1. What is wrong with this example? Williams once attended the dissertation defense of a PhD candidate who had discovered reels and reels of film shot by European anthropologists in Africa and Asia in the early twentieth century. This previously unknown footage fascinated the film scholars on the committee. But when Williams asked the candidate, “How do these new films improve our understanding of movies then or now?” she could only answer that “no one has ever seen this footage before” (25).

2. I-B-C Formula 1.Topic: I am studying 2. Question: because I want to find out/ why/ how________. 3. Significance: in order to help my reader understand ______. I am studying B ecause I want to know…. C to help my reader see

3. I-B-C Formula 1.Topic: I am studying the impact of “minimum sentence” laws for drug crimes. 2. Question: because I want to know how many people received longer sentences due to them. 3. Significance: in order to help my reader understand how minimum sentencing laws of the 1980’s affected the imprisoned population and size in America. I am studying B ecause I want to know…. C to help my reader see

4. Example of an excellent paper “Family Guy and Freud” 147-159 What is the author’s topic or I? (I am researching…) What is the author’s question or claim (because I want to know…) What is the author’s message to the reader? (to help my reader understand…)

5. Narrowing your topic Remember from COR that a topic that can be explained in a few words is probably too broad. Characters in The Help The stereotypes of black women as revealed in the characters of The Help The damaging, colonial, and continued reliance of a white woman to tell the story of black people in The Help

6. The B of your IBC should become a specific claim. Characters in The Help Make it a sentence. Stereotypes in The Help The black female characters in The Help are undeveloped and rely on racist stereotypes. Make it a sentence. The Help reveals the damaging colonial tradition of using a white character to validate or tell the story of the black characters. The Help reveals a continuing problem in Hollywood that black characters are not as developed and nuanced as the female characters. Make it a sentence. The Help values the stories of its black characters only as they are supported by or add values to the stories of its white characters.

7. I-B-C Formula 1.Topic: I am studying the narrators of The Help and how their voices are valued 2. Question: because I want to know if the story continues the racist and colonial tradition of allowing white women to speak for black women instead of giving black women space to speak for themselves 3. Significance: in order to help my reader understand that this text that is heralded as ground-breaking may still be firmly entrenched in many racist methods that need to be challenged. I am studying B ecause I want to know…. C to help my reader see

8. Partner Proofreading Circle your partner’s topic. It should be the “I” part of the I-B-C. On their paper, try to write it as a sentence. Did it work? Is it a specific claim?

9. Share-Out Write your partner's claim as a sentence. We will work-shop them together.

10. Partner Editing “I-B” 1)Edit your topic or “I.” a)It should be narrow. 2) Please re-read pages 40-44 in COR. 3) What questions can you research about your claim? Write at least three, using COR as a guide. Remember that this should be question you don’t already know the answer to!

11. Edit your partner’s “B” At this point, you should have edited their “I.” They just worked on their “B.” Spend time discussing which questions you think are interesting/ engaging. Use page 44 as a guide. Eliminate questions that are Facts that can be easily looked up. What are some racist stereotypes? Speculative questions without any data How would The Help be different if had a black director? Questions that are a dead end. Did Viola Davis deserve the Oscar for The Help?

12. Reflect on or finalize your “B” Use your partner’s feedback to change your “B.”

13. Modify your “C” Why are you interested in the issue? Why does it affect you? Why will it affect other people?

14. The Conceptual Problem The “C” or “so what” should address a conceptual problem. It should affect the reader’s life in some way.