DH 390 Project Proposal and Outline
Project Thesis Statement
I am studying the role of cats throughout history, because I want to find out how they were perceived and have contributed overtime, in order to understand what has changed due to their help.
Project Goal
Dear Reader:
I want to show how the perception of cats has changed throughout history
The main reasons why you should “believe” me are that they contributed to pest control in the World War 1 trenches. Cats also were highly respected in Egypt serving as friends and a spiritual symbol.
You should care about my topic because cats are and have important to history and contribute a lot to our daily lives.
Forever indebted,
Me
Project Sources and Focus
For my project research I primarily used the George Mason University Library Database to find credible sources and peer reviewed scientific papers. To find sources regarding how cats were perceived throughout history, whish is a more abstract concept, I simply googled key terms and words and read through multiple websites. When I was looking online, I was careful to make sure the sites were reliable; this meant only using sources containing citations, a safe web browser URL, and checking author credibility.
My Sources taught me more about how cats were treated and perceived in history. Apparently, in the Middle Ages they were seen as bad omens or signs of witchcraft. I also researched scientific discoveries cats contributed too; such as, the discovery that we contain a “split brain,” meaning our left and right halves work differently. I want to focus on roles cats have played throughout history, and little about how they have been treated and seen despite all their help to hopefully raise awareness. I do wonder now after all my research, why cats are seen as lazy in modern times, especially after understanding all they’ve done.
Citations and Zotero Link
- Mark, Joshua J. “Cats in the Middle Ages.” World History Encyclopedia, https://www.worldhistory.org#organization, 10 Mar. 2024, www.worldhistory.org/article/1387/cats-in-the-middle-ages/.
- A Cat’s Tale: A Journey Through Feline History. Vol. 267. PWxyz, LLC, 2020. Print.
- de Haan, Edward H F, et al. “Split-Brain: What We Know Now and Why This Is Important for Understanding Consciousness.” Neuropsychology Review, U.S. National Library of Medicine, June 2020, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7305066/.
- “The Inner Life of Cats.” Scientific American, 20 Feb. 2024, www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-inner-life-of-cats/.
- Bange, Stephanie. Mala’s Cat: A Memoir of Survival in World War II. Vol. 147. NEW YORK: Reed Business Information, 2022. Print.
- Admin. “The Wild World of Cat Beliefs.” Human Relations Area Files – Cultural Information for Education and Research, 9 Oct. 2019, hraf.yale.edu/the-wild-world-of-cat-beliefs/.
- Piore, Adam. “The Secret Language of Cats.” Newsweek Global, vol. 181, no. 7, Sept. 2023, pp. 18–29. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=bth&AN=171935496&site=bsi-live.