Stallybrass tells us that we must rely on what has come before us to base our thoughts and realizations on. He believes that there is so much great information around you that you must draw from. He actually takes this point even further then this. Stallybrass means to say from, “you are not, nor should you be, the origin of your own thoughts,” that are own thoughts and voices are completely shaped by what others have said and say around us. Our own “selves” and the accompanying thoughts are shaped by what is around us. He tells us we must learn to follow the easiest method of thinking by not thinking and working to find what other people think and then drawing conclusions from that.

This relates to any research project very simply. When researching, we are not digging in our brains to find information, facts, or opinions. We must look outside in the world, specifically, the field of research that is of pertinence to gather information on the subject. We should write about the information we have gathered. This is the way a research project must be addressed.

I think that Stallybrass means that all knowledge builds on itself. I think he means that our thoughts should be compilations of what we have learned from other people, or taking what we have learned from others and thinking about it in a new way. Also, he points out good ideas don’t spontaneously appear in our heads, they are formed from actively researching a topic. One can spend hours thinking in circles, but come to no conclusions if they don’t have a base to work off of and a process to go about it. I think he means that in order to have a “new idea” one has to organize bits and pieces of many peoples knowledge in a clear way

This statement is meant to mean that there is no such thing as “originality”. All thoughts and ideas are derived from other people and other experiences.

In terms of relating that statement to the research project, you should not be striving to come up with some supremely “original” idea that can be applied to your topic, as that is impossible. Allow what is said about the  research aid you in formulating your thoughts, and, in turn, formulating your paper.

In Stallybrass’s quote, he is really discussing exactly what research should be. Research is about learning about a topic and expanding upon it. You are not researching if you are relying on your own thoughts, but making a hypothesis. To truly understand a topic, you must read and learn as much as you can about it before making your own assumptions (educated assumptions, mind you) about it. To this research project, it speaks to how we must know our topic as much as we can before formulating opinions on our subjects. He also goes further to state that we are unable to think something about a topic unless we learn about it, because the ability to think about it means we must know something about the subject. Research is not truly about originality, but learning something someone else already may know and applying it to your own life.

I somewhat agree with what Stallybrass says about thoughts and where they come from. On the one hand, others do significantly influence our thoughts and behaviors. Our friends, siblings, and parents all play a part in our upbringing and development. Yet, if our thoughts aren’t our own, then who’s are they? People from Aristotle to Thomas Edison came up with their own ideas of how things operated, and in most cases proved them to be true. For instance, when Edison came up with the invention of the light bulb, who’s idea was that? Surely not his friend’s or his father’s. It may have come from years of education, but the invention itself was his.

This has revelance to a research topic because everyone comes up with their own ideas for a paper. They originate in us, not in our roommates or the guy down the hall.

Stallybrass means that one’s thoughts should be reactions to the thoughts of (or facts presented by) others. What we believe and all that we think is a reflection of the world we live in; whether it be real life, reading or some other influence, our thoughts stem from experience.

The relevance of this idea to our research is essentially that our research question should not merely be something we dream up on our own (and it seems impossible for this to be the case), but rather a reflection of and reaction to all we have learned about a subject. Our research questions and the way they are shaped will depend upon how we interpret, understand, and believe in the ideas of others. The origin of a research question is not just the researcher him/herself, but instead is derived from external influences which have interested or shaped a questioner in some way.

I think that Stallybrass is saying that no thoughts are original. All thoughts originate from a collective force or consciousness, in much the way that words do. You are not the originator of the words you say; you are merely borrowing them from a “linguistic warehouse”, of sorts, in an effort to communicate with others.

In the same way, Stallybrass is saying that you borrow thoughts to communicate ideas. However, with thoughts the media in which you express these “borrowed” thoughts are much more varried than that of words. For instance, in a research paper, a medium of written form in this case, you borrow thoughts from various sources and compile them into an organized paper for the purpose of communicating these thoughts themselves to other people.

What I think Stallybrass is saying in “you are not, nor should you be, the origin of your own thoughts,” is that all of your life experiences and everything you have heard in the news or books shape the way you think and alter you thoughts. When a mother tells their child that wathcing to much tv is going to make them lazy and fat isn’t really her idea. Most likely she has heard about studies that show how consistatly watching televison makes a person lazy. This is relevant to our paper because we really are not making a point of our own, but rather are taking claims and evidence of others to back and support the argument that we are trying to make. Also, it is bad to take ideas and evidence that you know someone else has made, and call it your own, which is plagerism.

      Stallybrass seems to be saying that you didn’t know that those words were the correct ones to use inherently, but that you were taught that they are correct. The same goes for research. Any thoughts you have about a subject are not original and you can’t possibly know something about a topic without having been told it. This relates to a research project because it stresses the need to cite cite cite your work. Also, if you have a thought about a subject that you seem to think is your own and not ever asserted before, just look for it somewhere in the scholarship, and you are bound to find it. At the Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice awards Will Smith said that you should never stop reading, because any problem you have, someone out there has had the same problem and written about it. No realm of study in this world has gone without consideration nor has it been neglected, so there is information out there about everything.

This is saying that you should use other answers and other ideas to support your thoughts and have reasoning behind them and not just pull them out of thin air. Just like you don’t say things without having things to support what you are saying. Also at this point in time most thoughts are not original many have thought the things we are thinking now before and that we would not be the first thinking it. Therefor no one really truly is an original thinker, originality occurs when you do not realize that someone else had thought of it before you.

It’s relavent to the research project because it lets us know that other people have thought of the same ideas before us and wanted to learn about it. So there will be previous sources of information on the topic. Also, that’s why our work is cited to show that someone supports our “origininal” idea.

When Stallybrass said “you are not, nor should you be, the origin of your own thoughts (any more than you are the origin of your own voice)” I think he was referring to the way our thoughts are influenced by the things around us.  The thoughts we have are inspired by things we see or hear.  When it comes to research projects, this is important because we have to look at the opinions and facts found by others in forming our “own” thoughts.  Our thoughts on a topic can’t be based on our thinking alone – there needs to be evidence and this evience often comes through other people.

The subject I’m interested in researching is gun control; first, the legal and ethical justifications for laws restricting ownership of firearms, and second, the effectiveness of such laws in reducing the rate of violent crime. I want to research this because gun control has been an important and controversial topic for many years, and one that may impact me personally in the future. The topic is important because implementing the correct conclusion could well have an effect on crime rates, which would have a huge effect on the lives of many people.

While there is no widespread consensus in the gun control debate, two common assertions are that gun control is Constitutionally supported, and lowers the rate of violent crime; fewer guns = fewer shootings. My assertion is that gun control is Constitutionally prohibited by the Second Amendment, and in addition fails to accomplish it’s stated purpose; gun control laws do not take weapons out of the hands of criminals, and may in fact LESSEN the ability of honest citizens to protect themselves.

I am interested in researching differing cultural relationships because I want to find how people can better understand each other and this is important because it could pave the way for an end of racial discrimination.

How does discrimination effect people?

How do differing cultures view different people?

Where does discrimination come from?

I am interested in researching about Stem Cell Research because I want to find out why there are so much negative opinions and this is important because it could help treat some diseases.

Three Questions:
1. What is involved in the process of Stem Cell research?
2. Why is Stem Cell research considered to be an act of religious offense?
3. What are the two opposing views presented on the topic of Stem Cell Research?

I am interesting in researching the topic of nature versus nurture…

Because I want to find out how we have come to be who we are today…

And this is important because in order to examine and analyze our surroundings and how they came to exist, we, as humans, must understand how we have come to develop into our current forms, whether it be by a natural process or other peoples’ influences.

Questions:

1) Define exactly what nature and nurture are, being specific with each concept.

2) What specific case studies or examples can be used best to support the research topic?

3) Is there a definite answer and conclusion to the various studies researched?

I am interested in researching the effect depression has on poor populations…

because I want to find out how prevalent it is, how it manifests itself, and what effect it has on the population at large…

and this is important because once thoroughly researched and understood, there is a possibility that solutions could be found and suffering could be alleviated.

1) Are the symptoms for depression the same across the board, or are there more prevalent symptoms in poor populations compared w. the middle & upper classes?

2) Do poor populations have a greater percentage of depressed people?

3) How do municipal/state/national governments currently deal with the mental health of poor populations?

Research topic;
I am interested in researching current healthcare reform policy and its implementation in the United States because I want to specifically find out what are the strengths and weaknesses of American healthcare; this is important to me because, as a future physician, I will be facing these issues every day and would greatly benefit from a deeper understanding of the pros and cons of the system under which I will be practicing medicine.

Questions to consider;
1. Is the topic of current American healthcare reform policy too broad to be effectively discussed in one paper?

2. To what degree can current changes be studied, given their recent implementation?

3. Is it possible to remain impartial in arguing a case that has been traditionally rooted in political partisanship?

• I am interested in researching how the different sexes interact
• because I want to find out if the hormones in their brain differ and if this really does form the personality differences in guys and girls. Also if this would allow for correct generalizations when it comes to genders.
• and this is important because it will help us to realize how come certain aspects of life affect us in different ways and why our reactions to situations our different among the sexes.
• I would ask where I’m doing the research? I would also ask my self about age groups and if it differentiated too? I would also want to know about the different hormone levels within the sexes themselves.

-I am interested in researching the good and bad affects coffee has on the body

-because I want to find out if it has any benefits to the health of its consumers as well as if it has any addictive qualities to it

-and this is important because millions of people worldwide consume this product daily without any recollection of the affect it has on their health.

1. Am I focusing on a particular type of coffee? Decaf, regular, coffee from a specific country, etc.

2. Am I focusing on a specific age group? Coffee may have varying affects on different age groups.

3. Has the human body evolved/adapted overtime to the affects of coffee?

3 questions I have about my research:

What vectors does the bacteria travel by?

What species are most affected?

What management practices can lower deer ticks and their hosts?