Exercise 2.1: Finding the Questions


1.In the space below, write the title of your tentative topic (e.g. Internet addiction)

Causes of the Kosovo-Serbian war, and the rebuilding of Kosovo

2.Briefly state why you chose this topic.
I chose this topic because I spent 2 months in Kosovo and I came to love the area and the people. And I just wanted to find out more about the country and to tell people what is going on there and how they can get involved if they wanted to.


3.Spend about five minutes listing what you already know (if anything) about your topic. For example, are you aware of any
interesting facts, common misconceptions, your own assumptions, important people or institutions involved, key schools of
thought, the extent of the problem, current trends, etc.?
Kosovo is about the size of Road Island, it is 90% Muslim and 10% Catholic, it has mostly villages with only a few large cities, and it is currently under U.N. protection. They currently have no form of government, and they are working on forming a Democratic Republic. In 1996 Serbia decide to kick all of the ethnic Albainians out of Kosovo, and kill the ones who didn't leave. The war ended in 1999 after the Serbs surrenderd to the U.N., and released Kosovo to their control.



4.Now spend at least fifteen minutes brainstorming a list of questions about your topic you’d love to learn the answers to. Make this
list as long as you can, and don’t worry whether every question is a good one.
What is the U.N. doing now to help them form a government?
How far back does the hatred between Kosovars and Serbians go? And what started it?
How many lives where lost in the conflict?
Why did the war really start? and why did the U.S. intervene in the war?
How much did the war effort cost?
Who started the war Kosovo, or Serbia?
What was Kosovo's economy like before the war? And what is it like now?
What are the major forms of employment?
What are the Kosovars living conditions like?
Why do they need help from other countries?
What countries are there representing the UN?
What language do they speak?
Is there still alot of fighting going on at this time?
What else could be done to help their economy?