myreeka Posted February 12, 2011 Report Share Posted February 12, 2011 Heyo. My subject for the extended essay is psychology, and I really want to do something about Harry Potter. I was thinking about writing about psychological disorders exhibited by the characters of the series. Would this be an appropriate topic? I've read in some places that you actually have to be proving something within the body of the extended essay. Is this true, and if it is, would I still be able to do an essay on this topic? Thanks for all your help! Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daedalus Posted February 12, 2011 Report Share Posted February 12, 2011 HP is 1. massively overdone in EEs 2. a work of fiction 3. a world of magic 4. unlikely, therefore, to yield valuable psychological insights .. plus i think you are supposed to do an experiment/collect data for psych. I'm no expert on this so don't take anything i write too seriously but I would seriously counsel you against it. Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
myreeka Posted February 12, 2011 Author Report Share Posted February 12, 2011 HP is 1. massively overdone in EEs 2. a work of fiction 3. a world of magic 4. unlikely, therefore, to yield valuable psychological insights .. plus i think you are supposed to do an experiment/collect data for psych. I'm no expert on this so don't take anything i write too seriously but I would seriously counsel you against it.I understand that it is a fictional work, but the characters within it are intended to be completely human. I've looked up Harry Potter extended essays and found most of them to be either comparing the series to another, such as Lord of the Rings, or analyzing the use of mythology in the books. And in terms of collecting data, would the symptoms exhibited by a character be data to support a theory that the character has a disorder? Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
myreeka Posted February 12, 2011 Author Report Share Posted February 12, 2011 (edited) For example, could my research question be "To what extent to the characters of the Harry Potter series display evidence of psychological disorders?"Well, that sounds lame even to me. But I really like Harry Potter! And I've already locked in my subject of Psychology, and can't think of anything else. Edited February 12, 2011 by myreeka Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grumps Posted February 12, 2011 Report Share Posted February 12, 2011 (edited) HP is 1. massively overdone in EEs 2. a work of fiction 3. a world of magic 4. unlikely, therefore, to yield valuable psychological insights .. plus i think you are supposed to do an experiment/collect data for psych. I'm no expert on this so don't take anything i write too seriously but I would seriously counsel you against it.Learning through allegory has always been an integral part of human culture. But that said I don't know if looking at it from a psychological standpoint is the best. I think you'd be much better off looking at it from an English standpoint- you can still analyze much of the same things but it'll be a bit safer.edit: you're already doing psych? Well the best option in school is always the safest, most boring one. Just do sports psychology like everyone else. No need to be creative or individual in any way. Edited February 12, 2011 by Grumps Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
myreeka Posted February 12, 2011 Author Report Share Posted February 12, 2011 you're already doing psych? Well the best option in school is always the safest, most boring one. Just do sports psychology like everyone else. No need to be creative or individual in any way.Isn't one of the IBO criteria for an extended essay the expression of creativity? Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
myreeka Posted February 12, 2011 Author Report Share Posted February 12, 2011 My main question is, would it be appropriate? Basically, if I do do this topic, will my paper be read and given an actual score, or will it be dismissed as irrelevant and given a zero? Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Proletariat Posted February 12, 2011 Report Share Posted February 12, 2011 EEs are supposed to be strictly in one subject area, and should not include anything which can be interpreted to be in another subject. With this topic, it sounds like as if you are trying to mix English and Psychology, and you'll just end up screwing yourself over. Picking out character traits isn't data collection; it's literary analysis. Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
myreeka Posted February 12, 2011 Author Report Share Posted February 12, 2011 So is there any rule against changing your subject so late? Is it still possible, or are there repercussions? Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Proletariat Posted February 12, 2011 Report Share Posted February 12, 2011 That sounds like something regulated at the school level; try talking to your IB Coordinator. Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoeG Posted February 12, 2011 Report Share Posted February 12, 2011 (edited) Yes, this is a topic of literary analysis. The topic you posted above is English. Sure, it has some aspects of psychology to it, but this won't produce a good essay for Psychology under the criteria. If you still want to do this topic, then switch to English, it isn't going to work at all for an IB Psychology EE. It may be personally hard to make yourself switch to a different subject area, but do so to save your Diploma lol. The topic itself could work for English, but you would have to evenly distribute the Psychological and English aspects of it. Try widening your topic if you decide to do it for English too. You could still use Harry Potter as a tool in a Psychology EE to understand something about human behavior. The thing is that you wouldn't analyze the book at all, but rather peoples' reactions to it.About changing your EE subject:There is a "deadline" to change your subject area, but that usually isn't until you turn your EE's in. I know that many people changed their subject areas at the last minute so their essays would get higher grades. If you're late, then you have to pay a $100 fee, unless your school covers it for you. One person in my class switched her topic from History to Politics, and my IB coordinator talked about this too.If you're thinking of a topic, then you have loads of time* Just confirm with your IB coordinator and advisor to tell them your switching.Unless it's due in a month and you've procrastinated. :) Edited February 12, 2011 by JoeGuff Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
myreeka Posted February 13, 2011 Author Report Share Posted February 13, 2011 Unless it's due in a month and you've procrastinated. :)Actually it was due two weeks ago. Hee. Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
myreeka Posted February 15, 2011 Author Report Share Posted February 15, 2011 So how about if I manage to change my subject to English? How would I go about doing it, besides likening the characters' traits to a psychological disorder? Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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