Research Beginnings

Today's task is merely to acquaint yourself with possible topics. The main thing you need to remember is that your research paper serves to address a RESEARCHABLE QUESTION. Therefore, you need to first select an issue, then come up with a researchable question for that particular issue.

Example:
When I start to think about research topics, I ask myself what issues I am particularly interested in right now. I quickly dismiss the cliche topics such as capital punishment, abortion, etc.. I consider what I have read lately, what issues in the news have piqued my interest. I remember that the current refugee situation (specifically Syrian, but also all around the world) has always held interest for me. It is a very current hot topic, so there should be scads of information about it. 

I choose the very, very broad topic of "Refugees". Now, I need to both narrow that down AND come up with a researchable question. This question may get more narrow as my research goes on, but today I need to end class with something. 

Using the search website below, I am going to find viewpoints on refugees.

http://ic.galegroup.com/ic/ovic/AdvancedSearchPage?u=tel_s_tsla&p=OVIC

Then I will narrow the topic down and search through these sites.

http://ic.galegroup.com/ic/ovic/ViewpointsFullListPage/ViewpointsFullListWindow?failOverType=&query=KE+refugees&prodId=OVIC&windowstate=normal&contentModules=&display-query=KE+refugees&mode=view&displayGroupName=Viewpoints&limiter=AC+y&u=tel_s_tsla&currPage=1&displayGroups=&totalSearchResultCount=&source=fullList&p=OVIC&action=e&catId=&activityType=AdvancedSearch&scanId=CSH

After perusing these different links, I think that my researchable question is going to be, at least in the beginning, "Do National Governments have an obligation to Refugees?"

Spoiler alert, as I continue in research, I will narrow this down further to "Does the United States have an obligation to Syrian Refugees?" 

For today, you need to click on this link
http://ic.galegroup.com/ic/ovic/?p=OVIC&u=tel_s_tsla

Be sure to click "view all" beside each broad topic. You will see a list of between 20 and 75 topics. Find one that interests you, click on it, then look on the right side of the page at the "On the Page" list. You want to click and look at "viewpoints" links, "academic journals" links.

Look around (a LOT) and hone in on some topics and researchable questions. At the end of the period today, I need you to turn in the index card with your broad topic and researchable question. It HAS to be a topic with two clear sides to it.... two DEBATABLE sides. You don't have to pick a side right now. You will actually research BOTH sides before you choose the side you are going to argue. As you look and pick, make sure that there is enough information for you to get a 6-8 page research paper (with 10 sources) on it.