How much (and which parts) can you take away and still have what one would call "consciousness"? Actual experiments would force an experimentally usable definition just as much as they'd provide data, potentially yielding advances on two fronts.

We have one box which somehow produces what some call consciousness. Most looks inside the box rely on famous freak accidents ("H.M", etc.), yielding ridiculous breakthroughs. Time to create some "freak accidents" of our own.

Time to pry open dat box.