EE Meeting #2 4-24-20

Narrowing your topic

Writing your research question

Making your preliminary outline

Documenting your essay

How do I get started?

Step 1

Review the Extended Essay Contract with your parents, sign it

and return it.

Examine the list of subjects available and decide which

subject area interests you the most.

Group 1: Language A (Literature/Language) Group 2: Language B (Spanish/French) Biology

Chemistry Economics Film

Geography History Mathematics Music

Physics Politics Psychology

Social and Cultural Anthropology Theatre Visual Arts

World Religions World Studies

Your personal curiosity and interest in your subject area are

essential.

Step 2

Choose a teacher to be your supervisor. The supervisor

must be someone who is:

willing to supervise your essay

on the Richwoods faculty

knowledgeable in this subject area

familiar with the extended essay process

Step 3

In the subject area you have chosen, make a list of topics

that interest you the most.

Discuss this list with:

your supervisor

your friends

your parents

anyone else you think may be able to provide you

with worthwhile feedback

Step 4

Do some general reading on the topics you have put on

your list.

While reading, write down questions about the topics that

ignite your curiosity – questions you would be interested

in exploring in more depth.

Then ask yourself:

What data might you need to answer these

questions?

Will you have access to this data?

Has research been done by others in this area?

How could you go about answering the questions you

have in mind?

Step 5

After you have done your preliminary reading,

Choose the topic you wish to examine in your

extended essay.

Brainstorm ideas about how to address the

issues presented in your topic.

Come up with a list of questions and issues

related to your topic and make connections

between them.

Narrow down the scope of your investigation

until you arrive at the specific topic you want to

use for your extended essay, one which can be

covered in 4000 words.

Consult your supervisor for suggestions and

advice as you go through this process. That’s

what they are there for.

Expect to change your mind several times

before you finally settle on a specific topic.

Step 6

Narrow your topic.

Write your research question / hypothesis.

Formulate the argument or create the testing situation

you are going to use to reach your conclusion.

These two elements will guide your research and provide

the focus for your paper.

Ways to narrow your topic

Limit your topic by asking yourself 4 specific questions.

Who?

Limit your topic to a specific person or group of

people.

What?

Limit your topic to a specific aspect or sub-topic.

Where?

Limit your topic to a specific location.

When?

Limit your topic to a specific time period.

Examples of Narrowed Topics

Group 1: Literature

Broad: Religion in the Brontës Narrowed: Religious imagery in Wuthering Heights

Broad: Racial Conflict in the works of American authors Narrowed: A comparison of the presentation of racial conflict in one work

by James Baldwin and one work by Richard Wright

Broad: The works of Zola Narrowed: The portrayal of women in the works of Zola

Broad: What is Existentialism? Narrowed: Existentialism in Les Mains Sales and Les Mouches by Sartre

Broad: Social conflict in modern literature Narrowed: The treatment of social conflict in La Busca by Pio Baroja

Group 2: Spanish / French

Broad: The French / Spanish press Narrowed: A comparison of language used in different newspaper

articles on one topic

Broad: Nuclear energy in France Narrowed: The effects of the French government’s nuclear energy policy on

the life of the nation

Broad: The tourist industry in Spain Narrowed: The influence of tourism on the Spanish language

Biology

Broad: Detergents in the environment Narrowed: The effect of detergent toxicity on soil bacteria

Broad: Malnutrition in children Narrowed: A Study of malnourished children in Indonesia and the extent of

their recovery after a period of supervised improved nutrition

Broad: The Effect of acidity on plant growth Narrowed: A Study of the effect of differing pH levels on the growth of

Phaseolus Vulgaris

Broad: Symbiosis in animals Narrowed: The competitive and evolutionary nature of the symbiotic

relationship in Paramecium Bursaria

Broad: Factors which affect the germination of seeds Narrowed: The effect of banana peel on seed germination

Broad: Uses of the gel electrophoresis technique Narrowed: Gel electrophoresis: The construction of an apparatus and the

separation of proteins in heat-treated cow’s milk

Chemistry

Broad: Electrolysis of solutions Narrowed: The ratio of the gases evolved at the positive electrode during

the electrolysis of common salt solution

Broad: Water analysis Narrowed: Spectrophotometric determination of trace amounts of lead in

drinking water

Broad: Acid-base chemistry Narrowed: The effects of sugar-free chewing gum on the pH of saliva in the

mouth after a meal

Broad: Extraction of natural products from plants Narrowed: How can the natural oxidant rutin be extracted and purified from

the seed of the Chinese Scholartree?

Broad: The use of chromatography to separate materials Narrowed: The analysis of the red dyes present in different brands of

tomato ketchup by thin layer chromatography.

Economics

Broad: What is the market structure of the Spanish petroleum industry? Narrowed: What market form characterizes the petrol supply industry in my

area of Madrid?

Broad: What has been the effect of the minimum wage on unemployment in Austria?

Narrowed: What is the effect of the recent imposition of a minimum wage in Austria on unemployment in the fast food industry in Graz?

Broad: How has the fall in the exchange rate of the US dollar affected the US economy?

Narrowed: To what extent has the fall in the exchange rate of the US dollar affected the tourist industry in Carmel California?

Broad: How has the privatization of water affected Zambia? Narrowed: What has been the economic effect of water privatization on the

farming industry in my region of Zambia?

Film

Broad: The role of the family in Indian Cinema Narrowed: A comparison of the treatment and depiction of the family in the

films of Satyajit Ray and mainstream Hindi films

Broad: Effective composer-director relationships Narrowed: The contribution of Nino Rota’s composition to the films of Fellini

(or Morricone-Leone, Williams-Lucas)

Broad: Women in film Narrowed: Goddess and vamp: two female archetypes in Hollywood

cinema

Broad: The comedy of Jacques Tati Narrowed: The continuation and extension of silent film comedy in the films

of Jacques Tati

Geography

Broad: Development in Vietnam Narrowed: How does regional development in Vietnam reflect the core-

periphery concept?

Broad: Temperature variation in Austria Narrowed: What temperature variations occurred in Vienna, Austria during

the 20th century and can these be linked to variations in solar energy output?

Broad: Population changes in the Czech Republic Narrowed: How has the fall of Communism changed the population

structure of the Czech Republic, and what will be the social and economic effects of this?

Broad: Quality of life in Geneva, Switzerland Narrowed: How are such factors as education facilities, health facilities,

access to open spaces, shops, and restaurants in various communities around Lac Leman affected by their distance from the lake

History and History of the Islamic World

Broad: The Mayan civilization Narrowed: Causes of the collapse of the Mayan civilization

Broad: Witch trials in North America Narrowed: Varying interpretations of the Salem witch trials

Broad: The Soviet Union under Stalin Narrowed: Stalin’s use of the party machine and terror

Broad: Fascist propaganda Narrowed: Use of the visual arts in Fascist propaganda

Broad: Kwame Nkrumah Narrowed: The role of the Pan-African movement in the downfall of Kwame

Nkrumah

Mathematics

Broad: Prime numbers Narrowed: Prime numbers in cryptography

Broad: Fractals Narrowed: The Hausdorff Dimension of fractal sets

Broad: Continued fractions Narrowed: Continued fractions in birth-death processes

Broad: C. F. Gauss: the mathematician Narrowed: The proof of the law of quadratic reciprocity

Broad: Graph theory Narrowed: Using graph theory to minimize cost

Music

Broad: Bach’s fugues Narrowed: The use of contrapuntal techniques in Bach’s Art of Fugue

Broad: The music of Dizzy Gillespie Narrowed: Harmonic innovation in the bebop style of Dizzy Gillespie

Broad: Balinese gamelan Narrowed: The role of minimalist techniques in Balinese gamelan

Broad: Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess Narrowed: The influence of jazz in Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess

Physics

Broad: Gravitation Narrowed: Orbital determination of a minor planet

Broad: Measuring the resistivity of different materials. Narrowed: The variation in resistance of a wire subjected to different strains

Broad: Making interference patterns Narrowed: The use of interference fringes to measure small displacements

Broad: An application of Bernoulli’s principle Narrowed: The range variation of water flowing out of a hole in a container

Broad: Eddy currents Narrowed: The impact of the resistivity of the metal of a pipe and the pipe’s

wall thickness on the terminal velocity of a cylindrical magnet falling down the metallic pipe

Broad: Wave theory Narrowed: The investigation and analysis of the modes of vibration of a

guitar string

Politics

Broad: A week in the life of a politician Narrowed: The politician as representative: an assessment of the

effectiveness of a local politician in representing local interests

Broad: The rights and wrongs of capital punishment Narrowed: The political debate over the death penalty in the USA

Broad: Marxism-Leninism Narrowed: The concept of “the dictatorship of the proletariat” in Marxism-

Leninism

Broad: The US president and US foreign policy Narrowed: US intervention in Grenada: a study of the War Powers Act and

the war-making powers of the US president

Psychology

Broad: Human memory Narrowed: The fallibility of memory in eyewitness testimony: a review of

evidence and implications

Broad: Problems of adolescence Narrowed: Identity crisis in adolescence: empirical evidence and theoretical importance

Broad: The growing child Narrow: Can cognitive development in children be accelerated?

Broad: Drug abuse Narrowed: An evaluation of physiological and social accounts of the

development of alcoholism

Social and Cultural Anthropology

Broad: Native American culture Narrowed: The Sioux sweat lodge: ethnic revival and New Age

appropriations

Broad: South Asians in the Middle East Narrowed: Transnationalism and the labour market: South Asian workers in

the Kuwaiti service industry

Broad: Skateboarding as a hobby Narrowed: Youth subculture, style and teenage rebellion: the politics of

skateboarding in a French working-class suburb

Theatre

Broad: Noh drama Narrowed: An investigation into the functions of mask in two of Zeami

Motokiyo’s plays

Broad: Brecht’s plays Narrowed: A comparison and contrast of female stereotypes used by

Brecht in two of his plays

Broad: Language in Soyinka’s plays Narrowed: An in-depth examination of Soyinka’s use of language rhythms in one of his plays and how these rhythms may be applied in production

Broad: Technical aspects of The Tempest Narrowed: The use of fabrics and lighting to contribute tot the creation of

magical effects in a production of The Tempest

Visual Arts Broad: Sezession in Berlin Narrowed: Klimt’s use of gold

Broad: The Bauhaus Narrowed: How did Wassily Kandinsky use color?

Broad: Contemporary East African art Narrowed: Robert Ntila’s etching techniques: a critical investigation

Broad: Twentieth-century British sculpture Narrowed: An analysis of African influences on Henry Moore

Broad: The art of native North American people Narrowed: What is the artistic significance of recent poles raised by the

First Nations of Haida-Gwai?

World Religions

Broad: The political use of religious symbols Narrowed: Why some high school students in France wear religious

symbols to school and why so many people in France object

Broad: Creationism Narrowed: An analysis of the understanding of the doctrine of creationism

and its relationship to other doctrines in the work of three contemporary theologians

Broad: Prophecy Narrowed: Differences in the understanding of prophecy in Judaism,

Christianity and Islam based on a study of the Hebrew, Greek and Arabic words for “prophet” and its use in selected texts from the Hebrew Scriptures, the New Testament and the Koran

World Studies

Broad: HIV-AIDS and religion Narrowed: A study of how religious beliefs of three congregations (Hindu, Muslim, and Christian) might determine what they know about HIV-AIDS.

Broad: Graffiti and hip hop art Narrowed; The use of American hip-hop art by two Japanese graffiti artists

for the purposes of self-expression and community organization in Japan

Broad: The impact of non-native plants on the environment Narrowed: The impact of non-native plants on marine and inland

environments in a selection of ecosystems around the world

Broad: Infant nutrition practices Narrowed: How does baby formula affect the health of infants, and why is it

such a popular alternative to mother’s milk in the Philippines and Canada

What Is A Research Question?

A topic is different from a question.

A topic is the specific subject area of your research.

"protests against the Vietnam War"

"middle-class women's sexuality during the Jazz Age"

"mathematical discoveries of the Incas"

A question is what you want you want to know about the topic.

"How did working-class Americans participate in protests against the Vietnam War"

"To what extent did sexual experimentation increase in the 1920s?"

"Why did the Incas place such importance on mathematical work?"

A good research question is focused and limited and will yield an argumentative essay after you do the research and write the paper. The reason the paper is based on a question / hypothesis instead of a thesis statement is that a question allows you to have an open mind about possible different results in addition to the ones you originally anticipated. If you start out with a preconceived thesis statement, you may only look for material which supports your predetermined conclusion while ignoring significant and important research that may offer a different yet more credible conclusion.

A research question should have all of the following elements:

1. It should be written as a single sentence question. 2. It should contain a limited topic. 3. It should ultimately generate an argumentative essay.

Wording the Research Question

Using the following words when writing the research question will help you formulate your argument and demonstrate the higher level thinking skills that the examiners are looking for in your essay.

Account for:

Asks you to explain a particular event or outcome. You are expected to present a reasoned case for the existence of something.

How: On its own this is a straightforward invitation to present an account of a given situation or development. Often a second part will be added to such an essay question to encourage analysis.

Adding a second word such as "successfully", "effective", "accurate", or "far" turns a "how" question into one that requires a judgment. You are now expected to provide your detailed reasons for that judgment.

To what extent:

Asks you to evaluate the degree of success or failure of one argument or concept over another. You should present a conclusion supported by arguments.

Why: This short key word invites you to present reasons for the existence of something. Thus, the brevity of this command rather disguises a powerful requirement to present a detailed, reasoned argument. In effect it is similar to the invitation "account for".

Note that all these words lead you to presenting an argument.

Preliminary Outline

The preliminary outline is based on what you know about your topic at this moment and on what you suspect you will discover in your research. Since it is based on supposition, there is no need to include actual evidence in the preliminary outline. Its function is to give focus to your argument and make you aware of possible opposing viewpoints. The final outline and arguments will probably be revised on the basis of what you discover in the course of your research. It will be much longer because it will contain both your evidence and your analysis of it.

Research question:

I. Main assertion #1 (reason #1 of your argument) A. Supporting assertion if needed B. Supporting assertion if needed

II. Main assertion #2 (reason #2 of your argument) A. Supporting assertion if needed B. Supporting assertion if needed

III. Main assertion #3 (reason #3 of your argument) A. Supporting assertion if needed B. Supporting assertion if needed

(Note: You are not limited to 3 reasons in support of your argument; if you have more, each one should be stated as a Roman numeral.)

IV. Possible opposing arguments, if present, and your refutation of the arguments

A. Opposing argument #1 and your refutation of that argument B. Opposing argument #2 and your refutation of that argument

Conclusion:

Sample Research Questions and Arguments

Group 1: Language A – Literature

Research Question: In what ways are the protagonists in Henirk Ibsen’s play The Master Builder and William Golding’s novel The Spire similar?

Argument: I. Both Solness and Jocelin have similar motivations. II. There are specific “costs” for each in attaining their ambitions. III. There are parallels between the attributes of each character: pride,

ambition, sexuality. IV. Both writers link the fall of their protagonists to excessive pride

and ambitions.

Conclusion: Both literary works are similar in the writer’s development of the protagonists.

Research Question: How does Toni Morrison develop the theme of love as the essence of human life in her novel Beloved?

Argument: I. Beloved is a force rather than a character. II. Beloved is an extension of Sethe’s self – her conscience rather

than her guilt. III. Beloved is like a mirror wherein the image of the characters Sethe and Denver define themselves. IV. Beloved’s name is a symbol of belonging for people who, like her, are homeless, nameless and landless.

Conclusion: Morrison develops the theme of love as the essence of human life through symbolism and her development of the principle characters in the novel.

Group 2: Language B

Research Question: Should feminine forms of more job titles be created in French to reflect shifting gender roles?

Argument: I. Linguistic reasons for the feminization of more job titles in French II. Linguistic reasons against the feminization of more job titles in

French III. Sociological arguments for the feminization of more job titles in

French IV. Sociological arguments against the feminization of more job titles

in French

Conclusion: There is no need to feminize more French job titles.

Biology

Research Question: Which part of blue veined cheeses attracts Aedes albopictus mosquitos: the base cheese, the fungus in the blue cheese, or the combination of the two? The results could be helpful in making a bait for trapping the mosquitos which carry Dengue Fever.

Test results:

The fungus in the blue cheese attracted 57.9% of the Aedes albopictus mosquito.

The blue cheese base without fungus attracted 24.7% of the mosquitos.

When tested against the blue cheese with fungus, 44% were attracted to the blue cheese with fungus and 31% were attracted to the fungus itself while 24% were attracted by the base.

Conclusion: Thus it is determined that the smell of the blue-veined cheese as a whole would make the most attractive smelling mosquito bait.

Biology (cont.) Research Question: Which has a greater effect on Pleurococcus

growth on the walls of Sevenoaks School, moisture or light?

Test results:

Wall 1 had much larger quantities growing on the left side than the right. The large tree growing near this wall obstructs the line of sunlight creating a shadow across the left side of the wall, thus enabling the pleurococcus cells to retain moisture, necessary for growth.

Wall 2 has much larger quantities growing on the left side and the middle compared to the right side. The vegetation on this side of the building blocks the sunlight to the left side of the wall, thus enabling the pleurococcus cells to retain moisture, needed for growth.

Wall 3 has large amounts of pleurococcus growing all across it. It is in close proximity to dense vegetation which shields the wall from direct sunlight for most of the day, keeping the wall moist.

The walls 4-8 are discussed in the same manner.

Conclusion: Thus, it is concluded that moisture has the greater effect on pleurococcus growth and distribution on the walls of Sevenoaks School.

Chemistry

Research Question: How does varying the concentration of hydrogen peroxide affect the light emitted during the oxidation of luminol (5-Amino-2, 3-dihydro-1, 4-phthalazinedione) using hydrogen peroxide and sodium hypochlorite?

Experiment:

I. Hypothesis: increasing hydrogen peroxide concentration would increase the maximum light intensity of the reaction as well as make the reaction faster, using up more reactants and making a second reaction using the very same reactants produce less light.

II. The experiment was carried out by adding varying volumes of hydrogen peroxide to a constant volume of luminol solution and then adding a constant volume sodium hypochlorite to this solution and measuring the light intensity of the luminescence.

III. Results of the experiment

Conclusion: Results show a role for hydrogen peroxide as a controller or limiter in this reaction in these quantities and have also increased the potential for further investigations on the same reaction.

Economics

Research Question: To what extent do supermarkets in Pasalimani make a tacit collusion in order to compete more effectively with the open air vegetable markets which take place every Tuesday?

Argument: I. The supermarkets compete against each other in an oligopolistic

environment whereas the open air markets operate under perfect competition.

II. The existence of a dominant firm or the existence of a stable market were not proven to exist.

III. Two supermarkets compete with the open air market with price war tactics and with better facilities and services but they don’t do it in

collusion with each other. IV. A third supermarket was more expensive than the open air market and relied on superior quality goods and brand loyalty.

Conclusion: Thus the supermarkets compete with each other as well as with the open air market rather than colluding with each other in competition against the open air market.

Research Question: Is Starbucks Coffee an example of conspicuous consumption in Beijing?

Argument: I. Starbucks coffee has a high price elasticity of demand. II. Customers who choose Starbucks agree that they would still consume it if prices were raised. III. The incomes of the subjects in the survey have a higher annual

income than the average annual income of people from Beijing. IV. People who stop at Starbucks live in the wealthier areas of Beijing V. People who drink Starbucks don’t believe that the product and

service is worth the amount they pay to drink Starbucks.

Conclusion: Thus Starbucks coffee can be considered conspicuous consumption in Beijing.

Film

Research Question: To what extent do Walt Disney Princess films challenge traditional gender roles.

Argument: I. Dedicated viewers of Disney Princess films believe that the films

depict princesses rebelling against traditional gender based stereotypes.

II. What were the traditional gender roles during the Great Depression, when Snow White was released? III. To what extent did Snow White challenge and question those gender roles? III. What were the traditional gender roles during the 90s, a time of

change and advancement in women’s rights, when Mulan was released?

IV. To what extent did Mulan challenge those roles?

Conclusion: Disney Princess films do not challenge traditional gender roles as much as they are acclaimed to do so.

Geography

Research Question: What socio-economic factors and types of urban design lead to high rates of vandalism in the Woensel-Noord and outer ring road neighborhoods of Eindhoven Netherlands?

Argument: I. Examination of recorded statistics on vandalism from the city

council records are compared to statistics on other social factors to reveal Woensel-Noord and the outer ring road neighborhoods of Eindhoven have high rates of vandalism.

II. Socio-economic factors, such as a high percentage of teenagers present in the Woensel-Noord district lead to high rates of vandalism.

III. The urban design of a dense combination of parks, flats and shops provide the ideal environments for teenagers to loiter, commit vandalism, and then escape the crime scene unnoticed. IV. The districts forming the outer edge of the ring road have the

lowest land values which leads to high rates of vandalism. V. Low land values allow vandals to feel less and less guilt at

vandalizing the buildings around them whose appearance keeps getting worse.

Conclusion: Vandalism in the Woensel-Noord district is due to a large teenage population in the area which in turn leads to mass loitering by teenagers and eventually vandalism at their bored or frustrated hands. The lack of investment around the ring road causes a spiral of degrading building management, thus leading to high vandalism rates because vandals don’t feel guilty for destroying decaying property.

History

Research Question: How did the Suez Canal Crisis affect the imperial status of Britain and France?

Argument: I. The decisiveness of the US, the USSR, and the UN in bringing

the crisis to an end diminished the imperial status of Britain and France in the Mid-East.

II. The military weakness of Britain and France diminished the imperial status of Britain and France in the Mid-East. III. The rise of Arab nationalism under Nasser diminished the imperial status of Britain and France in the Mid-East.

Conclusion: The Suez Canal Crisis diminished the imperial status of Britain and France.

Research Question: Why does the role of women change in the USA and UK during the 1960s?

Argument: I. The ideologies of a post-war society change. II. The black civil rights movement brings about changes which are

carried over to women. III. The media and new technology bring about changes in the role of women. IV. Medical advances bring about changes in the role of women.

Conclusion: The role of women in the USA and UK changes in the 1960s because of changes in society at that time.

Mathematics

Research question: To what extent was the method of infinite descent conclusive in proving Fermat's Last Theorem?

Argument: l. An examination of Euler's proof of n = 3 presents the template for the method of infinite descent. II. Dirichlet’s proof demonstrates how the method of infinite descent

evolved to work for different exponents of Fermat’s Last Theorem. III. Kummer's proof demonstrates how the method of infinite descent

evolved to work for different exponents of Fermat’s Last Theorem. IV. The method that Ernst Kummer used to prove Fermat`s Last

Theorem for specific exponents was at first made for regular primes, but was then adapted for irregular primes. This led to Fermat's Last Theorem being proved for all prime exponents up to 4 million with the aid of computers. This might seem conclusive enough, since 4 million is a relatively large number, however no one knows for sure that it might not work for prime numbers above 5 million.

Conclusion: The method of infinite descent is useful in giving an idea as to whether Fermat`s Last Theorem is true or not, but it will never conclusively prove it.

Music

Research Question: To what extent did Wes Montgomery’s improvisational style impact Pat Martino’s style?

Argument: I. An analysis of the techniques and improvisational materials that

characterize Wes Montgomery’s style in his version of John Coltrane’s Impressions.

II. An investigation of Pat Martino’s improvised line in his interpretation of Coltrane’s Impressions, focusing on his harmonic, melodic, rhythmic and tonal traits. III. An analysis of the similarities and differences to create a clear

understanding of the selected features of both guitarists.

Conclusion: Pat Martino acquired, the harmonic techniques together with an adoption of a so called, block chord from Wes Montgomery. Through the adoption and transformation of Wes Montgomery’s virtuosity, Pat Martino developed one of the most unique instrumental styles and timbres in the jazz history.

Physics

Research Question: How does the height from which a drop of molten wax is dropped onto a water surface affect its solidified shape and size?

Test results: I. The droplets’ diameter increased proportionally to the height from

which it was dropped. II. As the height of the drop increases, the shape of the droplets

gradually changes from perfectly circular to triangular or pointed and finally into irregularly shaped splatters.

Conclusions: I. The change in shape of the wax droplets is caused by the increasing impact force upon collision with the water surface. II. The forces acting on the edge of the droplet are imbalanced. III. When the critical height of drop is reached splattered wax droplets are

formed as the collision of the molten wax droplets on the water changed from perfectly inelastic to partially elastic, causing wax particles to spread outwards.

Psychology

Research Question: To what extent is aggression a product of biological and hereditary factors and to what extent is it a product of the environment?

Argument: I. Certain biological factors contribute to aggressive behavior. II. Studies on animals suggest that the mutation of certain genes

also found in humans may predispose an animal to aggressive behavior.

III. The main environmental factor which contributes to aggressive behavior is steroid abuse.

Conclusion: Biological and hereditary factors control 75% of atypical aggressive behavior while environmental factors cause the remaining 25%.

Research Question: To what extent should the use of subliminal messaging in advertising be allowed?

Argument: I. Arguments which support the use of subliminal messaging in

advertising because it is not harmful. II. Arguments which say the use of subliminal messaging in advertising is unethical because it intrudes the defenseless unconscious.

Conclusion: Research suggests that there is no overpowering effect of subliminal messaging on the consumer and therefore it should be allowed.

Social and Cultural Anthropology

Research Question: To what extent does a belief in animism aid in the spread of Islam in Southeast Asian societies?

Argument: I. An examination of the influence of animism on the secular and

sacred rituals practiced in the Tausug society of the Philippines, and their influence in the spread of Islam in that society.

II. An examination of the influence of animism on the secular and sacred rituals practiced by the Bajau tribe of Malaysia and their influence in the spread of Islam in that society.

Conclusion: Animistic rituals serve as the meaning through which Islam can be understood and followed by a variety of peoples, regardless of their racial background or ethnicity, as all humans share a relationship with their surrounding physical environments. Animism was therefore essential in the successful spread of the Islam religion in traditional South East Asian societies.

Theater

Research Question: How can the semiotics of Macbeth’s dagger influence an audience and the actor playing Macbeth? Argument: I. An analysis of performance descriptions of the dagger scene in

Macbeth as performed in the Elizabethan period, with focus on the actor’s response to seeing the dagger and audience response to seeing it.

I. An analysis of a present day performance of the dagger scene in Macbeth in which the dagger is visible, focusing on the actor’s response to it and the audience’s reaction to seeing it.

II. An analysis of a present day performance of the dagger scene in Macbeth in which the dagger is not visible, focusing on the actor’s response to the dagger being invisible and audience reaction to not being able to see the dagger.

Conclusion: While an audience in Shakespeare’s time may have viewed the information as proof positive of the preternatural influence of malign spirits or witchcraft, the modern audience and actor are usually able to connect more with the character of Macbeth without the dagger being visible, and that the director’s election to show or not show the dagger can have a significant impact on interpretation of Macbeth’s personality and predicament.

Visual Arts

Research Question: Is there any link that can be made between the shock of Edouard Manet’s Olympia and Tracey Emin’s My Bed ?

Argument: I. Edouard Manet shocked the public with his painting Olympia in

1863. II. Current artist, Tracey Emin’s, My Bed shocked the public in 1988. III. Parallels between the two artworks will be made to suggest the

main motive of each work was to shock the public.

Conclusion: It may be concluded that both artists had similar motivations in creating their works.

World Religions

Research Question: How does Islam intend for women to be treated in their societies?

Argument: I. The Prophet taught that women should be allowed to participate

in all aspects of society such as education and religion. II. The Prophet declared women persons and not property. He suggested that women were equal in marriage. III. The Qur'an recognizes that women have a role in society and

although it was not the same role as men, it was of equal value. IV. The Qur'an also revealed that the teachings of modesty were not

solely directed at women but both men and women.

Conclusion: Islam intended for women to be treated with respect and humanity. Islam did not intend for women to be abused and oppressed.

World Studies

Subjects: Cultural Anthropology and Women's Rights

Research Question: Should the Indian Air Force allow women to be combat pilots?

Argument:

I. Women are as physically capable of flying combat missions as their male counterparts.

II. Women are as emotionally capable of dealing with the stress of flying combat missions as their male counterparts.

III. The general opinion of Indian Air Force officers supports allowing women to fly combat missions.

IV. Indian society may not be ready to accept women flying combat roles in the Indian Air Force.

Conclusion: The use of women combatants in the Indian Armed Forces is a viable option.

What do I do between now and our

conference later in April?

1. Do general reading on your topic.

2. Meet with supervisor to discuss possible research

questions for your topic. Complete Preliminary

Dialogue Form.

3. Write your research question and be ready to turn in

your Research Proposal Form with your supervisor’s

signature.

4. Formulate your argument as you see it from your

initial reading and be ready to turn it in on your

Preliminary Outline Form with your supervisor’s

signature.

5. Start taking notes from your sources, remembering to

write down source information including page number

for each note you take.