To start, I will say that I did learn a bit of using the SCU Online Library in my CTW class last year, so I knew just a little about searching on MLA.
That being said, I am still highly curious about how research on the actual, on-campus library will function. There were several mentions of archives, but I frankly can't imagine when I would need to go to the archives to further research relevant topics. Additionally, citing seems much easier using the electronic library. I am personally interested in original texts and things that would be in the archives, but objectively I can't say that I think I'll need them.
Going forward, I think that research in this class will be just fine. The writeups for the research projects aren't especially demanding, and the specifications for what constitutes a "scholarly article" are pretty fair, and there should be a plethora of articles that fit the bill within the databases provided by SCU.
The research topics are also liberating, in that, so far, research is really just whatever topic interests you that is linked to the book. This reflects the opinion that research should fundamentally be fun, and that research is something that should be carried out naturally; you see something that piques your curiosity while reading, and then it's a Google deep dive for anywhere from a couple minutes to some hours. As an assignment, this research project is simply the more academic progression of that typical activity.
Basically, I'm somewhere between indifferent and excited about the research project.
Yes, research is fun!
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