For your chosen topic, you need to find researchable aspects so you can find sources.
Be willing to broaden, narrow, or modify your topic.
Here are some common researchable aspects for many topics (or people in the field):
| technology (innovator, pioneer, barrier breaker) | sustainability (leader) | diversity/empowerment of minority group (leader) |
| local/state/national/global issues (challenger, leader, supporter, instigator) | politics (political leader) | unifying agent (leader) or a divisive agent (disruptor) |
|
harassment/bullying/violence (challenger) |
mental health awareness (leader) |
cultural significance (pioneer, leader, instigator, supporter) |
| ethics (leader or whistleblower) | LGBTQ (pioneer) | historical significance (leader) |
| art (artistic leader, pioneer, contributor) | music (musical leader/pioneer) | spiritual/religious leader |
How does your topic fit into this chart? Can you write a paper explaining the significance of your topic in one of these way?
| Topic | Angle/Theme | Search Terms |
|---|---|---|
| Dr. Seuss (aka Theodor Geisel) | Encourages reading | "Dr. Seuss" OR "Geisel" AND "children's literature" OR reading |
| Use of Illustration | "Dr. Seuss" OR "Geisel" AND illustration | |
| Impact on ecology | "Dr. Seuss" OR "Geisel" AND ecology OR environment OR lorax |
Keywords are always important. Sometimes you will need to use keywords to identify the topic you are evaluating.
"Handmaid's Tale" AND television
"Folsom Prison Blues" AND song AND Cash
"Call of Duty" AND videogame
"Aladdin" AND movie (limit results to 2019)
OPTION 1: Profile Paper
Assignment: For this assignment, you'll write a profile that supports a theme about a person, place, or event that you consider interesting or noteworthy.
Choosing a Topic
This is a profile of a person, place, or event. However, for this assignment, you have a little more leeway than the book allows. If you choose to write a profile of a person,you do not have to be able to interview your subject. This person could be a public personality or someone you know personally; the person can be living or dead, current or historical, but they must be real. You can write the profile based on published interviews and information about them.
If you choose to write a profile of a place or event, however, you should have been to that place or attended that event.
OPTION 2: Evaluation or Review Paper
Assignment: For this assignment, you'll write an essay that evaluates/reviews a subject you know well and feel strongly about.
The subject can be almost anything—a product, performance, hobby, lifestyle, art form, or form of entertainment (movie, play, music, video game, etc.).The key to choosing a subject is to have a conviction that your knowledge and passion will make your essay interesting and illuminating for general readers, including your classmates and instructor. Plan your essay with communication goals in mind. In other words, focus on an issue or problem that the subject raises and a central view or argument that your evaluation will support.
Requirements and guidelines:
Research (required for either option): In addition to any personal interviews (if you do one, cite it in MLA format!) or visits to a place or event, three additional sources are required.
-All essays must be typed and doubled-spaced.
