Example Humanities EPQ Project Proposal - Good Version
Example Humanities EPQ Project Proposal - Good Version
Example Humanities EPQ Project Proposal - Good Version
the courses of study or area(s) of personal interest to which the topic relates
I wish to study English Literature at university, but I am also equally fascinated by human psyche and how illness
in the brain can cause people to be altered beyond recognition. I felt there is no more raw or comprehensive
presentation of the often devastating effects of mental illness than that of literature; the topic allows me to
explore the various ways in which this is presented and perhaps to understand how peoples minds work through
this. The idea that I can examine text that expresses the workings of something as mysterious and infinitely
capable as the mind when it is in some way imperfect is fascinating and immensely alluring. Moreover I have
grown increasingly aware of the stigma surrounding mental health and thus am hugely interested in the way that,
as it grows more acceptable to talk about and moves away from the destructively dismissive umbrella term of
madness, people describe their illness changes. Likewise, I am interested in exploring the different types of
mental illness, the lesser talked about ones such as borderline personality disorder, anxiety and post-traumatic
stress disorder.
I currently study history, the time periods 1914-1945 in Germany and 1485-1600 in England, however my studies
do not touch on the history of mental illness. I also study English Literature across a range of time periods, from
Shakespeare to post 2000.
my intended product
A 5000 word essay depicting how the portrayal of mental illness in Western literature has changed over time with
an accompanying presentation. Once this is approved I wish to embark upon reading all of my relevant texts as
well as researching in detail the particular mental illnesses referenced in my novels and how societal attitudes to
these have altered.