Developing Research Questions

Name of Student

Name of Institution

Preliminary Title: A Study of Sexual Harassment in Colleges

Topic: Colleges should enforce laws on sexual harassment

Research Problem: Sexual harassment is entrenched in higher learning institutions the world over. Despite the presence of laws to regulate sexual harassment, the problem has persisted in these institutions. This indicates that the administrative machinery in colleges do not take legal provisions on the offense seriously. The solution to the problem depends much on the identification of weaknesses of college administrative machineries that give room to the proliferation of the offense and devising ways of strengthening the weaknesses.

Research Question: To what extent are administrative weaknesses in higher learning institutions responsible for the increase in sexual harassment in the institutions?

Background: Sexual harassment in higher learning institutions refers to the unwelcome or unwanted behavior with sexual connotations that denies victims the right to benefit from equal educational opportunity. It is an offense under the laws of the United States and many other countries following the enactment of the Bill of Rights and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Authors have studied the subject at length, and there is consensus to the argument that the weaknesses of school administrative machineries are to blame for the increased rate of sexual harassment in higher learning institutions.

Aim: Although several factors could be behind the increased rate of sexual harassment in higher learning institutions, this research focuses on the weaknesses in administrative machineries at these institutions. Most schools abandon legal provisions and requirements at the gate and presume that the sole purpose of the school is learning. This way, students are allowed much space to violate the law within the school compounds. The disciplinary measures in most institutions of higher learning are quite ineffective, making them unreliable as means of curbing offenses as sexual harassment. Interviews will be instrumental in answering the research question.

Preliminary Title: A Study of Law Enforcement Unions in the United States

Topic: Law enforcement unions violate the duty to serve the public

Research Problem: Law enforcement unions have sprang up in the Unites States of late and the number of unions is increasing. However, unionized law enforcement officers are more concerned about the affairs of their members than the respecting the oath to serve members of the public. The conflict of interest inherent in these unions frustrates efforts at law enforcement in the United States.

Research Question: Should law enforcement unions be outlawed in the United States because they contravene the oath of public service?

Background: Unions of public servants have been in existence since the industrialization period. The unions help employees to bargain collectively, which means that all members should rally behind a fellow member being oppressed by employment conditions or terms. Law enforcement unions have come only recently, and the United States takes the lead in the number of such unions. Some studies have indicated that conflict of interests is likely to occur in law enforcement union arrangements, which could propel the pervasion of justice and harm the public to whom law enforcement officers owe a duty to protect. On the other hand, some researchers hold that these unions are helpful to the law enforcement officers who are facing political and administrative bias in their duties.

Aim: This research takes the position that law enforcement unions are detrimental to the oath of public service, which officers should abide by in their entire career. The surge in instances where police officers violate the rights of the public whom they are supposed to protect is worrying. Fellow union members have often come to the rescue of such officers through shoddy investigations and defense funding among other modes of assistance. Such conflicting interests support the argument that law enforcement unions should be abolished, which is the aim of this study.

Preliminary Title: A Study of Visible Body Marks as Barriers to Employment in the United States

Topic: Visible Tattoos Hinder Equal Employment

Research Problem: A significant number of Americans express their identity by way of tattoos and other permanent body marks. Employers have frowned upon prospective candidates with such marks at visible points of their bodies. This trend raises serious concerns of employment discrimination and a breach of the right to freedom of expression at the workplace.

Research Question: Are employers legally justified in turning away prospective employees based on visible tattoos?

Background: Permanent body marks have existed since time immemorial as a means of physical identity. The practice varies from one society to another. Certain societies do not tolerate practices such as tattooing, arguing that promote illegal ambitions including crime. On the other hand, some societies tolerate the practices of permanently marking the body on the argument that they are cultural matters, which the law should respect. The employment sector in the United States has been quite sensitive to physical presentation in the recent past. Employees are required to look presentable as this helps promote the corporate image. Consequently, most people with visible permanent body marks have missed job opportunities due to such considerations by employers. However, the trend has serious legal implications in the nature of discrimination and denial of freedom of expression.

Aim: This study acknowledges the fact that tattooing is a practice deeply rooted in most societies, including the United States. In as much as the practice is entrenched, the employment sector does not approve of it. This study aims to establish whether the employment sector is violating the law by taking into account bodily marks in employment decisions. The implications of the employment trend will be analyzed against the legal background and constitutional provisions to support the argument.

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