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DEAF 360: American Deaf Culture

Picking Your Topic Is Research

This video is published under a Creative Commons 3.0 BY-NC-SA US license. (License, credits, and contact information)

What IS a Good Topic?

Choosing a good topic is a balancing act. Not too narrow. Not too broad. How can you tell if you're on the right path? 

As a general guideline, topics with 2 - 3 concepts are workable:

  • How has the representation of deafness and Deaf culture changed in television and movies in the past twenty to twenty-five years?

Only one concept is too broad:

  • deaf culture
  • American sign language

More than three concepts is usually too narrow:

  • Cochlear implants in infants and their effect on acquisition of sign language in California

The above guidelines are based on information from Walden University Library. A brief exercise in choosing the best research question is available from SUNY Empire State College.  

 

 

SAGE Deaf Studies Encyclopedia

From publisher's website: "This in-depth encyclopedic collection of articles defines the current state of Deaf Studies at an international level. This new encyclopedia shifts away from the 'Medical/Pathological Model', and instead has the focus on deaf people as members of a distinct cultural group with a distinct and vibrant community and way of being."

Click on Reader's Guide tab to get a broader breakdown of subjects/categories such as Deaf Community in various geographic areas, Deaf History in various geographic areas and time periods, and Deaf Culture: Literature.

 

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