Chara Hawley

UWRT 1103
2/23/15
Inquiry Project Proposal
For my inquiry project, I have chosen the topic of youth uprisings and rebellions
throughout history. I have always been interested in the idea of teenagers. They are an
unpredictable and radical group that most adults fear. They think outside the box and question
what ideas are being forced upon them. When they feel passionate they react. When we did our
This I Believe assignment, I reflected on this belief I had. In my LBST Music course last
semester, my professor talked about the days he was in college. He remembered kids protesting
and fighting for justice. He explained that when he looks at my generation he sees students that
do not care. I want to find out if his ideas our true.
I can honestly say that I do not know much about this topic. I do know of cases in history,
such as the Tinker vs. Des Moines School District, were students would outwardly defy
authority in order to stand up for what they believe in. Even in old television shows, like 8
Simple Rules, where they show teens protest in their high schools. Currently, if teens do not
like something they post it on social media. Is that effective. Are teens making a difference?
I hope to find out in my research activities that students are doing that are making a
change. That are going against old worn out beliefs that are not fare. I want to find that teen
rebellion is still alive. Maybe I will even find a good cause to fight for. I think it is right for

teens to rebel, because I believe that this is how change is started. I hope to find that this is still
the case.
I will search for news articles on websites such as CNN and Charlotte Observer. I will
also look for old articles from the past that come from news sources and court cases of that day.
YouTube may also have video talking about my topic as well. This is where I will start my
research.
This topic would be most interesting to teens and their parents. I think it is good for teens
to see other teens take action. All it took was Rosa Parks to sit at the front of the bus for Martin
Luther King Jr. to start moving forward on his work during the Civil Rights Movement. It also
can bring awareness to the fact that teens are not alone in their beliefs. Parents need to know
what teenagers are thinking in order to understand and protect their children. It is also
interesting to parents because it can show that not all teenagers are wild and irresponsible.