This document provides guidance on choosing a research topic and conducting research for an English 102 paper. It suggests starting with a broad topic related to food, globalization, and local food movements. The topic can then be narrowed down by focusing on specific business, cultural, health, or climate issues. Example research topics and thesis statements are provided. The document also lists various print and electronic resources for researching the topic, such as books, articles from databases and newspapers, and human sources like experts. It emphasizes evaluating sources for accuracy, authority, currency, and avoiding unreliable sources like personal websites or Wikipedia. Interviewing local farmers market vendors or organizations is also suggested.

1. INTRODUCINGRESEARCH Elaine Fleming's English 102 Spring 2009

2. Start with a Broad Topic The assigned general topic: Food, Globalization, and the “Locavore” local food movement.

3. Pick a Focus

4. Narrow Your Focus Business/Economic Issues Fair Trade and Developing Economies Farmers Markets and Local Economies Financial Cost of Negative Climate/Health Impacts Cultural/Humanistic Implications The Loss of Regional Cultural Uniqueness Shared Cultural Understanding through Food Health/Science Impacts People Mass-Produced Foods and Hunger Alleviation Mass-Produced Foods and Obesity Traditional Indigenous Foods & Health Climate Carbon Footprints and Global Warming Pros and Cons of Eating Locally

5. Example: Narrowing the Topic

6. Before You Search… Do you have a specific or well-developed question, idea, or thesis-statement? …OR… Do you have a vague or very general idea of what you want to research?

7. General Idea EXAMPLE:“I think I want to do something about Coca Cola and how it’s an example of globalism and what its effects are on communities.” Pick out the main concepts. If it helps in your pre-research stage, write a possible thesis statement.

8. Thesis Statement: The Point Sums up your paper. Gives the reader a brief overview of what you hope to tell them. You can start out with one thesis statement in the prewriting or research stage and end up with a totally different one in your final paper.

9. Example: Thesis Statement If you want to do a paper on how Coca Cola may be contributing to global health problems, you can write a thesis statement like: Coca Cola contributes to unhealthiness through globalism, including in Indigenous communities.

10. Example: Thesis Statement Find possible search terms by isolating specific concepts Coca Cola contributes to unhealthiness through globalism, including in Indigenous communities. Possible Search Terms: Coca Cola Unhealthiness Globalism Indigenous communities

11. Where to Find Information Print Materials Books Magazines Newspapers Encyclopedias Electronic Resources Databases Websites Human Resources Experts Researchers

12. Library Resources LLTC Library http://www.northstarcatalog.org/common/welcome.jsp?site=100&context=leechcollege KRLS Public Library System http://kitchicat.krls.org BSU A. C. Clarke Library Reciprocal usage agreement http://bsu.mnpals.net

13. Print Resources: Books May be specifically on topic: Richard Wilk’sFast Food/Slow Food: The Cultural Economy of the Global Food System (available at BSU) May be tangentially-related to topic: The Minnesota Homegrown Cookbook: Local Food, Local Restaurants, Local Recipes (available through KRLS) Check the table of contents(front of the book) and the index (back of the book)!

14. Print Resources: Articles Search newspapers, magazines, journals Articles searchable online: Electronic databases available through LLTC Newspapers available in print and online Google Scholar

15. Electronic Resources: Articles Electronic databases available through LLTC EBSCO ProQuest Newspapers INFOTRAC News sources available online: CNN, MSNBC National Public Radio Newspapers (Anishinaabeg Today, Bemidji Pioneer, Star Tribune) Google Scholar http://scholar.google.com

16. Things to Keep in Mind Some personal web pages may contain biased or incorrect information. Wikipedia is not a good academic research source, because anyone can change or edit the articles, making it unreliable. Use it as a starting point but double-check with trustworthy sources.

17. More Things to Keep in Mind Evaluate sources on their: Accuracy Does the source contain errors or mistakes or non-factual information? Authority Was the author a credible expert? Was the webpage from an official organization? Currency When was the information source created or last updated?

18. People Are Resources, Too! Ask questions and interview experts: Cass Lake Farmers Market Dennis Montgomery (LLTC instructor) Harmony Co-Op in Bemidji Headwaters Food Sovereignty Council Leech Lake Nutrition Services North Country Farmers Market Gardeners and growers who purposefully choose to sell or to eat locally-harvested meats and produce

19. If You Have Any Questions: About the assignment itself, contact your instructor Elaine. About research and resources, ask Elaine Your library staff