REL 105 - Early Jewish History and Lit-Research Paper (Woody)

2. Explore Your Topic

After thoroughly examining your assignment, now it's time to look for some initial background research on your topic.  Try a search in the following database to learn more about your topic.

Analyze Your Topic

Who

Think about who might be involved. This could be specific people, but it could also be groups of people - consider different groups based on age, race, ethnicity, gender, socioeconomic status (wealth), who may be affected (good or bad) by your topic. 

What

Reading a summary to learn more about your topic will help you understand it better. It can also provide you with keywords, specialized vocabulary, and definitions, which will be useful for future searches. You may need to familiarize yourself with the terms used to describe the topics you chose to research.

When

If your topic has significant events associated with it, knowing what they are and when they happened may help you choose the best sources to consult.  

Where

Sometimes places are important to a topic, knowing the important places associated with your religions will help you choose the best sources to consult.  

Why

Getting background information on why people are interested in your topic can help you craft an argument. Knowing if your topic plays a bigger part in the overall story or tenets of the Jewish religion is important.