Final project

Your final project will be an exercise in research design. You will choose a question the course has raised for you and plan out how you would research it more deeply.

Your final project should answer the following questions:

  • Question. What do you want to find out?
  • Background. How did this question emerge from your work for class? Explain which readings, discussions, and/or projects contributed to your thinking.
  • Method. How would you go about finding the answer to your question? Perhaps you would carry out an experiment; gather data to examine quantitatively; pursue a qualitative inquiry using interviews; select and analyze digital or analogue texts; carry out archival research; or develop an argument based on a comprehensive engagement with the scholarly literature in the relevant field(s).
  • Background. What would you need to learn in order to set to work answering your question?
  • Expectations. Based on what you know now, from class or elsewhere, how do you imagine that your research would progress?
  • Challenges. What difficulties (logistical, ethical, intellectual…) do you imagine would arise as you pursue this project?
  • Sources. List four sources in addition to class readings that you would consult in order to develop this project. Include a sentence for each one explaining why it is relevant.

On May 4th, we will workshop your ideas in class. For your workshop presentation, you should prepare one slide and plan to talk about it for five minutes. You may choose what to include on your slide, but it must include your research question (in draft form) and a question you would like to discuss with your classmates.


You will post your final project on the blog by the end of the day on May 15th. There is no official word minimum or maximum for this project; take as much space as you need to answer the questions above. You are welcome to include images, video, and links as appropriate.


Once you have posted your final, you must comment on two of your classmates’ posts by the end of the day on May 17th.
Comments should include: A reaction; a question; and a suggestion for further development – may be expressed in any format (gifs and YouTube videos welcome).