Research Process: 

1. Could my research become too focused?
2. How will I find relevant information/findings regarding my topic if it becomes too specific?
3. How important is quantitative data for social science studies?
4. Is a form of observation/data collection required for studies involving people/societies?
5. Is there a particular time frame for research or should research occur throughout the entire process?

Topic/Interests: (All areas of interest would be geared specifically to middle school students)

1. School Climate and perceptions of leaders/administrators on student performance/school climate
2. Efficacy of Home Base disciplinary procedures in RPS
3. Importance of social workers within RPS on student retention/graduation rates/mental health
4. How difficult/what barriers would I have to cross in order to get access to student records
5. Although I am thinking about an MPP program w/ a concentration in ed. policy, If I decide to focus my Thesis on a related topic but decide to pursue a different graduate program, could my Honor’s Thesis still give me an advantage in the process of applying for an unrelated program?

Research Process Questions
– How do you decide what is the useful information while conducting literature review?
– How do you know what articles or books should you read closely and what do you skim?
– What should I do if I don’t like literature review?…
– What kind of question do you identify as the one that has sufficient supporting literature but worth researching?
– What small tasks can you break literature review – a huge and long and complicated task into?
Topics that interest me
– Humans. I am interested in human behaviors as well as relationships formed by human beings. That’s why I think Dr. Forsyth may be a good person for me to do research with.
– I am also interested in narratives. The way to frame a sentence and the way to deliver a message is important. As a speech consultant, I like to think about the meaning behind sentences. And a class I’ve always wanted to take is interpersonal communication in the RHCS department.
– Another different topic I think about very often is culture/ diversity/ identity. They are not the same thing but all related to my experience as a Chinese student here in America. I also have experience with immigrant students mainly from the Central America because of working with Dr. Kaufman and volunteering with ESL program at Huguenot High School.
– Within psychology field, developmental psychology is interesting. I had a class on older adults called “longevity and happiness”. I like to spend time with older adults and talk to them and learn about them in the senior living place.
– Emotions is another subtopic within psychology that interests me.

Questions about Getting Started:

1. How can I be sure I’ve settled on the right topic?
2. How can I be sure that my research question hasn’t already been answered?
3. How do I turn a vague interest into a specific research question?
4. Do all theses require original research?
5. How can I check if something is researchable before I try to research it for my thesis?
6. If I have to decide on a research question before I start the reading phase, how can I know if my research question is precise enough?

Topic or Questions I’m Passionate About:

1. Group Decision Making
2. Preference ordering in political decision making
3. Cost-benefit analysis of immigration by immigrants
4. Evolution of racism and discrimination in the US
5. International perception of US politics over time: From Groundbreaking Democracy to antiquated dis-functionalism.
6. International Crimes Against Humanity: The case of forced disappearances

• Is it possible to change your topic after you have already decided on one?
• When should you ask a professor to be your thesis advisor? Should your question be finalized before you ask?
• What should you do if you choose an advisor that doesn’t end up being as helpful as you hoped?
• How can I decide on an exact topic and know if it is narrow enough?
• Is there someone who can help me sort out my interests and help me craft a strong question?

Topics:

1. The nature of democracy/ how it has changed with the increased presence of social media in elections
2. Foreign language studies and the role that it plays in educational systems of other countries vs ours
3. Gender roles in congress/government
4. Political Theory/How people develop their political positions
5. Rhetoric of strong vs weak leaders

Questions

1. Is there a minimum or maximum number of sources needed?
2. How do you know if your research question is too broad or too narrow?
3. What if you change your mind but you’ve already done a ton of research on your topic and picked an advisor?
4. What is the best way to hold yourself accountable for each step of the way with no external or imposed deadlines?
5. Can I look into a research question that has been asked before?
6. Can I use human subjects if I’m doing an experiment?
7. How much funding will there be if any? What are the limitations (if any) on the scope of our topics?

Topic Ideas

1. something with group dynamics and their effects on problem solving
2. A way to avoid climate change/environmental damage
3. effects of high adrenaline activities (bungee jumping, phobias, etc.) on fear and/or wellbeing
4. How do religious beliefs shape a person’s morality
5. health psychology/natural remedies for psychological disorders (how to find ways to make someone happy or help with a disorder without prescribing drugs)

Questions about starting the research process:

• Should you reference materials in your works cited that you’ve read even if you don’t quote them?
• What citation style is most appropriate for a more humanities-focused thesis?
• How do you prioritize what books or articles to read?
• As a rule of thumb, how much should we be reading/researching per week?
• What are the benefits of doing an honors thesis in leadership studies anyway?

Topics (or questions) I am passionate about or interested in researching:

• How can understanding the superhero phenomenon in the United States be beneficial to leadership or a liberal arts education in general?
• How has the superhero franchise in the U.S. changed over time? What does this say about past, present, and future cultural and societal norms (specifically regarding leadership)?
• Are ensemble cast superhero movies an example of effective shared leadership? Why or why not?
• How well will the soon-to-be-released film Black Panther do in terms of participating in social discourse around racism in the United States?
• Was Wonder Woman helpful or harmful to female leadership perceptions?

Questions:

1. I have such a broad topic/combination of topics I want to explore – how do I find something to narrow in on?
2. I know ultimately I make the decision for my topic, but who are good people I can I talk to to help me choose?
3. What happens if I get stuck?
4. How much of the project is book research, and how much is field research? I know all projects differ significantly, but ones with field research – how much does that typically cover?
5. At what point in the process do you conduct your field research?
6. I’m interested in so many things, how can I possibly choose?

Topics:

1. Why are women so underrepresented in sports, even in countries that are progressive in women rights?
2. What will it take to change the attitudes and actions of people influencing these fields?
3. Gender in sports, the STEM field, leadership positions
4. Gender and confidence (leading to ^)
5. Emotional Intelligence

Questions about the research process:

1. How do I weed out info that isn’t useful so I don’t waste my time on unhelpful articles/books?
2. How do I determine if a source is credible and unbiased?
3. Can I use sources that state opinion or are biased?
4. How can I use my sources to narrow down my topic? Won’t more information just broaden my topic?
5. How do I know when I’ve done enough research?
6. How extensively do I need to use each source? Can I use a small amount of info from one source without referring to the bigger argument made in that source?
7. How do I figure out with discipline my topic falls under?
8. How do I make a topic that some may find trivial seem important/sound scholarly/

Topics/questions that interest me:

1. (Under the umbrella of depictions of female leadership in television)
   How has it changed over time? Are we getting better or worse? What defines “better”?
2. How do world events (e.g. politics) affect what we see on TV with regards to female leadership?
3. How do comedies and dramas deal with female leadership differently/similarly?
4. What effect does female leadership behind the scenes (producers, creators, writers, directors, etc.) have on what appears on screen?
5. What types of female leadership are most common or uncommon on TV? Leadership in the workplace? In politics? In families?

This is the site where you will post your responses to readings–you aren’t required to read other people’s posts, but a lot of great research comes from seeing how other people think and work, so it would be a good idea.

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