History IA

[maroctam]

Hello, I'm in History SL (currently in IB1), and i was wondering if this is a good topic to investigate:

To what extent did the Harlem Renaissance of the 1920s affect the USA's Racial Intolerance?

I'd appreciate any feedback, thank you!

[TykeDragon]

Problem you may face with something as broad as this is that you may not be able to treat it in a 750 word essay - because Part D of the IA is the essay and you want it to be about 700-750 words to balance well with the other sections - you also only get ~600-650 words (these aren't literal limits, just guidelines for balance) for Section B to write down ALL of your findings, all of which is going to be relevant and give the whole story!

If this doesn't sound feasible, then maybe your title needs to be narrowed. Also bear in mind that 'to what extent' responses will discuss the title factor, and then other factors that may also have played a role, in order to compare and reach a conclusion as to how important the title factor was. With this in mind, the title may be too narrow as well.

Any ideas how you could narrow it down further? Best of luck, and hope this helps. I remember I had to improvise and narrow down my IA title alot upon realising that I would write double the word limit with my initial title!

[maroctam]

Also bear in mind that 'to what extent' responses will discuss the title factor, and then other factors that may also have played a role, in order to compare and reach a conclusion as to how important the title factor was.

In that case, should I change the title to: What were the impacts of the Harlem Renaissance on the USA's racial intolerance? (and then in part A i'll narrow it down further by limiting my scope to NY and other neighbouring states, rather than the whole US? or would that be TOO narrow?)

Also, around how many sources will I need? Thanks again.

Edited April 13, 2013 by maroctam

[TykeDragon]

Sounds like a step in the right direction, but be careful with the Section A stuff: in Section A you need to write out the EXACT title that is on the front page of your IA, with no alterations. Again, I don't know much about the topic, but it sounds a lot more reasonable. If you wish to focus on a specific area, state it in the title perhaps? If your title says USA and you only focus on NY, that may be picked up on.

As for sources, you will need at least 6-8. If you can use newspaper articles and stuff that would be good, but I used 8 books and it was enough for 3/3 in Section F. Remember for those marks you also need to adhere to word count, have an organised bibliography, and a consistent and thorough referencing system throughout. Sections B and D should both be heavily referenced.

Hope this helps