Research Questions, Round 2

Geog 620, Theory and Practice of Geography

The intent of Round 2 of the research question exercise is to get you thinking about possible research questions in more depth.  This means not only identifying the question(s) for your thesis/dissertation, but also thinking a bit about the context of the questions and what is needed to answer them.

You should prepare two questions (or only one if you know for sure what you are going to pursue for your research).  Each question should get about one page of single spaced text. Items that should be included in your presentation include:

·  The research question/statement (and affiliated sub-questions/statements - e.g., I plan to evaluate the impacts of  dams on McKenzie River habitats. In this context, I plan to: (1) document the effects of dams on  substrate, river depths, and bar formation; (2) assess if the changes are a function of changes in flow regime, sediment trapping or other factors; and (3)....).

·  The significance of the question(s). Why should someone study this topic?

·  The field area.  State where do you plan to do your research - and why.

·  Methods.  State what approaches you plan to use (snow ball surveys, pebble counts, remote sensing, etc.), potential obstacles (access to sites, safety, travel), and funding needs.

Obviously the above statements will be brief given the one page limit  Please do not turn in long statements – the intent is to get the ball rolling, not detail the project.