1. Selecting and focusing a topic
Bigger
Isn’t always
Better
Selecting and focusing a topic

2. Understanding your Assignment
You don’t want to put a lot of work into writing a paper and then get a bad grade because you didn’t follow directions. Here are some things to consider:
Are there specific concepts to be covered or questions to be answered?
Is the paper supposed to be informative or persuasive?
Is there a required number or type of sources to be cited?
Does the instructor have to approve your topic?
How long is the paper supposed to be?
And of course, when is the paper due?
If you have any questions about your assignment, don’t hesitate to ask your teacher

3. Narrowing a Topic
When selecting a topic, you will usually start with a broad topic and need to narrow it to something more manageable. There are no hard and fast rules for determining how far to narrow a topic, but here are some things to consider:
How long is your paper expected to be? Can you write a good word (5 page) paper on the US economy?
How popular is the topic you are considering? Others may have come up with the same topic you have, so read to get an idea of their scope
Contrary to popular belief, it’s harder to write a paper on a really broad topic. Narrowing the scope helps you focus, which makes it easier for you to decide what is important enough to include and what isn’t

4. Asking Questions to Narrow
Asking questions about your topic can help narrow your focus. One method of questioning involves asking Who? What? Where? When? Why? And How? Feel free to come up with other types of questions. They might provide you with the angle you need to approach your topic. In some cases, questions might even help you develop an outline for your paper:
Where is violence seen on TV?
What kinds of shows? What times?
Who should resolve the problem of violence on TV? Shows? Parents? Regulators?
How can the problem be resolved?
Once you have thought about the issue using this framework, you are in a better position to narrow and focus

5. Moving form Global to National to Local
The issue: Public funding of sports teams Global focus: Citizens shouldn’t have to pay to build sports facilities *This is too big. Again, different countries value different things, so we can’t expect people to see things the same way. In Spain and Italy, soccer is not just a national pastime, it’s a way of life. Most of the residents of those countries would balk at the idea of not supporting their teams. On the other hand, Americans tend to put up more of a fight. National focus: Sports owners should/should not be prohibited from receiving public money to build privately owned property *Now, at least we’re looking at the country, but we still can’t assume that people in this country view the issue the same because local contexts are different. In Seattle, there is a proposal to build a new stadium to lure the NBA to bring a team back to town. The people behind the proposal have structured the deal in a way that they will cover a majority of the costs if the team doesn’t come or if the city loses money. On the other hand, in Minnesota, the owners of the Vikings have proposed a deal where the state and city cover a majority of the costs with no backup. Individual deals matter. Local focus: Cities in the State of Arizona should/shouldn’t spend tax payer dollars on sports teams *The Phoenix Coyotes are currently owned by the City of Glendale and are losing millions of taxpayer dollars a year. Likewise, Arizona taxpayers are still paying for the construction of Chase Field and University of Phoenix Stadium. In the state, enough will could be gotten to lessen support for construction of stadiums. The Goldwater Institute is always trying to cut public money to sports teams. Even more local: The City of Mesa should/shouldn’t have funded the new Chicago Cubs spring training stadium *Residents of Mesa approved the stadium, but now part of the 99 million dollars is going to have to be raised via taxes

6. Moving form Global to National to Local
The issue: Abortion Global focus: Abortion should/should not be allowed *Way too big. All of the countries in the world are unlikely to agree on a solution to anything National focus: Abortion should/should not be allowed in the United States *This is too big because the national discussion goes in so many different directions. In North Dakota, they have already passed restrictions on abortions, so they aren’t talking about the issue. In North Dakota, a woman must receive state-directed counseling that includes information designed to discourage her from having an abortion and then wait 24 hours before the procedure is provided and they have limited coverage (# of clinics and financial support) to the degree that most women couldn’t get an abortion if they wanted to. *There is already a federal law allowing abortion. States have sent their objections up to the Supreme Court and thus far, the Supreme Court hasn’t been willing to overturn Roe v. Wade or tip their hand that they would uphold a law that makes abortions difficult to get. The North Dakota law is currently working it’s way through the lower courts. A global Local focus: Arizona’s plan to defund Planned Parenthood is/isn’t appropriate b/c….. Arizona’s decision to ban abortions after 20 weeks is/isn’t the right approach b/c…… *Whereas the global and national focus aren’t likely to be resolved with any one solution, the local aspects of the issue can be addressed. A law or a public declaration that there is no need for a law is doable and will have an impact. Even more local: The city of Mesa should/should not do something about the people who picket the local clinic. *Again, a local focus can result in change. The city of Mesa could enact an ordinance or redesign their patrol sectors to keep people from clashing in front of the clinic.

7. Let’s Do it!--Narrowing Topics
Next, practice narrowing topics from broad to much more managable. Ask yourself Who? What? Where? When? Why? And How? Then, construct a narrow topic based on what you come up with. It doesn’t have to incorporate all of the information that you identify in the 5 Ws and 1 H. For example: Topic—education (this topic is way too broad) Where: K-12? 2-year college? University? What: Curriculum? Common Core Standard? Where: Nationally? Arizona? When: Historically? 2016? Why: To inform people about the CCS? To argue that it should be used?? To argue that the principle is good bus CCS is the wrong direction? Narrow topic= the impact of Common Core Standard on K-12