Some Questions for Tomorrow

Reason, Passion, Madness, Revenge and Justice

Liberal Arts Cluster

Fall 2012

Professor Van Slyck

What is Research?

“Research is formalized curiosity.  It is poking and prying with a purpose.” Zora Neale Hurston, Dust Tracks on a Road

  Define “research”

  What research have we already done in this class?

  What research are you doing for your Electra project?

  Where do you usually go for research?

  What makes you discouraged about doing research?

  What makes you excited about research?

Here is a list of research activities we will be engaged in (besides the work on Electra) in the next few weeks:

1  1.  Research on Antigone: Aristotle’s definition of tragedy; Hegel’s definition of tragedy, Bradley’s definition of tragedy; Greek terms relevant to tragedy—catharsis, hamartia. . .(see coursepak); ideas about women and men in classical Greece; ties of clan and blood versus allegiance to the city; Sophocles’ attitude toward women; ideas about justice, honoring the dead.
   2.     Research on Zeitoun:  what is fiction/non-fiction;  how a writer does research; hurricane Katrina; Spike Lee’s film, When the Levees Broke; FEMA and Katrina; the National Guard and Katrina; Muslim culture and values; stereotypes and other attitudes towards Muslims depicted in Zeitoun; the U.S. War on terrorism and its relationship to events surrounding Katrina; the updated story of Zeitoun today.

We will review the LaGuardia Common Reading Website on Zeitoun and you should pay special attention to the interview with Eggers, the document on Muslim culture and the discussion of the war on terrorism.  All of the material on that site is research!  Your research paper will be based on Zeitoun, though you have done some research on every essay.  There will be a separate assignment sheet for this topic, forthcoming.