Research Skills Lab 1 - Topics Worksheet

RESEARCH TOPICS WORKSHEET

Name: Dawn m Rosales kneubuhi

AMERICAN HISTORY

TOPIC DESCRIPTION:

JFK and the Cuban Missile Crisis

TOPIC SCORE

SCORE (1-10)

CRITERIA

EXPLANATION

Choose a score.

Will this topic maintain my interest and fascination over a long period?

This topic has maintained a fascination with the historians for a long time already

Choose a score.

Do I have the necessary background in reading and course work to research this topic?

I believe that I do have the necessary background to undergo this study

Choose a score.

Is this a topic about which other historians have written (historiography) rather than simply a topic of personal interest to me?

Although other historians have written about this topic, I am interested in the topic as JFK is one of my favorite historic personality.

Choose a score.

Is this topic feasible in the sense that there are primary sources (documents, correspondence, autobiographies, records, etc.) available to me for research purposes? Think about both acquiring the materials and any language barriers that might exist if they are not English-language documents.

Recently, there have been papers that have been declassified that give the account of JFK and the thirteen days of the Cuban Missile Crisis. Other than that, the topic is widely discussed and documented by various historians

Choose a score.

Is the topic historical (say, before I was born), or is it so contemporary that historians have not yet explored it?

This topic is one of the main incidents of the Cold War, which is widely studied and debated on political and historical grounds

Choose a score.

Is the scope of the topic too big and broad (modern Russia) too small and narrow (Lenin’s speech at the Finland Station, April 1917), or just about right (the response of the Bolsheviks to the Provisional Government in 1917)?

The Cuban Missile Crisis is based on the incidents of just 13 days, so the scope cannot be too big and board.

Choose a score.

Does the topic present a significant question that can be reasonably answered in this case?

Yes, this topic presents the question of the use of WMDs, and if any such possibility arises in the future.

Choose a score.

Will this paper contribute anything original to the historical discussion? Fill a gap in the literature? Or at least take sides in an ongoing historical debate?

Only the discussion on Kennedy Papers that are recently declassified by the federal government can help to add anything original to the historic narrative.

Choose a score.

Will I have fun researching and writing about this topic? Will it make a good story, as well as a convincing argument?

The topic is not exactly fun if we understand the dire consequences of a nuclear war, but it certainly is interesting.

Choose a score.

Can I explain to my niece, nephew, parent, or friend what the topic is and why it should be of any interest to that person?

It can be interesting to your friends, classmates, and parents (to some extent), but certainly not to your niece and nephew unless they reach a certain age.

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TOTAL SCORE OUT OF 100

EUROPEAN HISTORY

TOPIC DESCRIPTION:

Role of Geography in the historic events of Europe

TOPIC SCORE

SCORE (1-10)

CRITERIA

EXPLANATION

Choose a score.

Will this topic maintain my interest and fascination over a long period?

Yes, it will, as the topic always makes room to add something new to the argument

Choose a score.

Do I have the necessary background in reading and course work to research this topic?

It will require some study related to the European Giants, like France and Germany. Other than that, it can be researched thoroughly by the person of any discipline.

Choose a score.

Is this a topic about which other historians have written (historiography) rather than simply a topic of personal interest to me?

Historians have written about several nations; however, the argument has never been centered around Geography.

Choose a score.

Is this topic feasible in the sense that there are primary sources (documents, correspondence, autobiographies, records, etc.) available to me for research purposes? Think about both acquiring the materials and any language barriers that might exist if they are not English-language documents.

There is some autobiography of the different heads of states at the time. But there is ample data available that can be utilized to create an original research paper.

Choose a score.

Is the topic historical (say, before I was born), or is it so contemporary that historians have not yet explored it?

Yes, this topic is historical, and certainly not contemporary.

Choose a score.

Is the scope of the topic too big and broad (modern Russia) too small and narrow (Lenin’s speech at the Finland Station, April 1917), or just about right (the response of the Bolsheviks to the Provisional Government in 1917)?

Yes, the scope of the topic is board, yet it is somewhat unexplored.

Choose a score.

Does the topic present a significant question that can be reasonably answered in this case?

Yes, there is a significant question.

Choose a score.

Will this paper contribute anything original to the historical discussion? Fill a gap in the literature? Or at least take sides in an ongoing historical debate?

This research paper will discuss the role of geography that is often cited as a factor, yet never fully discussed.

Choose a score.

Will I have fun researching and writing about this topic? Will it make a good story, as well as a convincing argument?

This topic is seldom discussed, so it will be fun and interesting. Yet, it will take some hard work to convince the reader.

Choose a score.

Can I explain to my niece, nephew, parent, or friend what the topic is and why it should be of any interest to that person?

This topic can certainly be appealing to all age groups related to you.

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TOTAL SCORE OUT OF 100

WORLD HISTORY

TOPIC DESCRIPTION:

The Contributions of the Ottoman Empire

TOPIC SCORE

SCORE (1-10)

CRITERIA

EXPLANATION

Choose a score.

Will this topic maintain my interest and fascination over a long period?

This topic has created renewed interest in the world, especially in the context of recent events concerning the Turkish regime of Recep Erdogan.

Choose a score.

Do I have the necessary background in reading and course work to research this topic?

Yes, I believe that I do have the necessary background.

Choose a score.

Is this a topic about which other historians have written (historiography) rather than simply a topic of personal interest to me?

Yes, many historians have written about the different aspects of the Ottoman Empire

Choose a score.

Is this topic feasible in the sense that there are primary sources (documents, correspondence, autobiographies, records, etc.) available to me for research purposes? Think about both acquiring the materials and any language barriers that might exist if they are not English-language documents.

The Ottoman Empire is one of the most well-documented empires in world history. So, there is no shortage of primary and secondary sources for research.

Choose a score.

Is the topic historical (say, before I was born), or is it so contemporary that historians have not yet explored it?

Yes, the topic is one of the most discussed eras of history and how it managed to shape the world as we know today.

Choose a score.

Is the scope of the topic too big and broad (modern Russia) too small and narrow (Lenin’s speech at the Finland Station, April 1917), or just about right (the response of the Bolsheviks to the Provisional Government in 1917)?

Yes, the scope of the topic is indeed very broad.

Choose a score.

Does the topic present a significant question that can be reasonably answered in this case?

The topic represents a significant question to the current neo-imperialistic designs that the major powers of the world are currently pursuing.

Choose a score.

Will this paper contribute anything original to the historical discussion? Fill a gap in the literature? Or at least take sides in an ongoing historical debate?

This paper will contribute to the historic sense, but its contribution would be more of a contemporary nature.

Choose a score.

Will I have fun researching and writing about this topic? Will it make a good story, as well as a convincing argument?

Yes, the research on this topic requires us to study several interesting events in history. So. It certainly is fun to read and research.

Choose a score.

Can I explain to my niece, nephew, parent, or friend what the topic is and why it should be of any interest to that person?

Yes, this topic is interesting to all age groups as many incidents of the era are still told by elders as interesting stories to their young.

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TOTAL SCORE OUT OF 100