Brooklyn Technical High School
AP Capstone Research Topic Assignment
Please note that the following project is due by the end of this school year and will be your first graded assignment in the fall semester.
1) Select a preliminary topic to study. You must have approval of your topic BEFORE beginning step two (see Topic Approval Form).
- This topic must have a debatable component.
- Your topic must be discussed with one of the Research teachers.
- You must receive an approval signature from one of the Research teachers for your preliminary topic.
2) You must find two vetted, reliable sources about your topic. Only one source may come from a news outlet.
- Use the BTHS library online sources.
- Use reliable news sources: New York Times, The Washington Post, LA Times, Scientific American, The Economist, National Geographic, and The Atlantic. If you would like to use another source, you must get that source approved by one of the Research teachers.
- ABOUT.COM, YAHOO ANSWERS, WIKIPEDIA, STUDENT PROJECTS FOR COLLEGE COURSES, BLOGS, AND OTHER OPINION AND UNVETTED SOURCES ARE NOT ACCEPTABLE.
3) You must complete a RAVEN analysis for each of your two sources.
R – Reputation (Does the source’s history or status suggest reliability or
unreliability?)
A – Ability to See (Is the source in a position to know what they’re talking
about?)
V – Vested Interest (Has the source of information anything personally at
stake?)
E – Expertise (Does the source have specialized knowledge and does the
situation demand it?)
N – Neutrality (Is the source predisposed to support a particular point of
view for reasons other than vested interest?)
4) You must write a summary for each article. (See handout)
If you have any questions, be sure to inquire when you meet with one of the Research teachers to have your topic approved.
Name:______Major: ______
AP Capstone Research Topic Approval Form
(Part 1 of your Research Topic Assignment)
In order to complete your first assignment for AP Capstone Research, you must first choose a research topic. Ultimately, you will develop a narrower focus; but, in order to begin exploring sources, it is important that you identify an area of study that is both interesting and researchable. You also have to have your research topic approved by one of the research teachers. Completing this form is a pre-requisite for part 2 of your Research Topic Assignment and it is due no later than June 2, 2014.
Primary Topic Proposal: ______
______
Secondary Topic Proposal:______
______
Please note the contact information and office hours for all three AP Capstone Research teachers. Again, you must see one of us for approval no later than June 2, 2014.
Ms. J. Baranowski
Email:
Available Hours:
Period 1, Room 2S15
Period 3, Room 2E6
Period 6, Room 2S15
Period 7, Room 2E6
Ms. A. Lucisano
Email:
Period 2, Room 6N8
Period 6, Room 6N8
Period 10 (T,W,Th), Room 6N8
Ms. M. Rowley
Email:
Period 1 (T,W,Th), Room 2W2
Period 4, Room 2W2
Period 6 Room 5W18
Not Available June 9-13
Signature of Research Teacher ______Date: ______
CHOOSING A TOPIC
A good research topic should:
1) interest you (you’ll write a better paper and have a more enjoyable experience if it does)
2) focus on a manageable topic (not too broad, not too narrow)
3) elicit at least two (or more) different points of view
Consider the following questions to help you generate topic ideas:
· Do you have a strong opinion on a current social or political controversy?
· Did you read a newspaper article, see a TV broadcast, or see something on the Internet that piqued your curiosity?
· Do you have a personal issue, interest or problem you’d like to explore?
· Is there an aspect of one of your courses that you’d be interested in learning more about?
It is common to modify your topic during the research process. You may find too much and need to narrow your focus, or too little and need to broaden your focus. But it is essential that you start reading about your topic NOW so that you have time to make these adjustments appropriately. Following are examples of research topics to give you a sense of how broad/narrow a topic you should start with. You will be narrowing the focus and developing a good research question within your topic early in the fall semester.
Examples of research topics:
· WWII women who worked and returned to homemaking
· The rise of urban farming in the 21st century
· Prisoners and the right to vote in contemporary America
· Islamophobia in Hollywood
· Segregation in education (60 years after Brown v. Board of Ed)
· The Civil Rights Act (50th anniversary)
· Facebook and family communication
· The prison industrial complex
· Jackie Robinson breaking the color line in major league baseball
· The history of blues in the Mississippi Delta
· Utopian societies in (one period of; or a comparison of two periods of) US History
· The changing nature of war (ie. increasing presence of drone technology)
· Corporate campaign spending
· “climate refugees” and global warming
· DDT and bed bug outbreaks
· The discovery of germs and its impact on the household
· GMOs and food product labeling
· The debate about universal health care in the US
· Noise pollution
· The sale of human organs
· Consequences of deforestation (in a particular geographic location)
· Hurricane Katrina (could be approached from an environmental, political, or social point of view)
· Sex-selective abortion (ie. in India or China)
· Hydraulic fracturing (“fracking”)