Original Research Questions

[tomfyhr]

Does anyone have a method to create original research questions for a thesis?

Could someone give examples of common and clichéd research questions?

[EvoWarrior5]

Good question. I have just completed my Bachelor's programme so I've got some experience with having to come up with research questions. I also had trouble coming up with them at various points. First off, though, what exactly is it you need to write? Is it a Bachelor's thesis? For what study? etc. Not knowing that also makes it very difficult to say what is "common and clichéd".

In general, it's a little hard to say what the best method is, as usually whenever I came up with an essay topic they were simply things that were on my mind at that time. Generally I came up with research questions for essays which belonged to a particular course, so it was pretty easy to pick something out within that course, a topic or class I found particularly interesting, and find a question to ask in there. From that point it is about doing research and sharpening the focus and such. I could give some examples if you want.

As for my Bachelor's thesis? Hmm hard to say. I initially had a topic in mind that seemed interesting but while researching it I found that it wasn't a feasible one. But during my research I stumbled upon something which gave me inspiration for a different topic. Which, I realise, is not very specific nor extremely helpful. I guess that what you can get out of my post so far is look for anything you stumbled across during your courses in the past few years and remember something you found interesting, a topic or even more specifically one debate within a discipline. Then do some preliminary research to see which questions seem feasible to ask. And even if it is not, you might stumble across something else along the way, like I did.

Maybe I could help a little more if I know what you study or what you're looking for exactly.

[tomfyhr]

Good question. I have just completed my Bachelor's programme so I've got some experience with having to come up with research questions. I also had trouble coming up with them at various points. First off, though, what exactly is it you need to write? Is it a Bachelor's thesis? For what study? etc. Not knowing that also makes it very difficult to say what is "common and clichéd".

In general, it's a little hard to say what the best method is, as usually whenever I came up with an essay topic they were simply things that were on my mind at that time. Generally I came up with research questions for essays which belonged to a particular course, so it was pretty easy to pick something out within that course, a topic or class I found particularly interesting, and find a question to ask in there. From that point it is about doing research and sharpening the focus and such. I could give some examples if you want.

As for my Bachelor's thesis? Hmm hard to say. I initially had a topic in mind that seemed interesting but while researching it I found that it wasn't a feasible one. But during my research I stumbled upon something which gave me inspiration for a different topic. Which, I realise, is not very specific nor extremely helpful. I guess that what you can get out of my post so far is look for anything you stumbled across during your courses in the past few years and remember something you found interesting, a topic or even more specifically one debate within a discipline. Then do some preliminary research to see which questions seem feasible to ask. And even if it is not, you might stumble across something else along the way, like I did.

Maybe I could help a little more if I know what you study or what you're looking for exactly.

I would appreciate it, if you could list a few examples.

It is for a thesis in a literature-course in max 4000 words, where the assignment is to write a study of a of a literary work(s) originally written in the language in which the essay is presented.

The objective is to study in-depth a literary topic that is suitable in nature and scope for discussion in this form, engage in independent literary criticism and include, where appropriate, established critical comment and develop the ability to put forward their views persuasively and in a well-structured manner, using a register appropriate to the study of literature.

The research question must be "narrow and specific", but not "too narrow", according to the instructions. We are given points for the "creativity" of the research questions, and we are adviced to avoid "common topics". The research question should include an analyzation of specific aspects of the work studied, such as a rhetorical device or the analysis of a work from a different perspective.

These are the examples I have been given:

What are the role and the significance of dance in "Pride and Prejudice" and "Emma"?

How is the subject of death treated in selected poems by Emily Brontë and Emily Dickinson?

How and why does Cendrars modify facts and rewrite history in his first novel?

In what ways do the male authors of Anna Karenina and Madame Bovary seek to render their heroines sympathetic to the reader, and how far do they succeed?

These are the research questions I have created so far:

What is the role of sadness in W. N. P. Barbellion´s ´The Journal of a Disappointed Man´?

How are the characters portrayed in George Owell´s "Animal Farm" from a marxisting perspective?

How are allusions and references used in Shakespear´s "Hamlet" to convey the theme of deception from a psychoanalytical perspective?

How are differences used in Charles Dicken´s "A tale of two cities" to convey the theme of character?

[EvoWarrior5]

Okay, so one example is when I was taking a course on African American literature. In the first class we briefly discussed homosexuality and the fact that it appears in many works from the Harlem Renaissance, as most of its major writers were same-sex interested. Beyond this, we didn't go into this any further. We had also read Nella Larssen's Passing (1929) for the course and the tutor mentioned that there had been interpretations of the novel where the main character was considered to be same-sex interested, but again, we didn't go into it. I was interested in how homosexuality works in literature, so I wanted to take the opportunity to research homosexuality in African American literature. This lead me to James Baldwin, specifically Another Country (1962), and I also used Passing. The precise question with which I went into it became "What is the relationship between race and sexuality in two novels by African American authors?". The thesis statement of that essay is "Through an analysis of Passing and Another Country, it becomes clear that African American authors deconstruct binaries of sexuality and race in their work to challenge fixed categories in American discourse, such as “homosexual” and “heterosexual”."

A much more simple example is when we were asked for a course to write a 4000-word paper on two or more works by any author covered in the course and I just considered which author I found interesting, and then which themes were salient in their works. Which led to me to an essay about the intersection of race and gender in the works of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie.

To go into your research questions of thus far: the only one I would consider probably clichéd is the one about Animal Farm, although you might be able to take an interesting approach, but you would have to pull it off well. I have not read Barbellion so I cannot judge there. I am unsure what exactly you mean with "how are allusions and references used", do you mean intertextual ones? So far I like the one about Dickens best. I don't know what you have in mind for an argument, and I must admit that I haven't gotten to reading ToTC yet so I cannot judge on whether morality seems like it is probably overdone or not. This will become clear to you when you do your research. The only point of criticism I have for it is that I don't fully like the use of the word "contrasts" in it. At least, it seems to me like maybe you should specify it a bit when your argument becomes clear. Or you could use "juxtaposition" to at least have the academic register down, but that is also broad so that would also need added nuance.

[tomfyhr]

Yes, I am referencing to intertextual references, since references to Greek mythology and the Bible are present in "Hamlet".

Would duality (dualities) or ambivalence be more fitting terms as replacements for "contrasts", in your opinion?

Is it true that research questions should be max 12 words? I read that in a handbook, though I am sure if this is the norm.

[EvoWarrior5]

I can't be sure about dualities or ambivalences as I do not know what you are going to analyse in particular. You have approximately the word in mind; I'd say focus on the analysis first, then decide which word fits best.

I have never heard about the 12 word thing, nobody at either University I attended mentioned anything of the sort. Just make sure it is not too wordy.