Dissertation Help

Hi!

I was just hoping to get some help brainstorming a few ideas. I've got a few, but I'm struggling with stringing them together to form something coherent and useful.

I've been living in a town in the US for the past year, so I was thinking of doing it on something here (I study (human) geography, so something related too). It's a mountain town, fairly close proximity to national parks, pretty small town but growing, large university (16,000 students, federally funded). I have gained quite a few connections here, so questionnaires are one of my top options and definitely doable.

I was thinking about access to XYZ services, mental health and wellbeing, impact of wildfires (those are common here in the summer), increase in tourism during summer months, rising cost of living due to tourists (so many people move here from cali and whatnot).

I hope this all makes some sense. I just needed some help forming some solid ideas which I can then modify. Thanks in advance! :smile:

(edited 1 year ago)

Reply 1

username5972212

Rather than think of subjects, try to form questions around those subjects. What are you trying to find out?
You could run some google scholar searches around your key words to see what research has already been done in these areas.

Reply 2

Kingston Reps

Official Rep

Original post by peachyrac

Hi!
I was just hoping to get some help brainstorming a few ideas. I've got a few, but I'm struggling with stringing them together to form something coherent and useful.
I've been living in a town in the US for the past year, so I was thinking of doing it on something here (I study (human) geography, so something related too). It's a mountain town, fairly close proximity to national parks, pretty small town but growing, large university (16,000 students, federally funded). I have gained quite a few connections here, so questionnaires are one of my top options and definitely doable.
I was thinking about access to XYZ services, mental health and wellbeing, impact of wildfires (those are common here in the summer), increase in tourism during summer months, rising cost of living due to tourists (so many people move here from cali and whatnot).
I hope this all makes some sense. I just needed some help forming some solid ideas which I can then modify. Thanks in advance! :smile:

Hi there @peachyrac , just to add, in addition to topics that interest you within your subject(Human Geography), I would consider what kind of research questions you are investigating and what type of research methods you would like to utilise to ground your research (eg. ethnography, interviews...etc). I would recommend doing a topic that you are not only interested in and enjoy but also have contacts (for interviews) or are confident in executing. Alternatively, speak to your dissertation tutor for advice on possible reading list to help you and possibly narrow down your scope! Personally, putting all my possible ideas, research questions and academic texts in a table has helped me focus and visualise what I can best use when writing essays. I hope this helps!

Zhi En
(Kingston Student Rep.)

Reply 3

Lov999

I can help you. Here are some ideas:

•

Access to Services: Effect of tourism on local services.

•

Mental Health: Impact of wildfires and cost of living on mental health.

•

Tourism Impact: Economic and social effects of increased summer tourism.

•

Wildfire Impact: Environmental and economic consequences of frequent wildfires.

These can be explored through questionnaires with your local connections. Modify these as needed. Good luck! 😊

Reply 4

YSJstudents

Official Rep

Original post by peachyrac

Hi!
I was just hoping to get some help brainstorming a few ideas. I've got a few, but I'm struggling with stringing them together to form something coherent and useful.
I've been living in a town in the US for the past year, so I was thinking of doing it on something here (I study (human) geography, so something related too). It's a mountain town, fairly close proximity to national parks, pretty small town but growing, large university (16,000 students, federally funded). I have gained quite a few connections here, so questionnaires are one of my top options and definitely doable.
I was thinking about access to XYZ services, mental health and wellbeing, impact of wildfires (those are common here in the summer), increase in tourism during summer months, rising cost of living due to tourists (so many people move here from cali and whatnot).
I hope this all makes some sense. I just needed some help forming some solid ideas which I can then modify. Thanks in advance! :smile:

Hi,

I would recommend that the area of the subject that you focus your dissertation on is something you enjoy! I know a lot of people that have previously chosen dissertation topics that they thought was 'easy' and absolutely hated writing their dissertation because they were not interested in that area of the subject.

I really enjoyed writing my undergraduate dissertation, as I chose an area of the subject that i was really interested and motivated by.

Maybe have a think back to previous modules that you have taken and if there was anything that really stood out and that interested you in. I would also recommend speaking to your academic tutor or your dissertation supervisor as they will be able to support you with this

Good luck
Suzan - Student Ambassador