Professor Joshua Belknap | Co Req ML | Spring 2024

3/4/24: Brainstorming a research topic

After we discuss Unit 2 (Reflective Annotated Bibliography, or RAB), we’ll brainstorm ideas about various research topics. Think of topics you are interested in and want to learn more about. Choose a topic that affects others, a social issue, rather than just yourself individually. Once you have chosen a general topic of research (for example, education or crime), you will want to narrow this topic to something more specific. Next, you will develop a specific research question to research, explore, and write about in your project.

First, generate a list of possible general research topics of social issues that you care about (e.g. immigration reform and/or intolerance, misogyny/sexism, global warming, police brutality, systemic racism, gun control, etc.).

Next, choose one topic and generate a list of more specific areas of interest (subtopics) related to your overall topic

For example:

  • Subtopics related to education:
    • Online education
    • Traditional education model
    • Public vs. private education
  • Subtopics related to crime:
  • Juvenile crime
  • Criminal justice system
  • Racial profiling
  • Prison reform

Then, generate a list of questions that you’d like to explore related to your subtopics. For example:

  • Questions related to education:
    • What is the future of online education?
    • Is the traditional education model the most effective?
    • How can we better fund education in America?
  • Questions related to crime:
    • Why are children being tried as adults?
    • How should drug offenses be addressed within the criminal justice system?
    • Is racial profiling affecting arrest demographics?
    • How can we best reform our over-populated prisons?

Save your brainstorm ideas in your Google Drive folder, and also post here. You can start with a very general idea (e.g. technology), but unless you’re going to write a book (!), you will need to narrow it down… and it will also be less overwhelming to conduct research. Let me know if you have any questions.

7 Comments

  1. Valentina Martinez

    •Subtopics related to environmental issues in the fashion industry:

    1. Textile production issues.

    2. Fast fashion and where it ends up.

    3. Fast fashion and the overproduction of products.

    • Subtopics related to social media:

    1. Bullying and hate on social media.

    2. Psychological disorders caused by excessive social media use.

    3. Social media addiction.

    • Questions related to environmental issues in the fashion industry:

    1. What environmental problems arise from textile production?

    2. What are better methods for producing textiles?

    3. Which countries are affected by clothing landfills (such as one in Chile)?

    4. How can overproduction be prevented?

    • Questions related to social media:

    1. How does overexposure to social media affect people?

    2. What are common types of bullying and hate normalized on social media?

    3. How difficult is it for a person to stop using social media once they’ve become accustomed to it?

  2. Joshua Belknap

    Valentina,

    This is a nice list of possible research topics. Are you leaning toward one topic more than another? If you narrow your list to 2 or 3 topics, it will be easier to decide. We’ll discuss in class…

  3. Giselle

    • Subtopics related to Water Pollution:
    1. The Pacific Ocean
    2. The Indian Ocean
    3. Yellow River, China
    • Subtopics related to Unemployment:
    1. Physical pain
    2. Anxiety
    3. Depression
    • Questions related to Water Pollution:
    1. What are the properties and dangers of water pollutants?
    2. How are pollutants transported through water?
    3. How do we detect water pollution?
    • Questions related to Unemployment:
    1. Why people were feeling depressed while working?
    2. Why do people who are employed suffer from stress related illness?
    3. Why unemployments have negative health consequences?
  4. Caleb

    • Subtopics related to Global Warming 

      ° Climate Change 

    ° Green House Gases 

    • Questions related to Global Warming 

    ° Will the world leaders help control climate change? 

    ° What will our oceans, seas and rivers look like in a few years to come. 

    ° How will our ecosystem function like in a few years to come. 

  5. marias

    Subtopics related to Fashion Industry

    -The Impact of Social Media on the Fashion Industry.

    -The economic impact of the fashion industry.

    -Animal cruelty in the fashion industry.

    -The social controversy over fur in fashion.

    Subtopics related to Feminist.

    -Aborto legal y seguro.

    -NYC abortion rights.

    Subtopics related to veganism.

    -What pollutes more: meat or the plastic that wraps it?

    -Why should I eat meat?

  6. Ahmed

    General Research Topics:

    Mental Health Awareness

    Environmental Health

    Social Factors in Health

    Reproductive Health Rights

    Work Safety and Health

    Chosen Topic: Mental Health Awareness

    Specific Areas of Interest (Subtopics):

    Reducing Mental Health Stigma

    Getting Help for Mental Health

    Mental Health at Work

    Mental Health in Schools

    Preventing Suicide

    Understanding Different People’s Mental Health

    Technology and Mental Health

    Helping People after Trauma

    Questions to Explore:

    1. How can we make people less scared to talk about mental health?

    2. Why is it hard for some people to get help for their mental health?

    3. How can work be made better for people’s mental health?

    4. What can schools do to help students’ mental health?

    5. How can we stop people from taking their own lives?

    6. How do different people’s lives affect their mental health?

    7. What can be done to help minority groups with their mental health?

    8. How does technology affect how people feel mentally?

    9. How can we support people who have been through very bad things?

    10. What rules can be made to make mental health better for everyone?

  7. Farhan

    Subtopics related to healthy life

    1,physical health,

    2,Exercise and Fitness:

    3.Hydration

    Subtopics related to Online education

    1, virtual classroom,

    2,online tutoring,

    3.online degree program.

    question about health

    Why is it important to eat fruits and vegetables every day?

    why diet are important for good health?

    Why people have to go gym for being healthy.

    question about online education.

    How do we keep students interested in online learning?

    How can we make sure online course materials are reliable?

    What problems might students encounter with online learning, and how can we help?

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