Essay Topic
Since Elizabeth is no longer in our class she said I could use her topic... she will be dearly missed!
-Tentative Topic: Moral Tensions in the U.S.
-Tentative Research: Find sources that document factual evidence of past and present moral tensions in the U.S. and how/why they have evolved.
-Rationale: I chose this topic because not only does it generate my interest, I think it will generate the interests of others as well. Whether it's trying to uphold morals or deciding whether to have moral at all, the choice between right and wrong is a daily stuggle for everyone. I believe that an essay centered around this topic will reveal new, insightful ideas to people. The room for discovery in this essay is limitless.
-Tentative Topic: Moral Tensions in the U.S.
-Tentative Research: Find sources that document factual evidence of past and present moral tensions in the U.S. and how/why they have evolved.
-Rationale: I chose this topic because not only does it generate my interest, I think it will generate the interests of others as well. Whether it's trying to uphold morals or deciding whether to have moral at all, the choice between right and wrong is a daily stuggle for everyone. I believe that an essay centered around this topic will reveal new, insightful ideas to people. The room for discovery in this essay is limitless.
posted by Sara at
10:14 AM
1 Comments:
As a very general arena for research, this has potential. However, I want to encourage you to narrow your scope a bit--you could fill volumes with a discussion of how and why "moral tensions" have evolved in the U.S. (scholars and historians have spent whole careers trying to make sense of these questions!)
Also, I'm not quite clear on what you mean by "moral tensions"--are you referring to hot-button political issues like abortion, gay marriage, gun control, etc.? If yes, remember that you're treading on very fraught, emotionally-charged territory here, and a lot of the sources you uncover will likely have extreme views that don't allow for a more complicated, or "middle ground" take on these issues. That doesn't mean you can't tackle issues like these--but you want to make sure your mind isn't closed to the possibility of changing your thinking (and you'll want to look for sources that give due attention to opposing positions).
You might try framing a specific question, rather than charting out a general arena of inquiry like "past and present moral tensions in the U.S." Is there a specific moral tension you're especially interested in learning more about? How do you plan to put your own voice into the essay? How will you avoid making an argument (since this essay emphasizes discovery, not persuasion)?
Just some questions to get you thinking :) We'll talk more about our topics in class Monday, so your classmates might have some good suggestions if you haven't yet settled on a more specific research question.
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