Transcript Media
Greek Gods and Goddess BASIC RESEARCH SKILLS MEDIA Media is a plural; its singular is medium. Media means: a way of communicating, or how information is conveyed. in art, media can refer to the kind of materials used, like oil or watercolor or collage. In the research world, media is used to explain where you found the information that you are using in your paper. TYPES OF MEDIA TO USE FOR SOURCES Print: Books, Magazines, Journals, Newspapers, Encyclopedias, Dictionaries, Diaries, Letters On-Line: Internet Database (Ebscohost) Software program Electronic Media: tv, film, video, radio, podcasts Personal Interview or attending a speech RESEARCH QUESTIONS Research questions are essential to a good paper! They focus your research so you find the information that you want, and not too much extra material. Good research questions lead to good searches. Good research questions give you a good focus for your thesis and supporting material. HOW TO WRITE A RESEARCH QUESTION 1. 2. 3. Do a little bit of background research so you know something about your topic. This is where Wikipedia is a good resource. You never cite a wiki source, but you can use it for background information. Once you know some information, think about what more specific information would make your paper more valid, interesting, or correct. Write a question that asks about that missing information very specifically. RESEARCH QUESTIONS AND SEARCH TERMS 1. Topic of your Research (Name of Deity) Aphrodite 2. Write something you want to know about this deity (Research Question #1): What are some of the stories about Aphrodite’s love affairs? What would a good answer to that question look like? What kind of evidence or information do you need? A list of names; a myth about a particular love; 3. Look for words to put into your search. Use words that are related to the things you already know about this deity: RESEARCH QUESTIONS AND SEARCH TERMS 4. 5. 6. Keywords brainstorm: (specific academic words, author or place names…) Broader terms: Aphrodite Mythology Aphrodite mythology loves Narrower terms: myths about Aphrodite romance Greek Pantheon Aphrodite relationships with other gods. PRACTICE WRITING: From the research that you have done, write two to three paragraphs about the god or goddess that you researched. Each paragraph should tell about one subtopic that you found/asked a question about. You do not need to use direct quotes, but at the end of each paragraph, put a parenthetical citation telling where you got the information. EXAMPLE REPORT PARAGRAPH 1 Aphrodite was the Greek goddess of love. The Romans called her Venus. Aphrodite lived on Mount Olympus with the other Olympians deities, and was married to the ugly craftsman-god, Hephaestus. She was said to have been born from the foam of the sea. Aphrodite was also widely worshipped as a goddess of the sea and of seafaring. In others she was also honored as a goddess of war, especially at Sparta, Thebes, and Cyprus. However, she was known primarily as a goddess of love and fertility (Brittanica.com).