Thursday, February 24, 2011

Researching the Research

It can be quite frustrating to have a great topic for a research paper but not have any sources for that topic. That happened to me this week. I wanted to research segregation in Knoxville's cemeteries. The only source I found was Mr. Robert McGinnis, Knox County's Cemetery Historian. When asked about resources other than him (like primary and secondary documents), he replied, "I'm it." For those of you who have done a major historical research project, you know how critical it is to have good primary sources. Without them, your research is a waste of time.

Soooo, I must find another topic. I have several ideas, but am researching sources before I settle on one topic. Topics I am considering are: The Development of the Interstate Freeway System in Tennessee from 1950-2000, The Evolution of Market Square, Knoxville's 20th Century Fine Arts Landscape, The Development of Knox County's Museum Culture, Building World Class Architects: UT's College of Art and Architecture.

I need to nail this down by tomorrow. I'll keep you posted. Stay tuned . . .

1 comment:

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