For this class, you will need to select an argumentative essay to review critically and a topic to write on yourself. For each, choose something relevant, interesting, or which you care about. However, be aware:
Check the resources below if you need help choosing a topic. When you're ready, move on to exploring and then refining your topic.
Before you develop your research topic or question, you'll need to do some background research first.
Some good places to find background information:
Try the library databases below to explore your topic. When you're ready, move on to refining your topic.
Now that you've done some background research, it's time to narrow your topic. Remember: the shorter your final paper, the narrower your topic needs to be. Here are some suggestions for narrowing and defining your topic:
Describe and develop your topic in some detail. Try filling in the blanks in the following sentence, as much as you can:
I want to research ____(what/who)____
and ____(what/who)____
in ____(where)____
during ____(when)____
because ____(why)____.
A great idea can come from many places. Here are some suggested places to start: