Topic Selection Part 2 Pros/cons

Either/Or Topics Should I be a nurse or an anesthesiologist? Should I vacation in Mexico or Greece? Would I rather live in Minnesota or Texas? Should I buy a used Honda or a used Toyota? May be easier to find info Easy to organize (first by topic, then by item 1, item 2) Does not require a ton of deep thinking Easy to relate to self May be difficult to put your voice into it May be difficult to make interesting Difficult to find interesting or unusual research May be difficult to add depth—potential to be really superficial Easy to get bored with topic Do something really amazingly creative to make it interesting Work really hard to find sources that go beyond the obvious Find a way to add a lot more depth Make your voice extremely entertaining (With this type of topic, it will be pretty easy to hit the C minimum, but really really difficult to get much higher than that, even if you do a really good job.)

How to (related to self) How do I buy a used car? How do I start a bakery? How do I get my writing published? How can I live a healthier lifestyle? Easy to find general info Easy to relate to self Easy to organize (step by step process) Sources may give you specific answers instead of you having to draw conclusions yourself Does not require a ton of deep thinking Topic must be specific (how to open clothing store, not how to open business), and it may be more difficult to find more specific info Difficult to put your voice into it Difficult to make it interesting Difficult to add depth—potential to be really superficial May get bored easily Do something really amazingly creative to make it interesting Work really hard to find sources that are specific enough Find a way to add depth Make your voice extremely entertaining (With this type of topic, it will be pretty easy to hit the C minimum, but more difficult to get higher—you’ll have to do something above and beyond.)

How to (related to others) How can I help my mom deal with her diabetes? How can I help my brother’s kids get through his messy divorce? How can I have a better relationship with my mother? How can I better understand my grandfather’s experiences in WWII? Easy to find general info Possibly more complex than a How to that is related only to yourself If topic is specific enough, has the potential to have a good amount of depth and variety Potentially easier to show critical and deep thinking Easy to find at least one of the interviews Probably will not get bored Has the dangerous potential to end up like a health paper instead of relating specifically to you and your situation TMI? May be more tricky to organize. Sources may not give you the answer—you may have to pull material from many sources to figure out the answer yourself. If person doesn’t live with you, probably can’t do a health topic. Interview may be difficult to obtain. Relate it to your specific situation, but also make it helpful/interesting to others NOT in same situation Find info that goes beyond the obvious Find a variety of different types of sources, and combine the info yourself to arrive at an answer (This type of topic is more complex. This makes it a harder paper to write, but if you do a good job makes it more likely you will get up into the B range. A’s are possible, but you’ll have to show extra depth of thought or extra creative writing)

To get an A for this type of topic, you would have to: Taking a stand Example questions Plusses Minuses To get an A for this type of topic, you would have to: How does the media socialize women, and what can I do to stop that influence in my own life and the lives of other young women? How could I help my school do a better job of recycling? What are some of the similarities between the major religions, and what do I actually believe? What can I do to get healthier choices available in our lunchroom? Since I will be able to vote soon, how do I figure out my political beliefs? What do I think our country should do about health care, and what can I do to support Definitely will not get bored—extremely interesting, lots of ideas Good chance to show off critical thinking skills Lots of info to choose from Writing about something you actually care about—using school to get real stuff done in your life Easy to show depth—higher level thinking Get to use creativity Super impressive kind of topic if you do a good job Lots of info—you will have to sort through and combine info, draw your own conclusions. A lot of thinking required at the research stage May not be easy to find sources that relate to your specific issue—you may have to find smaller bits of less-related articles. May need to read a lot more sources than you use Requires a lot of deep critical thinking—if paper is shallow, it’s going to be really bad Requires more complex organizational skills Interviews may be difficult to obtain Think deeply and critically Be able to pull a lot of information together and synthesize it yourself. Be able to think big-picture about many ideas at once to see how they fit together. Write clearly and concisely about complex ideas. Cover everything—not lose any important aspect of your topic Look equally on both sides of an issue and consider carefully before you choose. (This type of topic is the most complex. That means this will probably be the most difficult type of paper to accomplish, but the most likely you will get an A if you do a good job.)

Things to consider How hard do you want to work? What grade do you want to earn? Are you able to think about multiple complex ideas at once? Are you a quick reader/willing to read more info than you use? Are you good at finding research and searching for information? Can you tell if a source is reliable or not? Choose wisely. If you choose a type of paper that is too difficult for you, you run the risk of crashing and burning—realizing the topic is too hard and having to START OVER with a new topic in the middle of the paper. On the other hand, if you choose a topic that is super easy and you could probably handle a more complex topic, you will be REALLY BORED and probably wish you had chosen a more interesting topic.

The Evolution of a Topic: Healthy food in lunchroom. What healthy foods should I eat at lunch? How do I eat healthier for lunch? Why can’t the school give us healthier options for lunch? How can I get the school to give us healthier options at lunch? How does OSH choose what foods are available in the lunchroom, and what can I do to promote healthier options?

Topic questions You must have at least 2-3 topic questions for tomorrow Under each question, you should list SEVERAL questions you will need to answer in order to answer the BIG question

For example: Big question is: How do I start breeding my dog, Fifi? Questions I need to answer to answer my BIG question above: How much does it cost to breed a dog? Where would I find potential mates for Fifi? How do I make sure Fifi is healthy while she is pregnant? How do I find the best vet? How much time will I have to commit to breeding? What should I know about the whelping procedure? How do I sell the puppies? No question is a bad question right now. More is better; we can always weed out questions that you don’t need or won’t work.

Homework Get page one signed in your handbook Come to class tomorrow with 2-3 BIG topic questions that you are seriously considering For EACH question, come with several questions that you will need to research in order to answer the BIG question.