Senior Project 2011Awesome

Topic

Issue

Question

How to narrow your topic

Narrowing your topic

Develop a Central Question

Question Brainstorm!

What are the parts of your topic, and how do they relate to one another?

Topic

What are the parts of your topic, and how do they relate to one another?

Vegan

Food

Politics

People

Health

Are there different kinds of vegans? How much variety is in the vegan diet?

What clothing restrictions do vegans have?Are animal products used in other things besides

food and clothing?How political is the vegan movement?

Does a vegan diet help or hurt your overall health?

Do vegans own pets?Are vegans happier? healthier?

Topic: Vegans

What are the parts of your topic, and how do they relate to one another?

Topic

Now, your turn...

Write 10 questions on the sub parts of your topic

How is your topic part of a larger system?

Topic

How is your topic part of a larger system?

Vegan

Health

Animal Rights

Food Production

Vegetarianism

What contributes to people living longer: better health or better medicine?

Are humans meant to be carnivores?Do animals have personalities?

Do animals have a soul?What influences our food choices?

Is our food production helping or hurting the world’s population?

Is it better to be vegetarian or vegan?Are cows treated better in India than in the U.S.?

Topic: Vegans

Now, your turn...

Write 10 questions on the larger systems your topic is a part of.

How is your topic part of a larger system?

Topic

CategoriesHow can your topic be grouped into kinds?

Topic: Vegans

Vegans by choiceVegans by necessityChild-Teen vegans

Vegan athletesIndian vegans

Celebrity vegansPolitical vegansVegan ranchers

Vegan chefs

How does your topic compare to and contrast with others like it?

Are vegan diets more popular than vegan lifestyles?

How do Indian vegans compare to vegans in the U.S.?

How are the reasons people choose veganism similar or different?

Are all animal rights activists vegan?Do teen vegans do better in school?

Are child vegans healthier than non-vegan children?

How do vegan athletes compare with non-vegan athletes?

Are you considered vegan if your food allergies force you to eat a vegan diet?

Topic: Vegans

Now, your turn...

Write 10 questions comparing and contrasting these different types

How can your topic be grouped into kinds?

Topic

Type 1:____________Type 2:____________Type 3:____________Type 4:____________Type 5:____________Type 6:____________

How and why has your topic changed through time, as something with its own history?

Topic nowTopic beforeTopic before

1988 19941983 19981990

How has the number of vegans changed over time?

Is veganism a trend that will disappear soon?Have vegans become more or less political over

time?Have the reasons people choose to become vegan

changed?What historical figures made people aware of

veganism?Were vegans always linked to the animal rights

movement?

Topic: Vegans

Now, your turn...

Write 10 questions on how your topic has changed over time

How and why has your topic changed through time, as something with its own history?

Topic nowTopic beforeTopic before

How and why is your topic an episode in a larger history?

1920 1940 1960 1980 2008

Feminism orPop Music or

Fashion

How has our food supply changed over time?Has the change in food production affected our

diet choices?Has the rise of factory farming turned more

people into vegans?Have we become kinder or crueler to animals over

time?How have restaurants or cafeterias changed as a

result of the vegan movement?

Topic: Vegans

Now, your turn...

Write 10 questions on the larger history your topic is connected to

How and why is your topic an episode in a larger history?

1920 1940 1960 1980 2008Topic

How good or bad is your topic? Is it useful?

GoodBad

How good or bad is your topic? Is it useful?

GoodBad

Is a vegan diet safe for kids?Are vegans more ethical than carnivores?

Do vegans deny their own animal instincts?If animals kill and eat each other, why shouldn’t

we?Is there a way to eat an animal and feel good

about it?Are vegans forcing their lifestyle on others?

Is it possible to live without consuming animal products?

Don’t we need to control the animal population?

Topic: Vegans

Now, your turn...

Write 10 questions evaluating the pros and cons of your topic

Evaluate your topic: What do you like and not like about it?

Like about topic

GoodBad

Don’t like about topic

Ask What if? and other speculative questions

What if McDonalds only sold vegan food?What if every school had a working farm?

If everyone had to slaughter their own animals, would more people be vegan?

Would cows overpopulate the earth if everyone were vegan?

Would animals eat us if we didn’t eat them?What if fruits and vegetables were subsidized by

the government?

Topic: Vegans

Now, your turn...

Write 10 What if? and other speculative questions about your topic

Evaluate Your Questions

A question is good if:

You don’t already know the answer

There are multiple legitimate answers

The answer feels relevant and important

Does a vegan diet help or hurt your overall health?

Are humans meant to be carnivores?

Is our food production helping or hurting the world’s population?

Are vegan diets more popular than vegan lifestyles?

Are child vegans healthier than non-vegan children?

Have vegans become more or less political over time?

Has the rise of factory farming turned more people into vegans?

Do vegans deny their own animal instincts?

Don’t we need to control the animal population?

What if every school had a working farm?

Most Interesting Questions

Does a vegan diet help or hurt your overall health?

Are humans meant to be carnivores?

Is our food production helping or hurting the world’s population?

Are vegan diets more popular than vegan lifestyles?

Are child vegans healthier than non-vegan children?

Have vegans become more or less political over time?

Has the rise of factory farming turned more people into vegans?

Do vegans deny their own animal instincts?

Don’t we need to control the animal population?

What if every school had a working farm?

Most Interesting Questions

Does a vegan diet help or hurt your overall health?

Are humans meant to be carnivores?

Is our food production helping or hurting the world’s population?

Are vegan diets more popular than vegan lifestyles?

Are child vegans healthier than non-vegan children?

Have vegans become more or less political over time?

Has the rise of factory farming turned more people into vegans?

Do vegans deny their own animal instincts?

Don’t we need to control the animal population?

What if every school had a working farm?

Key Words Will Help Your Research!

Does a vegan diet help or hurt your overall health?

Are humans meant to be carnivores?

Is our food production helping or hurting the world’s population?

Are vegan diets more popular than vegan lifestyles?

Are child vegans healthier than non-vegan children?

Have vegans become more or less political over time?

Has the rise of factory farming turned more people into vegans?

Do vegans deny their own animal instincts?

Don’t we need to control the animal population?

What if every school had a working farm?

Key Words Will Help Your Research!

Broad!

Narrow!

lots of hits

Fewer hits

Your group task: Select THE question that

feels most important to answer

Use the They Say, I Say sentence stemsto explain why the answer is important to know

Although X may seem of concern to only a small group of ____, it should in fact concern anyone who cares about ____

Although X may seem trivial, it is in fact crucial in terms of today’s concern over______

Ultimately, what is at stake here is_____These findings have important implications for the broader domain of______If we are right about_____, then major consequences follow for______

These conclusions/This discovery will have significant applications in _____ as well as in _____

Narrowing your topic

Read! Read! Read!