history

nolight

history research topic ideas???? Help.....

silversky

nolight wrote: »

history research topic ideas???? Help.....

Can you think of any significant historical events in your own locality? You usually get awarded more points if you do your research topic on something local and not widely done.

snoreborewhore

Do something that hasn't been done a hundred times before - because examiners get tired of the reading about the blitzkrieg or the battle of the bulge every year. And, if you do something that hasn't really been done before then there's no precedent for your project so it could be marked a lot better.
You can do a project on anything and anyone really - just as long as it fits into the time frame. My teacher has told me of some of his past students doing very good projects on The Magdelene Laundries, the Charles Manson murders and the Briggs Initiative (about the gay American politician Harvey Milk) I'm doing mine on Rasputin's murder - so really it can be whatever you want it to be - just as long as you can produce a good project out of it.

Jolly Red Giant

nolight wrote: »

history research topic ideas???? Help.....

Have a look here -

http://leavingcerthistory.net/research-projects/suggested-topics/

You might find some ideas

nolight

snoreborewhore wrote: »

Do something that hasn't been done a hundred times before - because examiners get tired of the reading about the blitzkrieg or the battle of the bulge every year. And, if you do something that hasn't really been done before then there's no precedent for your project so it could be marked a lot better.
You can do a project on anything and anyone really - just as long as it fits into the time frame. My teacher has told me of some of his past students doing very good projects on The Magdelene Laundries, the Charles Manson murders and the Briggs Initiative (about the gay American politician Harvey Milk) I'm doing mine on Rasputin's murder - so really it can be whatever you want it to be - just as long as you can produce a good project out of it.

Thank you! I wanted to do something on Mozart but it might be too broad a topic!

JonnyMcNamee

If at all possible try do something local! The examiners love that! If your local areas history doesn't interest you try to do something unique and under reported that you are interested in and that will hold the examiner's interest. Don't do something generic like World War 2 or the 1916 Easter Rising unless you are coming from a unique angle! By this stage they are sick of seeing essays about these topics

nolight

JonnyMcNamee wrote: »

If at all possible try do something local! The examiners love that! If your local areas history doesn't interest you try to do something unique and under reported that you are interested in and that will hold the examiner's interest. Don't do something generic like World War 2 or the 1916 Easter Rising unless you are coming from a unique angle! By this stage they are sick of seeing essays about these topics

Thank you! I'm not too sure about local history! But I'll look into something

Jolly Red Giant

nolight wrote: »

Thank you! I wanted to do something on Mozart but it might be too broad a topic!

Mozart is too broad a topic - you will need to focus it on some aspect of his life or work e.g his 4 years in the Salzburg Court

SureYWouldntYa

Do something interesting and groundbreaking. My cousin done hers on a theory that Elvis was still alive and got full marks. Im doing mine on conspiracy theories about the assassination of jfk and my teacher says if i dont get full marks he'll quit :L

nolight

Thank you! Wow! That sounds amazing, Your cousins topic sounds really interesting i'd love to come up with something like that

JonnyMcNamee

SureYWouldntYa wrote: »

Do something interesting and groundbreaking. My cousin done hers on a theory that Elvis was still alive and got full marks. Im doing mine on conspiracy theories about the assassination of jfk and my teacher says if i dont get full marks he'll quit :L

Is that not a tad risky as there's no solid facts and the theories haven't been proven or accepted as History hence the title 'Conspiracy theories'?

Jolly Red Giant

JonnyMcNamee wrote: »

Is that not a tad risky as there's no solid facts and the theories haven't been proven or accepted as History hence the title 'Conspiracy theories'?

I would agree

SureYWouldntYa

JonnyMcNamee wrote: »

Is that not a tad risky as there's no solid facts and the theories haven't been proven or accepted as History hence the title 'Conspiracy theories'?

Ah but one of the things an examiner likes to see if you coming to your own conclusion about events and coming to them by doing the proper research. Even if i turn out to be wrong iv still proved iv done my work as a historian and seen the pro's and con's of certain evidence

Jolly Red Giant

SureYWouldntYa wrote: »

Ah but one of the things an examiner likes to see if you coming to your own conclusion about events and coming to them by doing the proper research. Even if i turn out to be wrong iv still proved iv done my work as a historian and seen the pro's and con's of certain evidence

The problem is that because the sources are dodgy you have to be very careful in how you use them - e.g. in the Evaluation section. You also have to be very clear what your aims are and your review of process has to be very sharp. It could work - it also could blow up spectacularly in your face.

If you plan going down this route - and I would advise against it as there are thousand of far more suitable topics - make sure you teacher is well clued into what is required in the RSR and make sure to go through it in detail with him/her.

SureYWouldntYa

Jolly Red Giant wrote: »

The problem is that because the sources are dodgy you have to be very careful in how you use them - e.g. in the Evaluation section. You also have to be very clear what your aims are and your review of process has to be very sharp. It could work - it also could blow up spectacularly in your face.

If you plan going down this route - and I would advise against it as there are thousand of far more suitable topics - make sure you teacher is well clued into what is required in the RSR and make sure to go through it in detail with him/her.

He said a past student got full marks for the exact same project in '06. The sources arent dodgy actually, is a government document dodgy? or a video?

Jolly Red Giant

SureYWouldntYa wrote: »

He said a past student got full marks for the exact same project in '06. The sources arent dodgy actually, is a government document dodgy? or a video?

It absolutely depends on the sources used and just as important what the sources are used for i.e. the aims of the project. The SRS is about historical fact - not conspiracies - so you have to be very careful with it. Just because one student got full marks with the topic six years ago doesn't mean it will happen again - particularly given the fact that the method of marking the SRS has got far tighter since then.

Every student is entitled to do whatever SRS they want to - all I am doing is offering some advice, no one has to take it. I have a student who has rejected every single piece of advice I have given - the student is perfectly entitled to do that - and I hope the student gets full marks with the SRS - just as I hope nolight and you do as well.

TIMR007ROX

I'm doing mine on the Assassinations of Harvey Milk and George Moscone, hopefully a topic not done before, full marks here's hoping!:pac:

tipperaryguy

Try something totally different the correcter will never have seen that you might have an interest in, i did the Battle of Antietam (wha?, exactly!;)) in the American Civil War. found it suprisingly interesting!:D