“How did this research help me come to my final research question?” Reflect on the ways the workshop shaped your topic and refined your research question.

Having a good source is one thing, but knowing how to use it is different, and knowing how to use it effectively – well, that’s completely different. That’s why, when I decided to use Marie Marchand Ross’ autobiographical work Child of Icaria, the workshop techniques of identifying and contextualizing different aspects of my source are so integral to my final research project. I knew what the source said, I knew the basics, and I knew the source was going to be valuable to my overall project, but beyond that, defining exactly what I thought was valuable from the course was vague and cloudy.  It was something I could easily pass off with a shrug and a “I’ll think about it later.” Instead, I was forced to think about how Marie Ross’ experiences as a small child was going to help me define the community’s development of exclusivity. Picking out facts and themes allowed me to see the gradual progression of the source and that progression will eventually play a role in defining the overall arc of the community in my paper.  Having defined the facts, I can now interpret them into the trends and valuable bits of information that will, when combined with other sources, transform my argument from being theoretical to conceptual and research based.

While the workshop did not directly change my topic but it did allow me to see a new perspective on my topic and how valuable a first person account can be for my research proposal. I hope to continue the exploration of  primary sources in order to bring together diverse perspectives and provide a holistic presentation of the Icarian community.