Design and Curate: Essay Ideas

I have been bouncing around some ideas for this week’s challenge the last couple of days. Maybe it was a good thing that I used the bus to commute to work this week… gave me time to think. Anyway, I put my finger on two ideas that seem to be good to elaborate on. I got some good feedback on the Ideas Wall, so hopefully, the end result will be worth reading in the end.

Idea 1: Maltese: The Latinised Semitic Language

The first idea for the essay is an exploration of the Maltese language itself.
The objectives of the research and essay are to: 

• take a closer look at the historical aspect of the language.
• learn about how the language became “officialised” in terms of grammar, spelling etc.
• how media impacted the language
• whether change in demographics affected the spoken language.

In order to gather this information, I will of course start off with desk research. I already found some book titles that will help me gain traction. Amongst other things I will be looking at historical documents that outline the linguistic aspect of the Maltese Language. In addition, I will also look at statistical data, particular in terms of knowledge of the written and spoken Maltese as well as for code-switching – shifting between one language and the other mid-sentence. It is very common in Malta for we have two official languages.

I am also considering conducting a couple of surveys. One of them for sure to gather raw data regarding the knowledge of the language, impact of the media and langauge preference amongst other things. The other I would like to aim it towards Maltese language teachers. In the classroom, teachers are faced with various situations and experience first-hand various trends, including trends in the spoken language. This survey can provide that data regarding the ‘official’ changes in the language (changes in spelling, syntax etc…) and also evolution of the spoken language – how the students communicate and express themselves both verbally and in writing.

As for demographics, I am unsure whether to look at already existing data or populate my own. Depends on the date of publication of the existing data.

Idea 2: What Goes on in the Shadows: An Analysis of the Crime Scene in Malta

The second idea for the essay is to look at crime scene in Malta and how it has changed over the course of time. The objectives for this essay are:

• To look at the history of crime in Malta
• Types of crimes; motifs etc
• Increase and decrease of different types of crimes
• Cold cases? 
• Weapons of choice: what was used as weapons/devices; Ownership of conventional weapons; What is considered a weapon in the eyes of the law.

This idea involves a lot of desk research. I will be looking at the works of Edward Attard – a crime historian. I am considering contacting him, but would like to have a solid framework of the essay first so that I will ask the correct questions. I’ll also be paying a visit to the Crime Museum. Should find some good source material there. In the museum, there is a section dedicated to cold cases. Would be interesting to have a look there.

In contrast to this, I am considering conducting a survey or put together a questionnaire. The goal is to see whether people generally feel safe. I can then compare this data to crime maps and data involving crime rates etc. The national archives can also be a good source, but I will not be banking too much on the access of documents for there does not seem to be a catalogue or an overview what sort of documents are held in said archives. 

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So those are my two ideas, now I just need to work on a good elevator pitch and see how I can visualise each idea in one image for each proposal. All things considered; I already have a rough idea on the sort of information will I be looking at for each topic. Listing the objectives of each idea first – the ‘shy’ behind the research and essay – helped me a lot in identifying what sort of information I need to look at as well as what I will be writing. Having said that, it is still in the early stages of the project. It is best to focus on what is at hand first.