History IA Topic Help

[cheekym]

For my History IA I want to compare the Roaring Twenties/Lost Generation of the 20s and the Beat Generation of the 50s.

They are very similar as they came about under the same circumstances - a world war. They were both counterculture and found similarities in music, literature, and alcohol/drugs. They both acted out against the restrictive societal norms of their day. The only major difference between the two is that the 20s was about spending money and living a lavish life and the 50s was about sort of going back to the basics and living a humbe life.

This sort of lead me to the question, "How counterculture was the Beat Generation if it shared so many similarities with the Roaring Twenties/Lost Generation?"

Can someone tell me if this is a good question? Any different ideas are great too! Please and thank you!

[Emmi]

I think this is all right, but I would focus on one aspect instead of trying to capture EVERYTHING that the two different generations had (or didn't have) in common. Right now it appears to be too broad. You really don't have many words to work with in your summary of evidence and analysis sections, so you want a really tight research question to give you the maximum words possible.

[alefal]

In case you feel the need for a second opinion: I completely agree with Emy on this one. It sounds like a feasible topic, but it's way too broad for an IA. Think of it this way: You're analysis will most likely be in the range 6-800 words, and you need to fit all your evidence (facts that you use in the analysis of the topic) within approximately 500 words, so you are really constricted in how broad your topic can be. You are supposed to have a deep and thorough analysis within 800 words, and you won't have that if you do not have a very specific topic. Instead of looking at all the different aspects of the two generations, focus on one aspect, pick out one thing that characterises the two generations and assess whether or not they are similar. Maybe choose a characteristic that is not that much discussed, but still important, to give your IA a more original feel to it?

I suggest you read the pinned topics in this forum, in particular the 'Writing a good Historical Investigation' thread. They all share a lot of important and very helpful tips and advice which I am sure you will benefit from too.

Good luck!

[Erudite]

I think you have a super topic!

Maybe zero-in on like one aspect of the counterculture and how it impacted the Best Generation, and to what extent that one aspect makes them like more similar or dissimilar to the Roaring Twenties (omg, I'm getting Gatsby flashbacks just thinking about it!)

Edited May 26, 2013 by Erudite