A question = a problem to be addressed

 Data collection = walls  Hypothesis that guides the data collection = foundation  Research question = the ground beneath the foundation  If your research question is built on unstable ground (shaky premises), your foundation isn’t going to be very strong, the walls won’t be straight, and the house won’t be stable  If your research question isn’t strong, then a lot of time must be dedicated to shoring up the research question, which takes time and attention away from researching and writing

Definition of “Question”: 1. a sentence or phrase used to find out information. 2. a. A subject or point that is under discussion or open to controversy  A solid research question helps a writer focus in on what s/he is looking for. It focuses the research and is the first step in forming a thesis  There is a very good chance that the research question will change as a writer writes. That’s not a bad thing; in fact, it’s often a sign that the writer is making progress in focusing and developing ideas  A good research question begins with a narrow topic. For example, “homelessness in Phoenix” is a more successful topic than “poverty.” Think about it: “poverty” could mean anything and everything from a village in the rain forest of Ecuador to welfare policies in Denmark. So don’t stop with the answer to the overall question (the “biggest problem”). Instead, use that as a starting point to develop a more focused, narrow topic, and then develop your question from there

Next, practice narrowing topics from broad to much more manageable. Ask yourself Who? What? Where? When? Why? And How? Then, construct a narrow topic based on what you come up with. It doesn’t have to incorporate all of the information that you identify in the 5 Ws and 1 H. For example: Topic—poverty Where: Phoenix, Sweden, the world What: a living wage? homelessness? hunger? When: Historically? 2016? Why: To inform people about abuse to homeless people? To argue that more money should be used towards housing? To explain the role of mental illness in homelessness? Narrow topic= The role of mental illness in the homeless population of Phoenix Now, take 15 minutes to narrow your topic!

As I suggested earlier, do not focus on the whole problem. Instead, ask questions to focus and choose one aspect of the problem. Here’s another example: if the problem you wrote about was “global warming,” different aspects might include rising sea levels,  sources of greenhouse gases  policies for slowing global warming  alternative fuels  effects on the economy Based on my previous example, here’s my narrow topic: The role of mental illness in the homeless population of Phoenix Now, I just have to turn that narrow topic into a question: What is the role of mental illness in the homeless population of Phoenix?

Definition of “Hypothesis”: a supposition or proposed explanation made on the basis of limited evidence as a starting point for further investigation. The research question is a starting point. After you have the question, you have to read (listen to the conversation) to try to find an adequate answer to the question. But, before you start your research, you have to make sure that you have a solid question. Research question: What is the role of mental illness in the homeless population of Phoenix?  Is it answerable? Yes. Sometimes, questions are so open-ended that the list of possible answers never ends. For example, “What are the causes of homelessness?”  Is it too broad or too narrow? No, it’s not too broad or too narrow. I you used the 5 Ws and 1 H. But, I didn’t go too broad (poverty) or (the world). Nor did I look too locally (Dobson Ranch) or in a specific space that might not collect data (Mill Avenue).

Your homework assignment for next class is a topic proposal: Your topic proposal addresses the key components of the rhetorical situation. It will need to be words. Answer each question thoroughly:  Topic/Message—What topic do you plan to write on (be specific—immigration is too general; the impact of anti-immigration laws is better)? What is your position on this topic and why (be specific)?  Purpose—what do you hope to achieve with this paper?  Audience—what are some major objections to you position  Context--What do you know about this topic and/or what is currently going on with this issue?  What do you think you need to learn about the subject? Start working on the topic proposal. You can get a lot of it done today!