Leaving Cert History Research Project

BsUserABC123

I'm going into 6th year and my history teacher needs us to know what we're doing for our project before we go back. I still have no idea what I want to do yet, any suggestions? I want to do something unique that'll get me a high mark since I'm aiming for an A1/A2. What did you do and did you do well overall? I could really do with the help! ☺

Frigating

-The examiners look highly on Irish history, or projects that can be linked back to Ireland. It doesn't have to be Irish, but it is recommended
-Don't do anything that's on the course
-Avoid the Easter Rising, they'll be flooded with those sort of projects next year
-Pick something you're definitely interested in. It'll be easier to research and your enthusiasm will come across in the write up
-Keep it narrow, eg one aspect of a person's life, one battle, a specific timeline etc
-Do you find it easier to write about a person, an event, or conditions/change at a time?
-Once you find something general you like (WWI for example), read about it, pick a detail (person, battle etc), read about that, and keep narrowing it down until you find your topic. Maybe put a little unique twist in it if you can
-Make sure it's historically relevant and viable

I'm assuming you enjoy history, otherwise you wouldn't have picked it. What exactly do you like about it? What were your favourite bits for the JC? Is there anything not on the course that you would like to know more about? Any country's history that interests you?(Britain? Japan? Germany?) Any people that had a historical impact?

This will help with your project, especially at the moment page 4 which deals with picking a topic:
https://lchistoryprojects.files.wordpress.com/2010/10/student-guide.pdf

Remember that for HL you need 3 sources, at least one from a historian (and no wikipedia). Be able to say why they are useful/good sources (unless they aren't, in which case mention that. Eg, they are diary entries and therefore biased)

If it helps, I kept changing my mind and didn't fully decide on my topic until 3 months before the deadline. Good luck!

Some random topics you could look at: Oliver Cromwell (since the way he's taught is very different in England and Ireland, you could look at him in an unbiased light), Japanese feudalism, the unification of Germany under Bismark, the cartoon industry (eg used to be only for adults, but maybe ask your teacher if that one's relevant enough), you could narrow that one down to Disney's early days, how the man who created Mickey Mouse was fired and forgotten about.

spurious

What part of the country are you in OP?
Go local and get into the primary sources.

BsUserABC123

Thank you so much that was very helpful! I'm definitely thinking of doing local history since I'm quite interested in it and heard that the examiners like those the best. I'm from Cork so I was thinking of doing the Burning of Cork during the War of Independence and maybe narrowing it down a bit further. I'm also interested in how the Irish government came about so the first meeting of the dail and seanad houses is also an option. History's my favourite subject so I'm really hoping to do well. I used to average C's in it in 5th year so I'm hoping to do better and aim for a high B/A in the lc

BsUserABC123

Cork so I'm thinking of doing the Burning of Cork during the War of Independence and maybe narrowing it down a bit further There's also the Ambush at Kilmichael so that's an option too as well as the Lord Mayor being murdered or Michael Collins being shot

sean_b97

to quote my teacher: just start writing and see where it leads (once you have an idea)

sean_b97

agonizing mightened help in regards to writing it

ChromosomeT

I did mine a few years back and based it on the olympic Munich massacre and got 97 for the project when i went and viewed my paper! it was quite simple to research and there was a fair bit of sources i found useful, especially some youtube clips of new footage from the time and official reports too (i think some were released by die spiele if i remember right?) also there was a good book called 'one day in September' that focused on the invasion of the olympic village, the capture of the hostages and the subsequent events that followed, that was what i based my project on while giving a small background about who the intruders were (they were past of a Palestinian liberation organisation, PLO, faction). It was a really interesting topic as i was always found of German history but wanted to look at the less obvious bits, away from the wars! Like i say it was interesting and not too hard to research either so give it a thought and ask me any Q's if needs be! :cool:

ChromosomeT

yeah i think you need to have at least one primary and then the other 2 can be secondary, but i think i ended up using 2 primary and one secondary. once you reference properly and it is a decent, reputable source they're not too fussy. Just make sure you pick a good title that's fairly specific and you stick to it tightly!

Jason_H

My teacher's advice is to do something that will interest and excite the examiner. They're historians as well, so reading another project on Daniel O'Connell or Martin Luther King will bore the pants off them. It may be A standard, but you have the whole of history to choose from, you might as well try and do something interesting that they may never have even heard about.

He also says go for shock factor as well. People like exciting history. Sex scandals and torture techniques are good, because at the very least you'll stand out and be memorable. And that alone can bring you up a few marks.

Finally, chose something that makes it look like you've gone out of your way to research it. 1916 is Ireland's most famous event, it looks lazy to chose it. Show that you have a large knowledge of history, and are willing to expand it. But also show you're multi-faceted. If you love English, chose a playwright or poet, (not one on your course, go beyond.) They mark well for hard work, and if it looks like you've broken your back to find the topic and research it, even if your essay itself is below average, you'll score well.

gryfothegreat

I did a local topic too! Mine was probably too local, actually - I had roughly 300 words of secondary sources and I had to go digging through church archives to find a DOB... It did get published in a local newspaper, for which I was rumoured to have been paid €100 for haha :P
In any case, if you're doing a local topic, do try to acknowledge that your topic isn't all that important in the grand scheme of history, but emphasise its impact on your locality. Talk about the importance of local history and oral tradition, which is often ignored in favour of the big historical figures - for example, The O'Rahilly vs. Patrick Pearse. In your conclusion, try to talk about how you plan to continue with your research topic - in mine I complained that the subject of my essay has no memorial in the town, but a U.S. President does, and I said that I was going to try to change that.
The best thing about doing an obscure, little-known topic is that you can flub the details, because they won't notice - for example, they won't know if you use the wrong birthdate for a local figure, whereas if you use the wrong birthdate for, say, Michael Collins... They'll know.
Also, general tips - do your actual extended essay first, and when you finish that, do your evaluation of sources, then your outline plan, and then your conclusion, making sure to refer to your aims as laid out in the outline plan. Try to hand a draft up at least every month; you wouldn't believe how quickly the deadline can creep up on you, what with other projects and orals and all. Do a draft project out first in a sample booklet to check your length. Good luck!