Q Threshold Concepts: [ENGAGEMENT] Meaningful writing is achieved through sustained engagement in literate practices. In this case, you are proposing a topic to engage with for the remainder of the course. (No pressure, right?) The research project asks you to pick an important question and research different ways people with various perspectives may respond to the question. Last week and throughout this week, you've explored many different topics of interest. Using what you've learned, ask a single, specific research question you will work for the rest of the semester to answer. Here are a few examples of what a research question may look like: • Would American government work better with more than two main parties? • Are we creating an epidemic of celiac disease? • Will humans ever "cure" death? • Why do humans tell stories? • Is Google becoming too powerful? • Will humans ever transcend our biology? • Do beautiful people really have an advantage in life? • Are Salt Lake City's efforts to clean up Rio Grande Street working? • What should be done about overuse of National Parks? Have fun. Pick something you're genuinely interested in; after all, you'll be spending a lot of time researching and writing about this. Better make it good. Next, sell your instructors on the question. Why should you spend the rest of this class researching this? Remember that once you commit to a question, you will not be able to change to a new topic, though your question may be further refined as you continue to research. Answer ALL the following questions in your post: • What is your research question (or questions)? Why did you pick the question(s)? Is the topic something you care about? Is it something you know little about but would like to learn? • Can you be objective in the way you think and write about the issue? Often if we care a great deal about something it is hard to understand and fairly represent other perspectives. During most of the research project, you will be required to hold off taking a side in order to consider other points of view. Do you feel you can write fairly about perspectives very different from your own on this question? • Will you be able to find credible information that answers the question? Where do you think you will find such information? Will you be able to find at least three very different perspectives on the issue (where a simple pro versus con breakdown is not acceptable)? • Is your question too broad? Will researching it uncover information that is far too diverse to provide much answer to your specific research question? Is the question too specific? One way to understand the research question for this unit is to pose a question that has different sources available to realize three or more distinct, reasonable answers to the question? • What is at stake with the question? Why does getting an answer matter? • Who are the stakeholders in this question, meaning who has something to win or lose given how the question is answered?