random research ideas

For history 383 –

Reconstruction era marriage and divorce patterns in Mississippi.
The majority of my primary sources would be precedent-setting Court cases, although I could also search the archives for letters, diaries, and the like. Other legal miscellanea, such as correspondence, motions, and memorandum, could also serve as primary sources if only I could get my hands on such.

For sociology 455 –

Race, Gender, and Otherization.
I still have a lot to consider here. This is on the verge of being yet another “broad, overarching idea” !

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I’m suddenly struck by the realization (and the thought: why didn’t I think of that sooner?) of a contradiction inherent of academia. Scholarship is said to be built upon the sharing of ideas - the recitation and criticism of other’s ideas. Why, then, is there the pressure to come up with “original scholarship”?