Overview
- THE PROMPT I CHOSE WAS: the Spanish Inquisition and the control of information. How did the Spanish Inquisition control or censor information and ideas? what were the long term effects of this on Spanish intellectual life and the enlightenment in Spain?
- Preliminary Research: Begin researching your topic in order to develop a plan for the essay.
I recommend using google scholar via the YU library website. I would also go meet with the librarians they are very helpful.
Identify three secondary/ and or primary sources that deal with the issue.
The secondary sources must come from peer-reviewed scholarly sources or a chapter from an academic book.
Be sure to cite these sources properly.
For each of the three secondary sources you find in step two, identify the author’s main argument as it pertains to your topic. Write a brief (paragraph-long maximum) summary of each essay’s critical point and explain how it helps you with your research question.
Thesis and Proposal
The thesis serves as the compass for the rest of your essay.
It will guide your choice of arguments and the direction of your analysis.
To arrive at your thesis you must first consider what you hope to discover about the two texts that you will be analyzing. To clarify this goal you will write a short proposal for your essay.
Clearly state the following:
Texts: which texts will you be using, give the exact citation (author, pages, lines, etc.) and identify the time period when the text was written.
Thematic concern: What is the focus of your analysis?
Thesis: What will your analysis show about this issue? [Your thesis may –and probably will—evolve as you get into the actual writing of the paper. However, you must have a sense of where you want to be going before you begin.]
The proposal will be factored into the grade for your final project. Clarity of style and ideas are essential.
Remember that the purpose of the proposal is to map out the shape and direction of your research and analysis and to make a case for your project --explaining its importance and its feasibility. In other words, what is the question that you have and how are you going to address it.
Your project should be a response to a question you have. Choose a topic/research question you care about!
Research Tips:
My suggestion is for you to begin with something that you care about? It can be something related to your family history or perhaps a personal passion of yours- do you love art or music? Take a deep dive into the rich musical traditon of Sephardic music with deep roots in the period we studied. Interested in economics- what was the impact of the inquisition on the Spanish economy?
You can choose a topic that focuses on the post-Expulsion experience, such as the Jews in Morocco or Turkey or the renaissance of Kabbalah in Tzefat which was spearheaded by exiles from Spain. And much more!
Encyclopedia Judaica is a great place to begin digging around your topic. You will be surprised by the variety of themes they cover. The authors of each entry were the preeminent authorities in their fields and so this is a good place to start your search.