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has anybody had to write one of these? How did you chose your topic? How much did you narrow it down?

I did a comparative analysis on two local "fast food" joints. One that became a chain and the other that was successful as a stand alone. How did they start, what is their secret, how do you stay in business, etc...

Now my sister is working on one that I can't even begin to understand the title.

Oh, man. I wrote so many papers in college....but I did try to stay with what I knew/could identify with.

My favorite one was in grad school...a comparison of how the location determined what Hemingway's characters drank ... in the city, they drank the hard stuff. In the country, they enjoyed wine.

My professor said the paper broke new ground. Haven't checked lately, but at the time, it was the first graduate paper on the subject. Seemed natural enough to me. I was in college. I lived in a house in the country and everyone partied at my place.

Another one that seemed to get some attention was the idea of the female character in Faulkner's Absalom, Absalom! being the prototype for the Southern, "steel magnolia."

I was in way over my head with Faulkner, but I recognized Judith Sutpen's grit, determination and steely resolve immediately. My professor said my theory changed his mind about the character, which really made me happy, as I didn't think the character was cold and unfeeling, like the critics had always portrayed her, but rather was bound by duty and honor and did what she had to do to keep her family together.

Write about what you know/recognize. Find something comfortable and expand outward. Good luck.

I am a history major. I'm probably going to do something on maritime history or marine archeology.
Thoughts are
Political and economic factors that contribute to piracy and how it relates to modern day piracy including electronic.
Piracy and female search for equality.
The history of shipwreck plundering, perhaps including how modern day historians need to cooperate with treasure hunters to preserve wrecks. Perhaps something along the lines of subsitance economies who depended on wreck stripping, even encouraging wrecks.
Something about shipwrecks on the east coast.
Shipwrecks as time capsules of every day man.

OceanCityGirl wrote:I am a history major. I'm probably going to do something on maritime history or marine archeology.
Thoughts are
Political and economic factors that contribute to piracy and how it relates to modern day piracy including electronic.
Piracy and female search for equality.
The history of shipwreck plundering, perhaps including how modern day historians need to cooperate with treasure hunters to preserve wrecks. Perhaps something along the lines of subsitance economies who depended on wreck stripping, even encouraging wrecks.
Something about shipwrecks on the east coast.
Shipwrecks as time capsules of every day man.

How about something on the effects of shipwrecks and/or piracy on affected communities? Little known fact... due to a shipwreck, at one time, most of the houses in Key West had grand pianos. Ship went on the reef, "wreckers" salvaged the cargo of pianos, and local residents bought them at extreme discounts. Lots of other such happenings/events/etc.

AND, such a study would probably necessitate (justify!) a trip to Key West!

OceanCityGirl wrote:I am a history major. I'm probably going to do something on maritime history or marine archeology.
Thoughts are
Political and economic factors that contribute to piracy and how it relates to modern day piracy including electronic.
Piracy and female search for equality.
The history of shipwreck plundering, perhaps including how modern day historians need to cooperate with treasure hunters to preserve wrecks. Perhaps something along the lines of subsitance economies who depended on wreck stripping, even encouraging wrecks.
Something about shipwrecks on the east coast.
Shipwrecks as time capsules of every day man.

I love the last idea. Very intriguing. And what a great viewpoint. Please keep us posted on what you decide. Good luck.

East Texas Parrothead wrote:

OceanCityGirl wrote:I am a history major. I'm probably going to do something on maritime history or marine archeology.
Thoughts are
Political and economic factors that contribute to piracy and how it relates to modern day piracy including electronic.
Piracy and female search for equality.
The history of shipwreck plundering, perhaps including how modern day historians need to cooperate with treasure hunters to preserve wrecks. Perhaps something along the lines of subsitance economies who depended on wreck stripping, even encouraging wrecks.
Something about shipwrecks on the east coast.
Shipwrecks as time capsules of every day man.

I love the last idea. Very intriguing. And what a great viewpoint. Please keep us posted on what you decide. Good luck.

Just FYI... as far as shipwrecks being time capsules... there's one already salvaged and up for view near Kansas City, MO. Seems a riverboat sunk many years ago and then the river changed course. They dug up the boat a few years ago in a farmer's field, and now all the stuff is on display. Pretty neat.

Also, if such is of interest to you, check this out:




Clive Cussler writes adventure novels, then uses the proceeds to go look for old shipwrecks. Extremely cool.

I wrote an interesting paper on the characteristics of Jesus in the original songs of Johnny Cash.

I am currently working on my thesis paper for my Constructive Christian Theology class

krusin1 wrote:

East Texas Parrothead wrote:

OceanCityGirl wrote:I am a history major. I'm probably going to do something on maritime history or marine archeology.
Thoughts are
Political and economic factors that contribute to piracy and how it relates to modern day piracy including electronic.
Piracy and female search for equality.
The history of shipwreck plundering, perhaps including how modern day historians need to cooperate with treasure hunters to preserve wrecks. Perhaps something along the lines of subsitance economies who depended on wreck stripping, even encouraging wrecks.
Something about shipwrecks on the east coast.
Shipwrecks as time capsules of every day man.

I love the last idea. Very intriguing. And what a great viewpoint. Please keep us posted on what you decide. Good luck.

Just FYI... as far as shipwrecks being time capsules... there's one already salvaged and up for view near Kansas City, MO. Seems a riverboat sunk many years ago and then the river changed course. They dug up the boat a few years ago in a farmer's field, and now all the stuff is on display. Pretty neat.

Also, if such is of interest to you, check this out:




Clive Cussler writes adventure novels, then uses the proceeds to go look for old shipwrecks. Extremely cool.

Clive Cussler has volume II out as well. Great stories about locating a variety of sunken ships around the world.

I did my thesis on the impact of the Bedu on the trade routes used in the Middle East both past and present. I went into a far amount of detail as to the cost that merchants bore in either avoiding the Bedu or paying them off. The useage of trade routes that were patrolled vs. those that were not, etc. It was just over 150 pages, plus notes, graphs, maps and other supporting material.

When I was in law school I had to write what they called a "publishable" paper for the writing requirement for graduation. I took a class called legal history and asked the professor what kind of topics she was looking for. She said "anything that has to do with the law and has some historical perspective." Gee, thanks. That really narrowed it down a lot. I wrote about term limits for politicians going back almost 3,000 years to ancient Greece and Rome.

How about something on the effects of shipwrecks and/or piracy on affected communities? Little known fact... due to a shipwreck, at one time, most of the houses in Key West had grand pianos. Ship went on the reef, "wreckers" salvaged the cargo of pianos, and local residents bought them at extreme discounts. Lots of other such happenings/events/etc.

AND, such a study would probably necessitate (justify!) a trip to Key West!

In Cape Hatteras there were alot of homes that had peacock feathers as insulation for the sam reason. Most homes were furnished with shipwreck pieces. This would be interesting. I am considering applying for a grant thatk you can use for travel related to your reseearch.
As a history major considering grad school publishing is constantly being pushed. [/quote]

OCG,

Why travel to Hatteras? There are some fantastic shipwreck stories right in the Delaware Bay. We took the keets on the Cape May Whale/Dolphin watch last year and the Naturalist told us all about the wrecks, pirates, and secret government missions that went on in and around Cape May over the years. I thought it was fascinating information to learn about my own "backyard"

Good Luck!!!