ENGL225 – MINI-RESEARCH PROPOSAL
Before writing the research proposal please go through the work I have on the topic I’m doing
SAMPLE THESIS DEVELOPMENT EXERCISE
Broad Topic: Women in society
Narrow Topic: Portrayal of women in Caribbean society
Journalistic/Investigative Questions (5ws + 1H):
1. Who represents African women in Caribbean society?
2. What stereotypes are commonly associated with African women in Caribbean society?
3. Where do these stereotypes originate from?
4. When were these stereotypes first introduced in Caribbean society?
5. Why are these stereotypes still prevalent today?
6. How do these stereotypes affect the representation and perceptions of African women in Caribbean society?
Focused research question: How do the stereotypes and misconceptions about African women in Caribbean society impact their representation in media and society as a whole?
Thesis Statement:
The image of African women in Caribbean society is often constrained by stereotypes and inaccurate depictions of their intellectual, emotional, physical, and economic identities.
Annotated Bibliography: The image of African women in Caribbean society
De la Rosa Solano, L. (2018). Current Representations of ‘Black ‘Citizens: Contentious Visibility within the Multicultural Nation. In Comparative Racial Politics in Latin America (pp. 229-246). Routledge. https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/edit/10.4324/9781315191065-11/current-representations-black-citizens-contentious-visibility-within-multicultural-nation-laura-de-la-rosa-solano
In her chapter, De la Rosa Solano (2018) examines Afro-Colombians’ representation in the aftermath of Colombia’s recognition of multiculturalism. She contends that Black populations nowadays have attained a level of “visibility” that primarily advances the goals of international tourism. De la Rosa Solano concentrates on Cartagena and its carnival troupes, particularly the Ekobios troupe, and how the tourism sector employs images that support racial prejudices in portraying Afro-Colombians. This chapter offers a critical viewpoint on how physical exoticism, projections of unending bliss, and sensual body language maintain racial prejudices. It is also a helpful resource for comprehending the effects of “invisibility” and “avoidance” on how Black Colombians are portrayed in the media and general culture. However, it should be noted that this chapter is limited in scope, as it focuses solely on Colombia and does not consider the portrayal of African women in other Caribbean countries. Overall, I find this article to be of greater significance to my research paper as it offers a compelling argument for the thesis that the image of African women in Caribbean society is often constrained by stereotypes and inaccurate depictions of their intellectual, emotional, physical, and economic identities.
Rosenthal, L., Overstreet, N. M., Khukhlovich, A., Brown, B. E., Godfrey, C. J., & Albritton, T. (2020). Content of, sources of, and responses to sexual stereotypes of Black and Latinx women and men in the United States: A qualitative intersectional exploration. Journal of Social Issues, 76(4), 921-948. https://spssi.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/josi.12411
This article by Rosenthal et al. (2020) examines the nature, origins, and reactions of Black and Latinx women and men in the US are subject to sexual stereotypes. 75 people participated in 11 focus groups that the authors ran. An intersectional analysis and methodology were used to determine that many of the subthemes were stereotypes that the participants had pointed out. Through this study, the authors make specific recommendations for how psychologists should apply intersectional inquiry and practice to address sexual stereotypes as a significant social problem. Although the research in this article is limited to the United States, it is relevant to African women in Caribbean society because it examines how oppression and stereotypes can become internalized within people and communities and how these stereotypes can be rejected. I find this article to be of greater significance to the research paper as it provides valuable insight into the impact of stereotypes on society and is a useful source for understanding how these stereotypes shape the portrayals of African women in Caribbean society.
Reeves, R. L. (2018). The Portrayal of Women in Selected Post-colonial Literature (Doctoral dissertation). https://asu-ir.tdl.org/handle/2346.1/30915
Reeves (2018) provides a valuable assessment of the representation of women in post-colonial literature. Through carefully reading and studying selected works, Reeves reveals how women are often stereotyped and homogenized in them, therefore revealing the limits of such works in terms of their representations of female characters. Reeves explores the consequences and influences of European colonization on the representation of women in post-colonial literature and names works that offer more accurate and balanced depictions of women. However, the scope of the essay is restricted to post-colonial literature. It does not touch other kinds of media, such as film and television, which may provide additional insight into the representation of African women in Caribbean society. This article is an important source of information for research into the image of African women in Caribbean society, as it gives insight into the limited viewpoints and misunderstandings that early colonial and post-colonial society retained.
Doharty, N. (2020). The ‘angry Black woman’s intellectual bondage: strategically emotional on the academic plantation. Race Ethnicity and Education, 23(4), 548-562. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/13613324.2019.1679751
This article by N. Doharty (2020) discusses how the stereotyped, racist, and oppressive images of Black women do not only refer to African-American women or the unique racial issues they encounter when doing racial studies. The argument of the essay is that because Critical Race Theory (CRT) is so crucial in highlighting racial discrimination and structural disadvantage, those who work in the field of education have been impacted by these prejudices. The author claims that Black female academics may intentionally exhibit their emotions as a part of the research and analytical process, which could have implications for epistemology. The concept of strategic emotionality supports this. However, the article does not address the influence of other factors, such as gender and sexuality, which are also important in understanding the representation of African women in Caribbean society. Overall, the article is a valuable source for an in-depth analysis of the portrayal of African women in Caribbean society. It provides an interesting perspective on the “angry Black woman” stereotype and its impact on African women and is supported by various research and evidence.
Andrews, N., Greenfield, S., Drever, W., & Redwood, S. (2017). Strong, female and Black: Stereotypes of African Caribbean women’s body shape and their effects on clinical encounters. Health: An Interdisciplinary Journal for the Social Study of Health, Illness and Medicine, 21(2), 189–204. https://doi.org/10.1177/1363459315595847
Andrews et al. (2017) examine the ways in which stereotypes about the body types of African and Caribbean women interact with general discourses about them to perpetuate cultural biases and exacerbate disparities in access to services and health outcomes. They examine two stereotyped representations of Black womanhood—the “mammy” and “matriarch,” and the impact these representations have on the acceptance of larger body sizes in the African Caribbean community—by drawing on Black feminist and cultural studies literature. Thus, they imply that the notion of strength associated with these pictures may have an impact on the manner in which Black women are provided and when they seek out health treatments. The article is based on a theoretical examination of the two images of Black womanhood, and the authors do not provide empirical evidence to support their argument. The article’s focus is also limited to body shape and health services. It does not address the broader implications of the stereotypes of African women in Caribbean society. Despite these limitations, the article provides an important insight into how stereotypes of African women in Caribbean society can have tangible impacts on their lives. This article is of relevance to my research paper as it investigates how stereotypes and misconceptions about African women in Caribbean society affect their lives and health outcomes, providing evidence for my thesis statement that the image of African women in Caribbean society is often constrained by stereotypes and inaccurate depictions of their intellectual, emotional, physical, and economic identities.
GUIDELINES (20 marks)
The mini proposal must be developed in this order. Please indicate the number for each section above your writing.
Section 1
Thesis Statement (One sentence. Approximately 3 lines)
Section 2
Introduction (1-2 paragraphs, approximately 6-12 lines)
The introduction should answer the following questions:
• What is the area or issue that is being researched?
• What is the current background to this issue? Is it relevant today?
Section 3
Your approach(es) to the Research Paper (1 paragraph, approximately 4-8 lines)
In this section, you will identify either one or two of the 3 approaches below that you will utilize in your research. Usually, one of these approaches will dominate the paper, but you will probably employ all, to a lesser or greater degree, in one way or another. Give brief details for the approach(es) you use describing how it relates to your topic.
1. Explain and define the topic. Use explanation to review and itemize factual data. For example, one student proposed
that they would explain how advertisers have subtly gained entrance into classrooms by providing free educational materials.
What are you planning to explain in your research paper?
2. Analyze the specific issues. Use analysis to classify various parts of the subject and to investigate each one in depth. For example, the student proposed that they intended to classify and examine the methods used by advertisers to reach
school children with their messages. Are you planning to analyse anything in your research paper? If yes, share details here.
3. Persuade the reader with the weight of the evidence. Use persuasion to reject general attitudes about a problem and affirm new theories, advance a solution, or recommend a course of action. For example, the same student proposed that they wanted to argue that advertisers have enticed children into bad habits: eating improperly, smoking cigarettes, drinking alcohol, or behaving violently. If your goal is to persuade the reader, then indicate what you are seeking to persuade the reader to do or think about.
Section 4
Research Questions (approximately 4-8 lines)
State 3 questions that your paper will seek to explore or answer. For example, a student who explored the use of the Internet in the classroom asked these questions:
• What are the implications of the World Wide Web for education?
• In particular, what are the major educational developments that are unfolding on the Internet today that directly affect elementary and secondary education?
• What are some of the problems of, and obstacles to using the WWW in classrooms?
Section 5
In this section, you need to either construct a table of content or outline change depending on the research format you are utilizing. Table of Contents (for APA & CSE) or Outline (for Chicago & MLA). The Table of Contents or Outline should be on a separate page and should be between ½ – 1 page in length. This table of content/outline page should reflect the development of the research paper, from introduction to conclusion.
