Today was the second day of class, and already we're getting used to the research procedure.
We had a brief introductory lesson on how the catalogs work and how to search through the Columbia database by the librarian in charge of the political section of the database. (I think I might have misheard.) Anyways, he was really helpful and informative about all the different little tips and tricks you can use to dredge up information on the internet or databases.
Afterwards, he took us on a quick trip around the library, and then he left us to do research for the next hour.
At lunch, I had a quick bite, then took a nap and woke up in time for the second session, where we researched for another two hours. Even the three hours we had to research today was barely enough to stay on track however.
Without doubt, this course is going to take a lot of effort and concentration to avoid falling behind. I'll blog more about Columbia tomorrow, but for now I need to try to finish reading articles and start my second book.
Winston,
ReplyDeleteWhat does it tell you about a class when one of the first things they do is bring in an expert to teach you how to research things?
I've always found that one of the hardest parts of research is staying focused. You start looking for something and six hours later you're on the thirteenth tangent. The day is shot and you're no closer to learning about the initial subject matter. What you've learned may be interesting and useful in a later life but it doesn't help you with your original task.