Monica+Mooney+RP+Post+1

RP Post #1

I. Presentation of Research Findings Interested in composing a research paper that touches upon the topic of humanitarian aid, the generosity of human beings and the overall drive that can be found in people all over the world to help one another succeed. As of this moment I am not sure of the type of paper I will be writing, it will primarily be informational; however, I do think that some aspects of this topic may be personal experience and emotion driven. Will definitively decide later on the form. Big picture here, I am an active volunteer. I love helping people and the whole idea of making an impact on the world, regardless of size or stature. This being said I am inspired by those that choose to sacrifice aspects of their lives to contribute to the betterment of their communities and would thoroughly enjoy using this topic as a main idea for my research paper.

II. Pursuit of New Knowledge What is altruism? Who are some of the most well known humanitarians? Why are they well known? What is the general societal response to volunteering and acts of humanitarian aid? Are there similarities in their motivations/actions? What are the effects of volunteering? How does one's perceived social responsibility affect their life (and the lives of those around them) How does volunteering affect one's career path (ethical vs unethical careers and corporations)

III. Background and Early Knowledge I have basic information regarding the overall aspect humanitarianism and I know several examples of people who would be classified as modern day humanitarians. As a practicing Roman Catholic, I am familiar with the idea of virtue and community responsibility as it applies to many patron saints and religious leaders. With several brief Wikipedia sources, I found that the actions of humanitarians and the response humanitarian aid varies regionally. Countries that are founded under dictatorial rule, for example many Middle Eastern countries, have been found to be less interested and more prone to reject aid of any kind. As impoverished they may be, the idea that the government rules and the government will provide often times reigns in the minds of the population, rendering them unable to accept any help. I also learned more about modern day humanitarians- there are a lot more opportunities to create change in the world and many resources are designed just to do that.

IV. The Rationale Why this question? WHY NOT THIS QUESTION? Honestly I have to say that my research is based both on personal interest in the subject matter. Volunteering is a very big part of my life and it is a fascinating topic. I could see this topic being very biographical, focusing on some people who have made great strides in this field, or psychological and evaluate reasonings and motivations behind such actions. This topic as of right now is so vague that there are probably a million directions I could take it in. One main drawback I am seeing as of right now is that this topic is not one that is often researched as a whole. Everyone contributes in a different way and motivations are different, situations are different, etc. This topic is fueled on the actions of others. With that being said, I think I can solve this potential problem by going more in depth and researching several different aspects of this topic while still contributing to the overall research of the main idea.