A Doll House Research
A Dolls House Research Assignment The goal of this assignment is for you to experience research as a process of asking questions, looking for answers, then asking new questions based on what youve discovered. To begin, write down a question you have about Henrik Ibsens play, A Dolls House. Your initial question should suggest directions for possible future research. An effective initial question will be open-ended, a starting point for further research. For example, you might ask, “What legal rights to divorce did married women have in late 19th century Norway?” This question could then lead you to research divorce law at that time and place, as a way to better understand what Nora’s decision to leave Torvald. An ineffective initial question is one for which there’s a simple, factual answer that can easily be ascertained by reading the play. For example, it would be ineffective to ask, “How many children did Nora have?” You don’t need to conduct any outside research to find this answer. Next, brainstorm ideas you have about your question, as well as ways you might begin to try to answer it. Based on your brainstorming, research at least two sources that can help you better understand Ibsens play and your questions about it. We will discuss research methodologies either in class and/or in an online lesson. Next, when you have your two sources, cite those sources using MLA bibliographic style and then write a paragraph about each source. MLA style will also be covered either online and/or in class. Your paragraphs should: 1) summarize the source; 2) explain how that source addresses your research questions. Finally, write out five new questions you have now that you have conducted this research. These questions should build off your brainstorming work but should reflect how the actual research you conducted caused your ideas to evolve. Assignment checklist (Save and upload all these parts on Blackboard as one file) 1. One initial question 2. Brainstorming notes 3. Bibliographic information for your two sources 4. One paragraph about each source 5. Five new questions based on your research findings
