Different responses to the Black Death

A conceptual problem is a historical issue wherein you can find some question, controversy, contradiction, or gaps in information. It can also just be something you found yourself curious about when doing the readings.

Here are some examples of research questions based on last week’s readings:

Different responses to the Black Death
Socio/economic impact of Black Death (Was the Black Death bad for everyone?)
Early-modern gender norms (Did they change during the Renaissance?)
A Level-3 research question focuses on the conceptual problem’s controversy, contradiction, or gaps in information. A Level 3 Question has these characteristics:

  1. Open-ended and has multiple possible answers.
  2. Can be answered using evidence and inductive logic.
  3. Is similar to a conceptual problem, but more specific and focused
  4. Should be specific enough that the question can be addressed within the allotted word count.

Here are some examples of research questions based on last week’s readings:

“How did the Sunni Muslim community in Damascus respond to the Black Death?”
“What economic impact (if any) did the Black Death have on the middle class in England?”
“What impact did the Renaissance have on Italian gender norms?”
For this week, I would like you to identify 2 conceptual problems in response to this week’s readings. Next, write 2 Level-3 Questions – 1 per conceptual problem. When developing your research questions, consider how different readings (and Professor Wood’s lectures) from this week fit together conceptually. For example, the first two readings are on Zheng He’s expeditions, so you should consider both readings when formulating a research question on this topic. Finally, write a short answer (thesis statement) to each of your Level-3

Full Answer Section

  Conceptual Problem: What were the long-term consequences of the Black Death? Level-3 Research Question: How did the Black Death contribute to the rise of capitalism in Europe? This question explores the impact of the Black Death on the economy. The plague led to a decline in the population, which in turn led to a shortage of labor. This shortage of labor gave rise to higher wages for workers and increased demand for goods and services. These factors contributed to the development of capitalism in Europe. Conceptual Problem: How did the Black Death impact religious beliefs? Level-3 Research Question: How did the Black Death lead to the rise of millenarian movements in Europe? Millenarian movements are religious movements that believe that the end of the world is coming soon. The Black Death was a time of great upheaval and uncertainty, and many people turned to millenarian movements for hope and comfort. These movements often promised that their followers would be saved from the apocalypse. These are just a few examples of conceptual problems and level-3 research questions related to the Black Death. There are many other interesting questions that could be explored, and the best way to choose a question is to find something that you are curious about and that you think would be interesting to research.

Sample Answer

  Conceptual Problem: How did the Black Death impact different social groups? Level-3 Research Question: How did the Black Death impact the lives of women in medieval Europe? This question focuses on a specific social group that was disproportionately affected by the Black Death. Women were more likely to die from the plague than men, and they also faced increased economic hardship and social isolation as a result of the plague. This question could be explored through a variety of sources, including historical documents, archaeological evidence, and oral histories.