1. RIP Source Search Forum (I need this in 22 hours.)

Before we enter into a conversation, we need to understand the conversation that’s already happening—what’s already going on, and what’s already been said. The RIP is no different. You’re inserting your voice into some type of (real or imagined) ongoing conversation, and you need to know what you’re getting yourself into. On a practical level, most of the best RIP Projects are as good as they are because of careful and extensive research. Most of the least successful RIP projects fail to succeed because of poor or limited research.

So today, we’re going to get started on some deep RIP research to give you a powerful head start on building a successful project.

STEP ONE: Who is your audience? Write down at least five things you know about them. You can think about demographics (age (when were they born? where were they born? how were they raised?), gender, where they live, how much money they make per year, education level, race/ethnicity, marital status, occupation) and psychographics (what do they believe? what do they care about the most? What do they do for fun? What do they watch on TV, what sites do they visit on the internet, what music do they listen to?).

STEP TWO: Begin research on your audience. Find at least THREE TRUSTWORTHY SOURCES about your audience based on the characteristics you listed above. I’d strongly recommend you use the Ask a Librarian feature on the UCI Libraries website for help getting started!

STEP THREE: It’s very important to understand your audience in a nuanced way so that you don’t make broad assumptions. It’s also very important to understand the genre you’ve chosen so that you can produce a text that looks professional, and a text that fulfills (or intentionally goes against!) genre expectations. What is your genre? Be as specific as you can.

STEP FOUR: Do research on the conventions of your genre. Find at least THREE TRUSTWORTHY SOURCES that help define the conventions of your genre– IE, how to make a successful (X). You may also need to consider your venue—if you’re making a blog on Tumblr, for example, the conventions of Tumblr are going to be just as important (maybe more important!) than the conventions of a traditional blog.

STEP FIVE: What context have you chosen? Use the questions below to help you find at least TWO TRUSTWORTHY SOURCES about your chosen context.

Here you may consider…

TIME:

If you’re writing in a contemporary context (this year!), what modern issues/trends/conversations will be relevant to your project?

If you’re writing to a past audience (before this year), what issues/trends/conversations were going on then that you should pay attention to? What was different then, and how will that be important to your project?

If you’re writing to a future audience (after this year), what facts about our changing world (and its history) can you use to extrapolate into the future? What sources can help you imagine what the world will be like in the future?

PLACE:

What place are you writing to (or for)? Where is your audience located, and what information can you find about their location (country, state, city, neighborhood, street…) that can help you understand their situation (and expectations) more fully?

2. RIP First Draft

Turn in your RIP First Draft here—your first draft of the PROJECT itself, not the companion essay. You can upload text here and other sorts of attachments. You might also choose to include links to content that is hosted elsewhere (youtube videos, audio files hosted on SoundCloud, etc). I will upload some samples later.

3. RA to RIP Reflection

In a response of 250-500 words:

You’ve finished the RA and have begun drafting your RIP Project and Essay. What skills did you gain while writing the RA that have been helpful while composing the RIP? What skills did you have trouble with on the RA that you’ve continued to build (or managed to acquire) while composing the RIP? Tell me the story of your process and get me interested—use your voice! But also feel free to bring in quotes from your own work to prove whatever claims you’re making.