Working Thesis
List an important question (or questions) that you would like to answer through your research.  Please ask the question and provide your initial answer to it (this is called your working thesis).
 
 

Contexts and Examples
What types of conflicts are you interested in learning/writing about?  List as many possibilities as you can that would pertain to your topic.  Try to be as specific as you can (e.g., the U.S. war with Iraq, a different war, a debate, an election, a personal dispute, jihad, etc.).
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

What examples might you use in your essay to illustrate and support your arguments?  Can you think of a specific example or two that might pertain to your chosen topic?
 
 
 
 
 

Three Literature (Primary) Sources
List as many potential titles of literature that you might use for primary sources.  For this research assignment, primary sources will be works of world literature (not American lit.).
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Three Reference (Secondary) Sources
What specific sources might you use to begin your research?  Be more specific than simply stating “an encyclopedia” or “GALILEO.”  Try to name specific titles of news sources, historical sources, websites, etc.  You may want to scan the library or the Internet to see what is available.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Critical Questions (and Preliminary Answers)
Use this space below to ask critical questions that pertain to your topic.  Try to provide brief answers to these questions (to the best of your abilities).  These questions should probe your topic more deeply.  Try to list questions that must be answered along the way in your research essay in order to validate your thesis.