Directions:

PART I

1. begin with a person, a place, a phrase, a quotation, a reference, or a footnote from one of the essays we read this semester and type it into Google. (Essay will be attached)

Everyone in your group who does this will get the same results. You might even get a Wikipedia page in your top three results. If you click on the Wikipedia entry, you’ll find yourself on a page that provides a sketch of the person/phrase.

By getting background information, you’re doing what any ordinary researcher would do.

It’s what you do next that counts.

2. Choose one of the links and read it.

Your task is to make your research extraordinary. (That last sentence is composed with Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland in mind.)

3. Now do your research.

After you read the webpage you’ve chosen, choose another phrase, quotation, reference, or footnote and do another Google search.

Read two more of the recommended links. Then choose a phrase, a quotation, a reference, or a footnote from the second works and do another Google search.

Repeat. Repeat. And repeat again until you’ve burrowed down to an insight or question that you yourself find extraordinary.

PART II: Write journey and reflection

Write: Type a brief synopsis of your “journey.” (It doesn’t need to be in complete sentences. You can have bullet points if you want.) Tell me what words you searched and exactly which webpages you explored.

Next, write a reflection. Length: 250 words. Answer: As you drilled down in your research, beginning with your first search inspired by our reading, what choices gave genuine surprises? When did you experience moments of extraordinary discovery? What sources did you most enjoy reading?