The McHenry reading really got me thinking about what I should write my final research paper on for this class. The idea of focusing on a particular group that has traditionally been labeled as illiterate is appealing. I’ve wrestled with the idea of researching the shifting literacy rates in women and men in the 21st century. How have women gone from on a large scale traditionally being barred from reading to constituting the majority of higher education seekers in the western world? Diving into the history of female literacy, and exploring the changes that happened to promote widespread literacy, will most likely be at the center of my research paper. I’m am still unsure of how wide a scope I’d like to use subject wise. Should I focus on one particular ethnic group? Or do a comparison across groups? Would it be beneficial to focus on international literacy rates, or would that create a net to wide that the paper would lose all focus? Gendered literacy rates are shifting and I’d like to know why. As I conduct more research hopefully I will be able to come to a better understanding of my chosen subject and eventually lead me to crafting an engaging thesis and paper.
