What I have gained from Research Methods

Six weeks into Research Methods, there has been a lot progress, change, and understanding of what it really means to implement research to create a valid and useful research topic. Throughout the process, I have changed my topic a couple of times and have finally settled on one. From these past weeks, one piece of information that I have learned is that there are several different ways to condense and create a research based paper. There are several ways to quantify data and make a cohesive and informative thesis. For example, from Whitney Baker's "Soapbox for the Automobile" article, she investigates the vulnerability of bumper stickers in regards to their chemical composition and their meaning in cultural terms (Baker). This article took a scientific approach and presented the information in a graphical format. This was interesting and gave a good visual account of her research.

Another example from the readings that has helped me understand the multitude of ways that research is able to be presented, in an accessible way is in "What We Talk About When We Talk About Food: Using Food to Teach History at the Tenement Museum." This one examined the introduction of food as a basis of learning about a specific era and location in New York City (Steinberg). I found this one useful because it aligns with the topic that I am interested in researching. It was particularly interesting because they used first hand experience at the food tours to explain their research and the usefulness of this approach to the subject matter.

Both of these examples were helpful in the beginning stages of development to understand the different approaches that there are in writing a thesis and the different types of quantitative data and experiences that could contribute to the final thesis.






Adam Steinberg, "What We Talk About When We Talk About Food: Using Food to Teach History at the Tenement Museum," The Public Historian (Spring 2012): p. 79-89.

Baker, Whitney. "Soapbox for the Automobile; Bumper Sticker History, Identification, and Preservation." Kansas University ScholarWork. (2011): 251-270. Accessed September 13, 2016.