Hi everyone,
I open this thread in search for help regarding the research project, I'm planning to apply for mext but despite the time going on I feel I'm already stuck. I've been reading books for months but I can't come up with any good idea.
My main concerns in particular are: is it really necessary for the research project to be UTTERLY new?
Is that referred to Western studies as well as Japanese ones? Finding good topics is already hard if considering only Western studies but near impossible when those of Japan are included as well... I find this to be particularly true for Japanese studies research students.
Another point: is better to bet on a large topic of research or on a smaller one? For example, one of the topics I've been giving some thought to is oral literature, what would be an ideal "range" for the research? A single period, author etc.?
Anyone who struggled with the same issues?
I open this thread in search for help regarding the research project, I'm planning to apply for mext but despite the time going on I feel I'm already stuck. I've been reading books for months but I can't come up with any good idea.
My main concerns in particular are: is it really necessary for the research project to be UTTERLY new?
Is that referred to Western studies as well as Japanese ones? Finding good topics is already hard if considering only Western studies but near impossible when those of Japan are included as well... I find this to be particularly true for Japanese studies research students.
Another point: is better to bet on a large topic of research or on a smaller one? For example, one of the topics I've been giving some thought to is oral literature, what would be an ideal "range" for the research? A single period, author etc.?
Anyone who struggled with the same issues?