[Novis]

Hello,

I'm going into my 2nd year of studying History at Uni. One module I picked is an extended essay which won't start until January. The question has to be very specific but the problem is, I don't know to start finding something of interest. I just like studying History in general, I haven't got to a stage yet where something specific attracts my attention.

I still have time to drop the module but I really don't want to and I like the idea of a challenge. Could anyone give me some advice on how I could start myself off in finding a topic for the essay? Any tips would be great.

Thank you.

[UglyBarbie]

I did A levels during my high school years instead of IB but during my history A2 year I had to set an essay title for my coursework and I chose to write about the Israeli West Bank Barrier (2004) and how it had affected Palestinian-Israeli relations today.

there are many parts of history which you could focus on:

1. Arab-Israeli conflict (Six Day War, Israel West Bank Barrier etc.)
2. American Civil War (Confederacy and Union etc.)
3. Britain-Irish relations during the 1800 - 1920's (Parnell, Gladstone etc.)
4. Divided Union (Martin Luther King, Montgomery Bus Boycott etc.)
5. Cold War (Russian-American relations etc.)

if you haven't studied any of those topics I suggest you should go check them out and see if you find anything interesting! I personally found the Arab-Israeli conflict the most interesting.

Good luck, I hope this helps!

[Novis]

(Original post by UglyBarbie)
I did A levels during my high school years instead of IB but during my history A2 year I had to set an essay title for my coursework and I chose to write about the Israeli West Bank Barrier (2004) and how it had affected Palestinian-Israeli relations today.

there are many parts of history which you could focus on:

1. Arab-Israeli conflict (Six Day War, Israel West Bank Barrier etc.)
2. American Civil War (Confederacy and Union etc.)
3. Britain-Irish relations during the 1800 - 1920's (Parnell, Gladstone etc.)
4. Divided Union (Martin Luther King, Montgomery Bus Boycott etc.)
5. Cold War (Russian-American relations etc.)

if you haven't studied any of those topics I suggest you should go check them out and see if you find anything interesting! I personally found the Arab-Israeli conflict the most interesting.

Good luck, I hope this helps!

I had to study the Arab - Israeli conflict during the IB as well It was very interesting; I might look into it, but there's so much to write about it'll take some time to decide on a topic! (I also studied the Lebanese Civil War, that really interested me).

thanks : )

[Pitt1988]

I did an extended piece for my access project on the Cold War. Once you have an area, the hardest part is narrowing it down to something really specific. The question I set myself was 'How far did George Kennan's doctrine of containment determine US foreign policy in relation to communism'. Because that was published in 1947 it was basically the base for foreign policy throughout the Cold War, but even with that question there was so much to cover. It's about identifying the more significant aspects of what your question entails, I wouldn't worry about omitting certain parts. For example, I didn't cover any of the red hunts, arms race and space race, but focused more on the direct conflicts, Korea, Vietnam, Cuba as well as further extensions to containment like NSC-68, detente etc.

[mddub39]

I wrote an essay about how we see the lasting effects of the Crusades in modern religions

[Sheep]

why alexander the great was so great

[KatieCruel]

Don't all your essays have set questions?

[Skip_Snip]

If it's meant to be a topic of interest ... what are you interested in? You are doing a History degree, surely you find History interesting?

[Banishingboredom]

Witches are always interesting.

[quaveralien]

(Original post by Banishingboredom)
Witches are always interesting.

I second this.. do something about witch hunts?
If it was me, I would cover the Anglo Saxon Period. You are lucky you have some free choice. Good Luck