Research Topic: Your research paper will expand on one of the ideas or concepts found in Freakonomics. You may choose a topic directly from Freakonomics or choose a topic that is inspired by Freakonomics. Possible topics include but are not limited to:  Incentives  Performance incentives  Teacher pay incentives  Teacher cheating  Testing  Cheating in sports  Why do people cheat?  KKK – rise and/or fall  Real Estate Agents  Power of information  Effect of the internet on information  Crime rates rising/falling – causes/effects  Effects of crack…  Effect of legalized abortion  Parenting  Fear as motivation to act, buy, do…  Black/White test gap  Names – power of a name, effect of a name on a child  Dispute a conventional wisdom  Impact of Freakonomics on society  Value of Freakonomics on society  Uncover the hidden side of something English 101

 Begin by thinking about potential topics. You should focus on a topic that interests you…a topic that you are genuinely curious about. What do you want to learn?  Once you have a topic in mind begin searching for information.  Search and re-search for information!!!  If you are not happy with the information that you are finding, pick a different topic to research. How do we begin???

 Your research should aim to answer a question regarding your topic. You don’t need to know the “question” right away. Your research on the topic should help you determine what you want to answer.  Once you have a question – continue researching the topic to find the answer to your research question. Keep track of all the sources that you use – especially citation information. How do we begin???

 The question that you will use to drive your research. You can revise your question as often as you like during your initial research. The answer to your research question will become your thesis statement. Research Question

Topic – Violence in movies. Question: How does violence in movies effect children?

Thesis Statement The clear and specific argument you are proving in your paper. The thesis statement must take a specific stance. Your thesis is the answer to your research question.

Thesis The increased commercialization of violence, especially in film and on television, has a negative effect on children.

A.Watching violent films causes children to behave more aggressively with their peers. B.The increase in ‘cartoon’ violence and gore desensitizes children to ‘real’ violence. C.Increased popularity of Mixed Martial Arts causes children to be more apt to settle disputes with physical confrontation. Thesis Points