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Introduction: The Pre-Research Index invites you to begin an exploration of who you are and what experiences have contributed to your sense of identity in the context of ENG 2800’s expectations for you during the semester. You are asked to consider aspects of your identity and/or experiences that may spark a productive investigation and engaging writing. The goal of this assignment is to transform the research project that is at the heart of this course from being seen as an artifact outside of your experience or identity to originating and being fundamentally intertwined with you, as the researcher, and your internal motivations, interests, and identities. It will include polished brainstorming (generating ideas) and reflection (meaningful connections between self and avenues for future research). In her PRI, one student wrote about a memorable visit to Monticello, the home of Thomas Jefferson. In the PRI, she identified different ways her interest in Jefferson could inform her research (Jefferson as inventor, public servant, farmer, etc.). As she began conducting research for the Annotated Bibliography, she noticed that Jefferson’s influence on contemporary American politics was a matter of discussion. For her Researched Argument, she dovetailed that with her personal interest in the Black Lives Matter movement to establish how Jefferson’s views towards race relations and his drafting of the Declaration of Independence signal what he might have thought about the BLM movement. Her New Media Composition focused more intently on the BLM element of her project, since it was more timely and relevant to current events, at the time.

Requirements:

It should be written from a personal point of view—remember that the point of this assignment is to explore how your experiences and perspectives will potentially shape your research agenda in this class.

It should include narrative, which means descriptive story. Roughly, at least half, should be narratively driven.

It should consider how single or multiple experiences and/or aspects of your identities, might relate directly to topics to investigate and write about in ENG 2800. If you include more than a single focus, make sure the essay is unified and the strands are connected. Roughly half, or a little less than half, should reflect on the connections between your narrative(s) and future research project of ENG 2800.

The Pre-Research Index should be at least 4 pages long, although it may be longer, depending on how you structure your work, and how much spacing you use.

Form: The final form of a Pre-Research Index may look different for different students. Some have written a letter, an essay, a detailed outline with more in depth writing around it. Whatever form your work takes, it must include a reflection on how the experience(s) you include could inform potential research for the class.

• Challenges: Beginning with a Pre-Research Index may seem novel and strange. But this process of self-reflection, of analyzing who we are, and how our experiences shape our perspectives and interests, is a good way to ensure that your research agenda this semester is both important to you, and grounded in self-awareness about your perspectives and potential biases. This assignment may be anxiety-inducing for some of you, but it’s intended to give you the flexibility to in generating and exploring research ideas. Just remember that whatever form your PRI takes, you must make it clear to your readers that you have engaged in a meaningful, self-reflective way with the process of exploring how your experiences and perspectives might inform the direction your research project will take.