TC 302: The Cold War and Its Legacy / Hutchings

Research is hard, it's exhausting. Sometimes you're curious and going down multiple rabbit holes, and other times you feel like you've hit walls and can't find things you just know must be out there.

In either of these cases, contact me. Also reach out to your colleagues in the class and to Dr. Hutchings. We're all curious people and we all have different perspectives and experiences with the literature in the class. Research can be isolating if we let it become so.

At some point you'll have found the bulk of your sources and perspectives (never rule out dipping back into research if you discover a gap) and you'll need to craft your argument about the when, how and why of the Cold War. 

Put your hands upon all your sources and ask them to speak to you. Not really. But conjure the picture in your head about what these sources are telling you.

Keep the following in mind as you move into the writing process:

• Keep your sources organized.
  • Make sure you can find sources reliably.
  • Make note of where quotations and paraphrases will come from and how you will use them meaningfully in your paper.
  • I suggest using NoodleTools, which has notecards and outline functions that you can connect directly to your citations.
• For paper 2 and your final paper, ask yourself:
  • What will my paper prove? How do my sources act as evidence to support my arguments? Is anything missing?
  • Why should my reader be interested in this argument? How am I putting these sources into conversation with one another in order to say something?
• Go to the Writing Center here in PCL. They will sit down with you up to three times per assignment (not per class, but per assignment!)