=S totally lost. (1 Viewer)

[sardonicerrors]

Howdy. I'm about to start my major project but alas, the more I look into my teachers notes and the syllabus the more confused I seem to get :S

Firstly:
My chosen topic is the Spanish Inquisition. My teacher told us to research a topic we knew nothing about and that was unaffiliated with our cultural or religious heritage.


Now that I have my topic, what exactly am I supposed to go about doing???

I'm feeling pretty stupid right now...-_-"

 

[ninetypercent]

research the historical debates within the topic
and then try to work out a few focus questions
if you want, take a look at the resources section on History Extension. read the major works to get an idea on what you're supposed to do

 

[philphie]

Howdy. I'm about to start my major project but alas, the more I look into my teachers notes and the syllabus the more confused I seem to get :S

Firstly:
My chosen topic is the Spanish Inquisition. My teacher told us to research a topic we knew nothing about and that was unaffiliated with our cultural or religious heritage.


Now that I have my topic, what exactly am I supposed to go about doing???

I'm feeling pretty stupid right now...-_-"

your teacher is an idiot, you should be able to research whatever you want, just so as long as you have a natural desire to discover and inquire more about whatever topic it is you're doing. i did photojournalism because i already had a keen interest in it but there were things i still wanted to know. so my topic questions was i recall something like if it was an accurate interpretation of the history it represented, its limitations, the bureaucracy behind the industry, and the phenomenon of the 'icon'. don't do the Spanish Inquisition if you have no interest in it, if there are some consensus beliefs that you have knowledge of the Spanish Inquisition maybe make that your topic, why such consensus beliefs exist and challenge their accuracy, try to make the topic a specific exploration into something unique, something no one as far as you know has not explored before, something that engages you.

 

[annabackwards]

research the historical debates within the topic
and then try to work out a few focus questions
if you want, take a look at the resources section on History Extension. read the major works to get an idea on what you're supposed to do

+1

So long as it is mainly based on historiography, you'll be fine

your teacher is an idiot, you should be able to research whatever you want, just so as long as you have a natural desire to discover and inquire more about whatever topic it is you're doing. i did photojournalism because i already had a keen interest in it but there were things i still wanted to know. so my topic questions was i recall something like if it was an accurate interpretation of the history it represented, its limitations, the bureaucracy behind the industry, and the phenomenon of the 'icon'. don't do the Spanish Inquisition if you have no interest in it, if there are some consensus beliefs that you have knowledge of the Spanish Inquisition maybe make that your topic, why such consensus beliefs exist and challenge their accuracy, try to make the topic a specific exploration into something unique, something no one as far as you know has not explored before, something that engages you.

You're not allowed to do anything that overlaps in any of the options you're school has chosen for modern/ancient history though

 

[philphie]

still though for a teacher to say you;re not allowed to do a topic that you have no personal affiliation with is stupid

 

[ninetypercent]

^true that. my teacher recommended us to do a topic that we were familiar with

 

[Thecorey0]

still though for a teacher to say you;re not allowed to do a topic that you have no personal affiliation with is stupid

I partly agree, you need to have to have a strong interest. However personal predujuces have to be minimised. I don't meen to sound racist, but a Chinese, Japanese and a Maldavian student would most probably all conclude different things about the Nanking 'massacre'. The majority of the course is spent analysing works by historians and linking them to personal prejudices. In my opinion, it is the role of a historian to overcome those prejudices.

 

[philphie]

I partly agree, you need to have to have a strong interest. However personal predujuces have to be minimised. I don't meen to sound racist, but a Chinese, Japanese and a Maldavian student would most probably all conclude different things about the Nanking 'massacre'. The majority of the course is spent analysing works by historians and linking them to personal prejudices. In my opinion, it is the role of a historian to overcome those prejudices.

i see no reason why you could not make the project about challenging your own prejudices

 

[annabackwards]

i see no reason why you could not make the project about challenging your own prejudices

+1

 

[sardonicerrors]

ye..i agree - my teacher is pretty...*limited* in her teaching abilities...too bad I have her for both my histories =S

but all is well. so I just have to stick my head in the topic and throw out a few points of conflict and from there turn them into key points and questions??

 

[cem]

+1

So long as it is mainly based on historiography, you'll be fine


You're not allowed to do anything that overlaps in any of the options you're school has chosen for modern/ancient history though

It is actually a lot broader than that - you can't do any topic that significantly overlaps any examinable topic in any HSC or SC course - not just history courses but any topic in any subject that can be examined for the HSC or SC. So if you have a real interest in an aspect of art/music/economics/science etc your teacher should check how much of that topic is on the examinable syllabi as well as what is on the ancient, modern and extension history courses.