2 great student moments (2 of 2): Mainstream mormonism.

For one of my assignments, I have students write research questions according to an assigned format... Though they don't actually undertake the research, I want to help them learn how to frame and present good questions, since that's a good life skill.

As it goes, the format is:

- make an observation on something important/interesting.
- say why that observation's undersubstantiated or questionable.
- ask a specific, answerable question.
- propose feasible means by which your question might be answered.

After the mainstream mormonism unit, one of my students (the read who's pretty much done readings for the entire course so far) had this great question that went something like this:

- the reading on Mormon missionaries presumed that all were straight men.
- however, some are certainly gay, and since they are constantly monitored by each other, even if they are straight, it is like they are in prison.
- how many Mormon missionaries have sex with each other?
- I would conduct anonymous surveys and confidential interviews in order to find this out.

I really think this is a great research project.  If I stick around in the city and my student does too, maybe we could collaborate on that project.  I have some Mormon heretic contacts I could work!