Another History research topic thread...

Daysha

im in 5th year but i need the title of my research topic for school tomorrow, and im still not 100% in what i can and cant do.

Are there actual dates that you must abide by? As in it cant be before such a date and after another date. Its just that Im thinking of doin the Challenger disaster. I dont think thats too soon but say if the cut off point is 1990 would I be allowed make references to space flight after 1990, even though my topic is based on somethin before that date?

How small should the event be? Is the Challenger disaster obscure enough? If it isn't i might end up doin the Apollo 1 fire or something

And does it have to be something that would be relevant to International History? I'd like to do something locally like the Jail Wall Disaster in Waterford back in 1943, or maybe even the Munich Air Disaster in 1958, but both of those are not part of the History course and not entirely known outside Britain and Ireland.

Any help appreciated

Haven't a Clue

Cut off year is '93. If you know you can get enough research sources, I'd recommend staying local.

Corruptedmorals

In your title, it's usual to have date parameters to guide you. You automatically won't be marked on any material you use in your essay outside of those dates. make your title interesting, not just 'The Challenger Disaster'. For example, my topic is on the geisha (Memoirs of A Geisha...y'know) of Gion (geisha district) in Kyoto, Japan. Anyway, one of the Japanese words for a geisha district is 'hanamachi' which literally means 'the flower and the willow world'.

So, my title is 'The Flower and the Willow World (woo...aesthetic); Geisha of Gion, Kyoto, Japan (specify), 1930's-1970's (my date parameters). 40 years is huge though, I don't recommend that.

Remember, higher level means 2 primary sources and 1 secondary, ideally 2 books and 1 internet. Geisha are incredibly secretive about their lifestyle, so I got one autobiography, one secondary source (novel Memoirs of A Geisha) and an informative book written by a Japanese journalist, with primary source photos. Hope they don't choose my project to check the sources, but that last book had to be ordered from America..


The event should be specific. Ie, focus on the challenger disaster, why it happened, it's impact NOT american space flights in general. Set it to your own dates, it can be up to 1993, but be specific.

You can pick anything, so long as you can argue that it's historically relevant. I argued that geisha are a huge part of Japanese culture. Pfft, someone did woodstock and got away with it, last year!

I'd say what you've mentioned is obscure enough. No-one wants to correct ANOTHER project on Auschwitz or Goebbels or Michael Collins.

interpolian

what are your sources? i have mine done but someone was saying two of them have to be books is this true????? ive only used one :eek:

terry mac

Jaysus, how the history course has been dumbed down in the space of 2 years. The Geisha and the Challenger Disaster, its supposed to be a History Essay/project/research topic (what is it now!!!!!!), not a film review!!

Its not a poem, I don't think you should trawl through books looking for some sort of figurative quote about the Challenger Disaster to use as a title. The examiner is going to think your man with the Geisha project is a weirdo, whats his reaction going to be when he reads "The flower and the willow world"!!!

Corruptedmorals

Your man??

It's not a film review, Christ, they're real people, it's a study of their culture, traditions and lifestyle, not a review of Memoirs of a Geisha!! Just because you don't know anything about it, no need to criticise it. I think my history teacher knows a bit more about the reaction of the examiner than you.

I should have done something incredibly boring, like Kaiser Wilhem the Second's naval policies, hmmm??

I never said trawl through books for a quote, mine's a translation, not a quote. You can't title it 'The Challenger Disaster'.

spurious

As a teacher, I'm interested in why none of you seem to be doing any research of your own - is everyone using websites and books? Is there no local mystery you could crack, local event you could research?

I do not mean this as a criticism - is there some reason why no-one seems to be doing primary research?

I don't currently teach LC History but as a teacher of Environmental and Social Studies at Junior Cert. (the 'alternative History and Geography'), I'm disappointed my students who have completed individual primary research of a local theme for their Junior Cert. will be going on to a Leaving Cert. where they just take stuff from books and websites. Does no-one visit archives any more?

Daysha

I didnt go for the challenger disaster in the end. I went for "The Apollo 1 Fire Disaster And Its Effects On The Space Race"

What can i say, i like space!!

Steve01

deise59 wrote:

I didnt go for the challenger disaster in the end. I went for "The Apollo 1 Fire Disaster And Its Effects On The Space Race"

What can i say, i like space!!

Cool, my love of space has also influenced my research topic. 'John F. Kennedy: A positive influence on the Space Race?' is my title. Did you locate any first hand sources? The only ones I could find were secondary

Haven't a Clue

spurious wrote:

As a teacher, I'm interested in why none of you seem to be doing any research of your own - is everyone using websites and books? Is there no local mystery you could crack, local event you could research?

I do not mean this as a criticism - is there some reason why no-one seems to be doing primary research?

I don't currently teach LC History but as a teacher of Environmental and Social Studies at Junior Cert. (the 'alternative History and Geography'), I'm disappointed my students who have completed individual primary research of a local theme for their Junior Cert. will be going on to a Leaving Cert. where they just take stuff from books and websites. Does no-one visit archives any more?

Teachers look at these forums? Bloody hell.

*Goes all Northern and refuses to say anything, about anything.*

spurious

Haven't a Clue wrote:

Teachers look at these forums? Bloody hell.

*Goes all Northern and refuses to say anything, about anything.*

Oh go on, or I'll twist your arm in a sly unnoticed teacher way (joke...).

Seriously though, I'm disappointed in the topics I see people tackling here. I was wondering was there some department instruction that people were not to do primary research for their Leaving Cert. projects.

I'm not talking about writing an opus. It would be quite possible to do a neat little project on, say, the inhabitants of a particular local building in a particular time using lots of original sources - sure, they might not be famous people, but it's history nonetheless and would require quite advanced research skills, certainly more advanced than going to Google or Amazon and typing in a couple of words.

I suppose I'm disappointed because I hoped for more from the 'new' course.

delta_bravo

spurious wrote:

As a teacher, I'm interested in why none of you seem to be doing any research of your own - is everyone using websites and books? Is there no local mystery you could crack, local event you could research?

I do not mean this as a criticism - is there some reason why no-one seems to be doing primary research?

I don't currently teach LC History but as a teacher of Environmental and Social Studies at Junior Cert. (the 'alternative History and Geography'), I'm disappointed my students who have completed individual primary research of a local theme for their Junior Cert. will be going on to a Leaving Cert. where they just take stuff from books and websites. Does no-one visit archives any more?

Well I believe that the topic must be regarding a significant event so that may rule out local events in some cases. Also wouldnt it be rather difficult for examiners to verify personal primary research?

analyse this

Corruptedmorals wrote:

In your title, it's usual to have date parameters to guide you. You automatically won't be marked on any material you use in your essay outside of those dates. make your title interesting, not just 'The Challenger Disaster'. For example, my topic is on the geisha (Memoirs of A Geisha...y'know) of Gion (geisha district) in Kyoto, Japan. Anyway, one of the Japanese words for a geisha district is 'hanamachi' which literally means 'the flower and the willow world'.

So, my title is 'The Flower and the Willow World (woo...aesthetic); Geisha of Gion, Kyoto, Japan (specify), 1930's-1970's (my date parameters). 40 years is huge though, I don't recommend that.

wow that sounds really interesting. im just finished the book and i found it so amazing. i would love to read your project if you would want a second opinion:D dont worry i dont even do history in case ur thinking im gonna steal ur idea. i love those peculiar projects that others wouldn't think of. its not the same boring crap that some people come up with! my hat goes off to you

spurious

delta_bravo wrote:

Well I believe that the topic must be regarding a significant event so that may rule out local events in some cases. Also wouldnt it be rather difficult for examiners to verify personal primary research?

The verifying the research could be got around - it's already done for the ESS research project for the JC.
It's probably the 'significant event' that stops local topics being chosen.
Thanks for your reply.

Haven't a Clue

spurious wrote:

Oh go on, or I'll twist your arm in a sly unnoticed teacher way (joke...).

Seriously though, I'm disappointed in the topics I see people tackling here. I was wondering was there some department instruction that people were not to do primary research for their Leaving Cert. projects.

I'm not talking about writing an opus. It would be quite possible to do a neat little project on, say, the inhabitants of a particular local building in a particular time using lots of original sources - sure, they might not be famous people, but it's history nonetheless and would require quite advanced research skills, certainly more advanced than going to Google or Amazon and typing in a couple of words.

I suppose I'm disappointed because I hoped for more from the 'new' course.

Most teachers seem pretty pissed off with this new course. Especially the attention given to social and religious topics at exams, but not in the actual history books.

TerrorFirmer

Corruptedmorals wrote:

I should have done something incredibly boring, like Kaiser Wilhem the Second's naval policies, hmmm??

Sounds interesting to me. Writing a piece on Geishas seems a bit obscure in my opinion, in fact a little too much, not exactly a stereotypical 'historical' project, I know you don't have to adhere to any guidelines really but I would have thought it better to write about something that was of actual historical significance rather then cultural...

At least the person writing about the Challenger tied it in with it's impact on the space race as a whole.

I'd say what you've mentioned is obscure enough. No-one wants to correct ANOTHER project on Auschwitz or Goebbels or Michael Collins.

I wouldn't be so quick in your judgements. They are there to assess your knowledge, understanding and effort in your historical project, not your efforts in trying to outdo everybody else in the originality stakes. As for woodstock, that's a world recognised event that impacted on many aspects of social history and life - yeah I'd agree it's a bit of an odd one but it has slightly more 'historical' significance then the Geishas, who are really a cultural product of, and limited to, Asia.

Corruptedmorals

HavoK wrote:

it has slightly more 'historical' significance then the Geisha, who are really a cultural product of, and limited to, Asia.

Yeah, I do get the point that my project is all about the cultural impact geisha have on Japan, rather than historical, but I do have a lot of information about how they were effected by the second world war, which I was told was enough historical relevance.

But you could argue a Woodstock project is all about culture also. When does culture cross the line into history?? Counter-culture etc. is in our history book. Geisha have been around since the 9th century, which I also mentioned in my project. They are not a product of Arthur Golden's imagination, in fact, many of them denounced the book and film.

What's the problem with a project limited to Asia? It doesn't have to have worldwide influence, since when has Collins had any impact outside Ireland and the UK?

I did originally want to do some aspect of the famine, there are enough primary sources...not sure why I didn't. Anyway, I love my project, I learned a lot from it, it was so interesting to research, instead of having to trudge into the Ilac library like the rest of my class. My teacher doesn't have a problem with it either.

terry mac

Corruptedmorals,

I wasn't really trying to take your project to pieces, you can only do the course thats in front of you, and its more the probable dumbing down of the course that I wanted to get at (I say probable because I actually have no idea about the new course, but from what I can gather , its pretty dumbed down)

The old History course had a very very small section devoted to cultural aspects in any shape or form. One chapter on Irish cultural revival around 1880 - 1920. And I think we skipped it, coz it was too messy as an Essay - 3 completely seperate angles in one essay. As much as you may think it is boring, I think Kaiser Wilhelm's Naval policy is relevant to 20th century history.

What dates are on the course now anyway? And obviously its moved away from just Irish and European history? I hope the Glory Days of Lenin, Bismarck and the French 3rd republic haven't been replaced by Geisha's and Tom Hanks in Space. No doubt Isaac Butt is gone and Mary Robinson is in, they were just gagging to get liberalism and the "New Ireland" onto the course.

Corruptedmorals

It's later modern, 1812 onwards I think, but Emancipation does come up, I'm fairly sure. And the famine, which I find so interesting, but we didn't do that topic. Bismarck, all of that, that's still on it (didn't do that either) but yes, there is a focus on society and culture in the second half of the europe/world book...after the war-baby boom-new appliances-economic boom-cars etc. No, no geisha, but the topic can be on anything now.

It is still basically European, there is a lot of American though- Vietnam/presidents/civil rights etc- but wasn't there always? Space Race is there too.

3rd republic- is that Vichy France? Even our teacher can't stand it!

Anyway, the topics we've done are Parnell, the Rising, Civil War, War of Independence..and we're going to be doing Fianna Fail/Partition etc. The rest- Second World War, Stalin, Lenin, Hitler, Mussolini, Home Front, Jarrow March, Inter-War Years, and then all of the America stuff.

It did need to change though- wasn't it 5 essays in 2 and a half hours?? There's 3 essays now, and a half essay and doument questions on one of the irish case studies (gaa, strike and lockout and the 1885/86 elections).

Geisha were the subject of the second text on english paper 1 today

Haven't a Clue

terry mac wrote:

Corruptedmorals,

I wasn't really trying to take your project to pieces, you can only do the course thats in front of you, and its more the probable dumbing down of the course that I wanted to get at (I say probable because I actually have no idea about the new course, but from what I can gather , its pretty dumbed down)

The old History course had a very very small section devoted to cultural aspects in any shape or form. One chapter on Irish cultural revival around 1880 - 1920. And I think we skipped it, coz it was too messy as an Essay - 3 completely seperate angles in one essay. As much as you may think it is boring, I think Kaiser Wilhelm's Naval policy is relevant to 20th century history.

What dates are on the course now anyway? And obviously its moved away from just Irish and European history? I hope the Glory Days of Lenin, Bismarck and the French 3rd republic haven't been replaced by Geisha's and Tom Hanks in Space. No doubt Isaac Butt is gone and Mary Robinson is in, they were just gagging to get liberalism and the "New Ireland" onto the course.

Course hasn't changed that much. Lenin's there, not as much as Stalin granted. Bismarck's got a chapter for himself. French Third Republic's got a chapter for itself. Isaac Butt's still very much there.

Depends on the topics you do I suppose...

terry mac

Corruptedmorals wrote:

It's later modern, 1812 onwards I think, but Emancipation does come up, I'm fairly sure. And the famine, which I find so interesting, but we didn't do that topic. Bismarck, all of that, that's still on it (didn't do that either) but yes, there is a focus on society and culture in the second half of the europe/world book...after the war-baby boom-new appliances-economic boom-cars etc. No, no geisha, but the topic can be on anything now.

It is still basically European, there is a lot of American though- Vietnam/presidents/civil rights etc- but wasn't there always? Space Race is there too.

3rd republic- is that Vichy France? Even our teacher can't stand it!

Anyway, the topics we've done are Parnell, the Rising, Civil War, War of Independence..and we're going to be doing Fianna Fail/Partition etc. The rest- Second World War, Stalin, Lenin, Hitler, Mussolini, Home Front, Jarrow March, Inter-War Years, and then all of the America stuff.

It did need to change though- wasn't it 5 essays in 2 and a half hours?? There's 3 essays now, and a half essay and doument questions on one of the irish case studies (gaa, strike and lockout and the 1885/86 elections).

Geisha were the subject of the second text on english paper 1 today

3 hours I think, but one of the essays was your special topic that you just had to write that down from memory and answer the document questions. But none of the American stuff, except when it tied in to Cold War in Europe.

Nah, 3rd republic is all about no of crises in France 1870 - 1914, Boulanger, Panama Canal, Dreyfus etc.

The old course was a really good tough course. The way the paper was structured, you really needed about 15 - 20 essays in your back pocket going in, 3 - 5 in each of the 4 sections, so you couldn't leave out much

Naikon

The old course was a really good tough course. The way the paper was structured, you really needed about 15 - 20 essays in your back pocket going in, 3 - 5 in each of the 4 sections, so you couldn't leave out much

That what made it a bit of a joke though it tests your memory where is the analysis and critical thinking?, I wonder how difficult it must have been to get an A in that subject.

WildCardDoW

I did my topic on: "D-Day, research, planning and the events. 1939-1944"

I don't think I actually went as far back as 1944, but even with 5 years there was a lot of stuff to include. I exceded the 1500 words by a fair amount but there was little I could cut out. I only used one book source though I looked at many, most were useless. Either too detailed on one specific topic or were first person accounts.

And to terry mac, the Research Topic is technically seperate from the rest of the History course, it doesn't ahve to relate exactly to what is on the course. You can be as vague as to the fact that it relates to media of a certain time for example.

RandolphEsq

Im writing mine now on the Holocaust but I know it has been done to death so I'm trying to approach it from a unique angle; "can one man make a difference?". Im not sure if that is original enough, any help much appreciated

Corruptedmorals

Ooo, you could do something like Schindler? So interesting.

Some people are doing the lesser-known concentration camps, like bergen Belsen??

TerrorFirmer

Corruptedmorals wrote:

Ooo, you could do something like Schindler? So interesting.

Some people are doing the lesser-known concentration camps, like bergen Belsen??

I wouldn't call Bergen Belsen a 'lesser know' camp. A good one for that angle would be flossenburg - many people have never even actually heard of this camp.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flossenburg