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(SAMPLE ARTICLE SUMMARY AND RAVEN EVALUATION)
AP Capstone Research
Research Topic Assignment #1
(Your Name)
(The Date)
Topic: Language Revitalization Programs in Indigenous Communities
Source: Schlesinger, Arthur, Jr. The Disuniting of America: Reflections on a
Multicultural Society.
Summary:
In his 1998 book The Disuniting of America: Reflections on a Multicultural Society, Arthur M.
Schlesinger, Jr. argues that America’s focus on multiculturalism is divisive. Schlesinger sees
English as the only language that provides social mobility in American society, and as such
he promotes monolingual education. However, his argument against bilingual education
goes much further than the lobbyists of the England-Only movement, who claim to favor
English-only education because of its instrumental value for non-English speaking
immigrants. Schlesinger refers to bilingualism as a “separatist impulse” and English as the
one ‘essential bond of cohesion’ that unites all Americans (p.115). He is not opposed to
native languages that are learned in the home, or to English speakers learning a second
language in school, but to ‘institutional bilingualism,” exemplified by public school programs
that either aim to accommodate non-English speakers or help them retain their native
languages.
‘Institutional bilingualism’ is just one of the many things that Schlesinger accuses of dividing
America. It is part of his larger argument that the various multicultural movements that
have formed to promote ethnic and cultural pride and challenge Euro-centrism have become
ethnocentric themselves, creating an institutionalized ‘cult of ethnicity’ that threatens to
destroy America’s ‘melting pot.” This ‘melting pot’ period in America’s history was a time in
which people of different cultures and ethnicities recognized their differences but were bound
together by a common American culture, political system and languages.
There are several problems with Schlesinger’s argument. First, although he does not shy
away from discussing racism in America, his description of the ‘melting pot’ is a romanticized
idealization. He writes about the 19th century European immigrants who readily abandoned
their native languages in order to assimilate into American society (p112), but does not
discuss the many indigenous tribes who were literally forced to abandon their native
languages for English. For many Native Americans, assimilation into American culture was
not a choice…
RAVEN Analysis:
Arthur Schlesinger, Jr. was a renowned 20th century historian, social critic and public
intellectual. He had a long career in writing and politics and worked for President Kennedy in
several capacities, notably as a speech-writer and adviser. He has been published many
times by well-respected university presses and he is often looked to as an authoritative voice
on 20th century American political history. As a prominent, well-respected, and long-time
historian, he has specialized knowledge and is in a good position to understand and write
about American culture. He has no apparent vested interests at stake. It should be noted
that this book was published eighteen years ago, though due to the nature of the topic, the
argument nevertheless remains relevant.
AP Capstone Research
Research Topic Assignment #1
(Your Name)
(The Date)
Topic: Efficacy of Online Education
Source: Horowitz, Doogie. Distance Learning’s Downfall. Journal of Modern
Education. 2013. Vol. 4, Issue 65, pp. 114-123.
Summary:
In Distance Learning’s Downfall, Dr. Doogie Horowitz talks about the ups—and, more recently,
multiple downs—of the online-based learning systems we’ve all seen on late-night
commercials and in online ads. While the Internet has its education potential, Horowitz says
that for-profit institutions can also use it for less altruistic purposes in the names of higher
learning.
The abundance of opportunities to cheat are first on Horowitz’s list of problems. With a simple
online search, less scrupulous students can find ghostwriters willing to sit through an entire
semester’s worth of classes for around $1500. Plagiarism is a problem anywhere, of course,
but the anonymous nature of online classes, specifically those that don’t require webcams, can
cause huge trouble.
Worse are those institutions that seem not to care as long as they’re paid for it. Horowitz has
few figures to back this up, since these institutions have no obligation to discuss their internal
policies and practices. However, he makes the rational claim that those companies most
driven to big advertising programs, and thus likely making the biggest profits, would probably
have an incentive to be lax with their expulsions and suspensions. At the very least, he
argues, lax policies, like those not requiring webcams as part of class attendance, or those
that don’t wish to pay for online anti-plagiarism software, indicate a commercial motive, not
an educational one.
There is also, Horowitz says, the lack of hands-on experience inherent in many online classes.
While some do require external volunteer work, internships, or classwork, nothing matches the
experience of attending a class, looking a professor in the eye, and getting your hands dirty
with various lab activities. For this argument, Horowitz produces an online article that claims
learning absorption is better done in an area devoted to learning. Other places, like coffee
shops or the living room couch, often provide distractions outright banned in the classroom.
Finally, Horowitz claims that the educators in this field are often little more than mercenaries.
He claims that his own biases from his time as a university professor might shine through, but
that overhearing online teachers in the pub bragging that they get paid X amount for X classes
in a semester is a microcosm of the whole for-profit online learning “scheme.” While any
education is better than none, he claims, a student might be better served attending a nearby
community college—many of which cost a fraction of an online tuition bill.
In the end, Horowitz says online classes are “a problem—maybe not a catastrophic one, but a
problem.” Because of the for-profit motive and cheater-friendly systems, he says, education
as a whole is compromised. Given the reputation even traditional colleges have received, all
reputable learning systems should work to distance themselves from their less honest cousins.
RAVEN Analysis:
Dr. Horovitz has published many academic works in the last decade, though mainly in
medical journals. Thus while he has written a few articles opposing online education in
popular magazines, it must be noted that his background is in medicine, not education.
Furthermore, while Dr. Horovitz writes an impassioned argument against online education,
he cites few statistics to back up his claims, which therefore need to be substantiated.
Source Evaluation (RAVEN Analysis in other words)
Credibility
Who is the author?
Are any credentials given?
Who is the publisher?
If you can’t tell the answer to the above questions or if there isn’t any clear information, be
suspicious. For websites, you may have to check the homepage or the “About us” page to
find who is behind the site. If the source is published by a university press, it is likely to be
scholarly. Check the edition or for any updates on the source, further editions indicate a
source has been revised and updated to reflect changes in the content and may include any
omissions from the previous edition. Also, many printings or editions may indicate that the
work has become a standard source in the area and is reliable.
Currency
What is the date of publication?
For websites, when was the site last updated?
Think about your topic and how important recent information is to it; is the source current
or out-of-date for your topic? For a history project on the Spanish American War, currency
may not be very important. For a paper on human cloning, currency would be very
important.
Point of View or Bias
Was the information intended to persuade, inform, entertain or sell?
For websites, what does the address end with - .com, .edu, .gov?
Is it easy to make out the author’s opinions or point of view?
There’s nothing wrong with a source having a point of view, but you need to be aware of it
so you can investigate the other sides of the issue. Once you have checked the Credibility on
the source, you might have an easier time determining
any bias. For example: Information on gun control written by the National Rifle Association.
Accuracy
Are the sources for any factual information clearly listed so they can be
verified?
Is the information free of grammatical, spelling, and typographical errors?
Are any research studies and/or statistics discussed, if so are they listed in a
works cited?
Generally, the presence and quality of a bibliography or works cited reflects on the attention
with which the authors have prepared their work. You may not know enough about the
topic to judge so look for solid evidence, such as research studies, a bibliography or
references to other source the author used. All of these things indicate the information is
based on research rather than just opinion.
Coverage
Is the work a primary or secondary source?
If you were researching Robert Oppenheimer’s role in the development of the atomic b omb,
Oppenheimer’s own writings would be one of many primary sources available on this topic.
Others might include relevant government documents and contemporary newspaper and
journal articles. Scholars use this primary material to generate interpretations which
become secondary sources. Books, encyclopedia articles, and scholarly journal articles
about Oppenheimer’s role are considered secondary sources. Choose both primary and
secondary sources when you have the opportunity.