Project Reflection

Assignment Objectives

In a sentence or two, describe the key argument(s), angle(s), and/or audience(s) of your major scholarly project for English 302 this semester. Then write three paragraphs (500-700 words total) regarding your work on it, using the questions below as a guide. You should include specific examples and even short quotations from your own project.

1. Describe 2-3 key steps you took as you initially designed your research question/topic and then conducted the research for it; explain how these are similar to what scholars or professionals in your field might do for similar projects. Identify one or two places in your final project where readers can see the results of those steps.

2. Describe 2-3 key steps or strategies that were important as you drafted and revised your project to meet the expectations of scholarly or professional readers in your field. You might consider decisions you made regarding your focus, your evidence, and/or the structure or presentation of your project. Use quotations or examples from one or two sections of your final project to illustrate how you applied scholarly conventions appropriate for your field.

3. Explain 1 or 2 ways that your project contributes to a scholarly or professional conversation about the issue: what were some key ideas, arguments, questions, and/or gaps in that conversation that you noticed? What new focus, emphasis, or evidence does your essay introduce into the conversation? What additional research or analysis could happen now, and why might it be important for scholars or professionals in your field?

The scholarly project that I did for this course was related to sustainable tourism. Sustainable tourism is related to the awareness of social responsibility that must exist in the field of tourism.

Designing a research question seemed to be a really simple task to me. But when I started to do an online research about what topic should I select, it got harder to pin point a specific area of subject. I wanted to write about a topic related to tourism as I have already taken some courses related to tourism but was not sure what exactly should be the topic. I kept on researching and read a news related to UN assembly declaring 2017 to be the year of sustainable tourism. This is when I decided I would write what sustainable tourism is and why is it important. In my research, I have talked about the need for sustainable tourism and provided details related to the factors that are stimulating tourism industry and the concept of sustainable tourism. As far as other professionals are concerned, I think that they can follow the same course and write about topics that are primarily related to their interests and they have at least the basic information about them. A good mix of interest in the topic and knowledge about it can generate useful research.

The most important strategy that I had to adopt to was to write a literature review to gather information related to the project. I had to go through many scholarly articles and blog posts to choose. Another strategy that I applied is to choose research articles that were no older than the year 2000. This is evident from my list of works cited. This strategy proved useful as it adds to the validity and reliability of my research. I think that scholars must do an extensive review of the literature to be sure not to duplicate research as this is not in the best interest of the research community. The design of the research was another area that I needed to focus on. I used a qualitative research and an exploratory study method. This helped me in suggesting the holistic view of the topic. Due to this research design, I had an opportunity to shed subjective and objective light on my topic and was able to include the interests of all my stakeholders in the research. I am sure that my research would greatly meet the expectations of scholarly or professional readers as I have provided an in depth overview of the research topic based on scientific fact.

While I was gathering literature related to my research topic, I was able to notice that the research community is concerned about tourism becoming a source of the damage being caused to our environment due to the negligence of the tourist and the tourism authorities in different countries. They are in search of suggesting ways that could promote a healthy form of tourism that is sustainable and in the best interest of the environment. In my research, I have pointed out that the nature and the culture of the host societies are a great source of attracting tourist from outside. For the tourism to flourish in such areas, the culture and nature must be preserved. I have made useful suggestions that would contribute to the conservation and development of the natural resources and culture of the host tourism spots. Tourism is indeed a great source of joy and revenue. We must strive to contribute to sustainable tourism so that the biodiversity and the local populations are safe from the negative effects of irresponsible tourism practices.