analyze web pages They read sites according to terms and important sections. Keywords make all the difference, but be sure to include the title of your web page, place keywords in headers as section titles, and avoid spam when keywords are overused and use link anaylsis, a technique that allows you to determine website quality and how many links are in question. Keyword stuffing and invisible text cheat sites into ranking your higher than others
Kevin Bruehl
Imagine you're looking up a certain subject and created a website for that subject. As a result, you've just created it and it's brand new and thus not listed on any SERPS yet so then you must submit your site to search engine such as Google or Yahoo.com. Include exciting information and photos and various links, other website footnotes on your website to guide new visitors to your site to other resources available to them. Even though you may have a lot of information, you're site won't appear as the top search thus they will be taken to inferior websites.
Search engines are very successful because of one secret, if they provide a user link to the best web sites related to your particular topic. If your site is the best source for that particular topic, it will really help search engines to list your website high on the SERP systems. The key is to find a way to show search engines that your site belongs in the top search profiles.
The key to this is through search engine optimization, or SEO, which is a collection of various ways and techniques that a webmaster can have access to to improve the SERPs on your site.
Two SEO are very handy:
The white hat and the black hat techniques
Strong content for your site is also a key to top search results. Content can make your site very high in SERP. However, there is no guarantee and a long wait for confirmation. Web advsetisements for products means more visitors and more money. Large companies spend lots of money on SEO consultants. It depends on how your engines work, legitimate methods include keywords, relevant words regardign your website and also use spiders and crawlers to search and analyze web pages They read sites according to terms and important sections. Keywords make all the difference, but be sure to include the title of your web page, place keywords in headers as section titles, and avoid spam when keywords are overused and use link anaylsis, a technique that allows you to determine website quality and how many links are in question. Keyword stuffing and invisible text cheat sites into ranking your higher than others
Kevin Bruehl
Saturday, April 24, 2010
Blog Post #5
For my next blog, I will choose two internet sources for my chosen topic and compare the two, how one is better than the other and how you can reject them based on subtle differences.
We need to find who authorized the site, what their authority on it is, who published it, what's their authority on it, the purpose of the site, motives for publishing the site, who the intended audience is, and what the objective of the site is, is it treated fairly.
http://www.greekmythology.com/
http://www.theoi.com/
The first site is more of a "sell to students" type website that prays to those who need free essays, research papers, college essays, school essays. It is purely a commercial use website.
The first website treats the subject as more of a commercial site,and is more of a website with no authorized user, no name of a professional. With that then, there is no authorized user and thus no one who really published it. The purpose of this site is more a cheat sheet to students, offering them to pay for research papers made about Greek mythology. The intended audience is more those who haven't done any research on their own and need a quick paper to turn in without any research. Desperate people, especially students. The motive for publishing the site is to cheat college students out of learning on their own. As a result, it's not treated fairly.
The 2nd site however, though it isn't .com, is an educational site, created by Aaron J. Atsma as a certified user, and publisher, hence the Theoi Project title and in association with Amazon, a certified site, though a profit making one. Though there is no info on the creator of the site, there is a certified bibliography on site for educational purposes, which is the main objective of this site. The intended audience is those who love classic mythology, hence the style of the page, and who love researching this stuff, especially those interested in Greek mythology. The site is treated very fairly as a result.
Atsma, Aaron J. The Theoi Project : Greek Mythology, Auckland, New Zealand. Website copyright © 2000–2008
We need to find who authorized the site, what their authority on it is, who published it, what's their authority on it, the purpose of the site, motives for publishing the site, who the intended audience is, and what the objective of the site is, is it treated fairly.
http://www.greekmythology.com/
http://www.theoi.com/
The first site is more of a "sell to students" type website that prays to those who need free essays, research papers, college essays, school essays. It is purely a commercial use website.
The first website treats the subject as more of a commercial site,and is more of a website with no authorized user, no name of a professional. With that then, there is no authorized user and thus no one who really published it. The purpose of this site is more a cheat sheet to students, offering them to pay for research papers made about Greek mythology. The intended audience is more those who haven't done any research on their own and need a quick paper to turn in without any research. Desperate people, especially students. The motive for publishing the site is to cheat college students out of learning on their own. As a result, it's not treated fairly.
The 2nd site however, though it isn't .com, is an educational site, created by Aaron J. Atsma as a certified user, and publisher, hence the Theoi Project title and in association with Amazon, a certified site, though a profit making one. Though there is no info on the creator of the site, there is a certified bibliography on site for educational purposes, which is the main objective of this site. The intended audience is those who love classic mythology, hence the style of the page, and who love researching this stuff, especially those interested in Greek mythology. The site is treated very fairly as a result.
Atsma, Aaron J. The Theoi Project : Greek Mythology, Auckland, New Zealand. Website copyright © 2000–2008
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Blog Post #4
For both of my topics, if I were to use a newspaper as my offical source, I would use the LA Times review section of recently released movies, even taking a look at the box office results in the newspaper. If I were to use a newspaper for my topic, I would find the film review sections on the front page, but if I were looking for Greek mythology, the newspaper carries a museum events calnedar of events, usually dealing wuith museums and exhibit reviews, some dealing with Greek art via the Getty Center or Villa. The newspaper would carry a small snippet of mythology that may be associated with a particular piece of Greek artwork.
If my topic would be in books, any information on it that is, books would carry a broad subject of Mythology, several books deal with this concept alone, dealing with mythology in a lot of cultures ranging from Roman, Greek, Asian, etc. In books, I would find detailed, gathered information about ancient historical figures, classic heroes, epics, literature, actual recorded text from their respective time periods from certified experts in the field of ancient cultures, from history majors, university professors, people also interested in your particular topic, etc.
If you were to look for your particular topic in blogs, you would get personal opinion, not much historical references, mostly research that the person who owns the blog gathered themselves off the internet from professional sources. Blogs would usually be certified by professionals who post it mainly as educational purposes, could be certified by historical documents collected, that would include detailed info gathered on certain subjects in history, documented texts that existed at the time, and images and artwork associated with that particular person.
The most important information these cites offer include:
TV, Radio and Internet news sites report basic facts of a particular subject or event.
News media also includes professional and expert opinion.
Magazines publish analysis of the cause of the event or subject in question.
Social networking cites, in this case, blogs and chat rooms, feature discussion of facts and opinions mostly. As a result, all of the information found here are in a state of bias opinion.
Academics and experts in different fields begin research and experiments and studyign various aspects of a particular topic. These usually appear in scholarly journals, though it is more focused on analysis. Scholars often summarize their findings in books, according to the website <http://www.lib.uci.edu/how/tutorials/LibraryWorkshop/info_6.html>
General facts and overviews of a topic appear in print and online references such as encyclopedias, textbooks and dictionaries.>
Basic facts and overviews for reference material, interviews and details, editorials or opinions in newspapers amd magazines, books cover background and in-depth information, and academic articles have scholarly research and analysis
blog - facts and details at the time of event or topic
encyclopedia - analysis of trends because of topic
books - opinions about different aspects of topic
scholarly article - in depth info and historical analysis of topic
newspaper - definition and overview of event, key people involved
Kevin Bruehl
If my topic would be in books, any information on it that is, books would carry a broad subject of Mythology, several books deal with this concept alone, dealing with mythology in a lot of cultures ranging from Roman, Greek, Asian, etc. In books, I would find detailed, gathered information about ancient historical figures, classic heroes, epics, literature, actual recorded text from their respective time periods from certified experts in the field of ancient cultures, from history majors, university professors, people also interested in your particular topic, etc.
If you were to look for your particular topic in blogs, you would get personal opinion, not much historical references, mostly research that the person who owns the blog gathered themselves off the internet from professional sources. Blogs would usually be certified by professionals who post it mainly as educational purposes, could be certified by historical documents collected, that would include detailed info gathered on certain subjects in history, documented texts that existed at the time, and images and artwork associated with that particular person.
The most important information these cites offer include:
TV, Radio and Internet news sites report basic facts of a particular subject or event.
News media also includes professional and expert opinion.
Magazines publish analysis of the cause of the event or subject in question.
Social networking cites, in this case, blogs and chat rooms, feature discussion of facts and opinions mostly. As a result, all of the information found here are in a state of bias opinion.
Academics and experts in different fields begin research and experiments and studyign various aspects of a particular topic. These usually appear in scholarly journals, though it is more focused on analysis. Scholars often summarize their findings in books, according to the website <http://www.lib.uci.edu/how/tutorials/LibraryWorkshop/info_6.html>
General facts and overviews of a topic appear in print and online references such as encyclopedias, textbooks and dictionaries.
Basic facts and overviews for reference material, interviews and details, editorials or opinions in newspapers amd magazines, books cover background and in-depth information, and academic articles have scholarly research and analysis
blog - facts and details at the time of event or topic
encyclopedia - analysis of trends because of topic
books - opinions about different aspects of topic
scholarly article - in depth info and historical analysis of topic
newspaper - definition and overview of event, key people involved
Kevin Bruehl
Blog Post #3
My research question is is actually now based off my research and my chosen topic of mythology.
One of my research questions is: Who is Greek mythology's most famous heroes and why?
Another optional research topic I chose is in the current trend of comic book/superhero movies and the question is: A review of comic book and superhero movies and how they are made. So in other words, How are comic book/superhero movies made? This is not the only research question that came to mind though, as I am still debating a certain question, however, this was one of a few I had considered.
My process for selecting these research questions came about by researching ancient Greek mythology and thinking to myself, there are so many famous Greek heroes and gods, who is the most famous one? I instantly thought about Achilles and Hercules, how both are ancient literary and epic heroes. I was always fascinated by Greek myths, creatures and tales I used to hear at the museums, stuff I read as a kid. All of the movies I've seen dealing with Greek mythology, from Hercules, Clash of the Titans, the remake of Clash of the Titans, video games like God of War, and so many others. I had seen this stuff so many times as a kid and just fell in love with it. The same thing with superheroes. I bet almost every kid on the planet growing up saw Spider-Man or Batman for the first time and thought to themselves, "I want to be a superhero." It's a huge trend in movies and among kids these days, when actually it's been that way ever since Superman was first created in 1938. Superheroes define true American values that we all hold dear to, and they keep making them into movies that do so well at the box office.
This concept came to me recently after seeing another addition to the superhero genre, Kick-A**, a real life comedic and violent approach to the superhero world, taking the turn of what would actually happen if someone were to become a superhero in real life.
Out of both of these topic, I think they are both very good because Greek mythology is a favorite topic of mine personally and plus I know both of these topics a very good deal, I have intimate knowledge of mythology, especially Greek and loads of trivia and behind-the-scenes looks at how movies are made. Plus these topics are interesting to me, they are both about enough information so as not to overwhelm too many people, why Greek mythology may seem large, narrowing to a single figure will do, plus both topics are very broad in scope, as many forms of media have been made on both topics and both are good forms of literature.
according to the website , a good topic is made with these in mind:
- It interests you! You'll enjoy it and do a better job.
- It meets the requirements of your assignment.
- It’s broad enough to give you several search options.
- It’s focused enough that you’re not overwhelmed with information.
This is what makes good research papers.
Kevin Bruehl
How can you focus your topic and create a research question?
- Continue background reading (e.g. using CredoReference or a search engine like Google) to identify a specific aspect of interest
- Turn that narrowed focus into a researchable question by asking How, Who, What, When, or Why
- Re-visit the Begin Your Research tutorial to walk through the steps of creating a research question
Instructions for your blog post:
- What is your research question?
- What was your process for selecting this research question?
- Why do you think this is a good topic? (Hint: The Begin Your Research tutorial discusses what makes a “good” topic)
Monday, April 19, 2010
The topic I have chose is one of two actually, mythology and the supernatural. Both are Encyclopedic entries.
Mythology:
Wilkinson, Philip. Philip, Neil. Mythology. Eyewitness Companions, English 1st American Edition. London, New York, NY: DK Publishing, Copyright 2007
This is an example of many possible sources, more to come, and how to cite them for educational purposes for those unfamiliar with source citations and research.
This encyclopedia was very helpful with my topic, as it involved the whole broad aspect of mythology, mythology from different races and religions, but mostly it helped me to find Greek mythology, which is my favorite because of the legendary heroes and mythical creatures that they fight. They are the first major epics ever told and Greek made them heroes that when we were kids, we grew up with them and loved them for everything, strength, courage, them getting the girl in the end, and a happy ending. This book really helped me learn more about Greek mythology, more so classic Greek mythology involving famous stories. I have only been familiar with the narrow aspects of Greek and Roman mythology, but this book helped me narrow my topic to Greek mythology, my favorite mythology, as well as educate me on mythology on other religions and races, as stated before, helping me learn more about classic mythology, especially in Greek times.
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Blog Post #1 ID130 Myself
I decided to take ID 130 because I thought it was associated with research papers, so I though I would get myself reaquainted with research papers, which I haven't done in a while. I could say that I took if becasue I needed one more unit, but then again that's why everyone else probably took the class, hahahaha. What I hope to learn by the end of the course is to make a more advanced research paper than previous papers, with more sources and more core related websites and books. I hope to get myself more motivated this time around to find more sources than previous attempts. Doing research can be very time consuming and frustrating, but can also be very fun. The fun comes from what you're researching, what are you interested in by that assigned topic, because everyone has an interest, what's yours? Try to make it more about what you learned and how to tell it like a story, like my research paper on the ancient gods of Egpyt. I love ancient mythology, that was the fun for me, so I took the research in a more fun way because I love learning about the gods and ancient creatures. My experience depends on what I'm researching, that way you can pour your heart into it because you love your topic and want to get your point across, the fun lies in the final presemntation, showing people how cool your topic and research is, making them interested in looking up that topic themselves, making them motivated to learn what you learned.
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