Research

1. I am having trouble finding sources about my specific subject. I am trying to argue that study abroad is crucial to the college experience. I have been able to interview people and then I also used the TCU website, but I do not think that I have another primary source that is really beneficial. Most of the sources that I found were secondary and even though they had useful information, I cannot use them.
2. I also do not know how to link my different sources together- they are mostly testimonials. I cannot seem to find any written sources that argue specifically my subject.
3. The experiences that I have been able to document seem so similar that I a afraid I will not be able to make a rebuttal against the argument I have chosen.

I interviewed two Dutch exchange students because they have experienced study abroad and therefore, they are primary sources. I mostly asked them about actually living in the United States and going to school here and what they were going to be bring back with them to Holland. They were able to tell me both good and bad experiences. They were able to tell me about living in another country, not so much about the logistics of coming to the United States. I think they were able to give a very emotional appeal because they are living it right now; therefore, many college students can relate to them.

The TCU study abroad website I think qualifies because it had many digital testimonies about various study abroad experiences from many different people. There was not only a written summary, but also a verbal summary of their unique experiences abroad. I chose this source because I wanted to be able to relate my argument back to TCU students. This way, they can see all the opportunities that they have through TCU. The source is about showing the TCU study abroad experience through the eyes of those who have experienced it. It used a pathos and ethos appeal because the students lived it and TCU is a credible name.

I chose an Israeli-Palestinian story from BBC because I wanted to relate it back to the world as a whole and to prove how study abroad changes more than just individual people; On a large scale, how countries are effected by study abroad. The source is about how the current middle-eastern conflict affects the students in those countries opportunities to study abroad and learn more about different cultures. They were able to use the Pathos appeal because most Americans are sympathetic towards Israel and also Ethos because it comes from BBC America which is a trusted source on the world stage.

Research Thoughts

I found researching to be a very difficult task because there is so much material that could possibly be used but I never knew if it was a primary source. I had a difficult time with deciding what to use because what I thought might be a primary source, was later described as secondary. It also seemed that all the useful information was that from secondary sources. I do not think that secondary sources are less useful; in fact, they proved to not only be easier to find, but easier to interpret. I felt that having to narrow my search to primary sources headed me in a direction with weak sources.The sources I used were primary accounts and gave detail, but did not seem to be nearly as detailed as the secondary. Which seems contradictory to everything we talked about in class, but just from simply researching, that is what I have observed.

The connections among my sources all point in the same direction because it seemed impossible to find any conflicting information. I could never really find exactly what I was looking for, and that was a primary source reflection from someone who had studied abroad in a document form. I had no problem finding people who I know are studying abroad or even reading testimonials from TCU. ButI wanted a perspective from someone not affiliated with TCU, so that other college students could relate as well. With the same approach from all my topics, I am forced to create my own approach from interpreted data.