Blog Post 9

1. Identify your focus.  This is a general statement of what you are interested in

My focus is I want  to study comedy, particularly stand up comedy and notice what language and/or actions the comedian uses to interact with the audience and make them laugh.

 2. Identify your research question:  What in particular do you want to find out?  State your question in as specific terms as you can: the age/identity of your subjects, the location of your study, the particular activities/features you will focus on. 

I want t o find out what kind of language, tones of voice, use I will look at shows like the daily show of props affects the level of interaction of the audience.

Your research question is really a group of related questions, stated in specific terms, where you narrow in on what in particular you want to learn about in your study.

I really want to know what affects the audience more. The material or the way its presented.

 3. Who has studied this question and what do they say.  For this prompt - mention any article that you have read where researchers have explored answers to your question.  If you can't find any articles - tell me something about what you searched for and what you found (even if it wasn't right).

I have the dissertation Dr. Chandler sent me.

 4.What do I need to find out to answer this question?  This prompt is to help you clarify and deepen your research question.

I have to judge audience reactions, plus maybe do a few interviews from people who enjoy live comedy on a regular basis to gauge what there interest in it is.

 5.  What do I need to do to gather information that will answer my question?
 This prompt is to help you think about how to design your study.  Who will you work with?  Where?  what will you do together?

I will look at videos of live stand up, talk shows like the daily show or the tonight show, and I will read humor books written by comedians to see how the writing works without audience participation.