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ENC 1102, Freshman Composition II. I have so many good ideas that I don’t know where to begin!. Pitching Topics for the Research Essay. Pitch appropriate topics for your research essay.
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ENC 1102, Freshman Composition II I have so manygood ideas that I don’t know where to begin! Pitching Topics for the Research Essay
Pitch appropriate topics for your research essay. • The topics you pitch should interest you. Your enthusiasm will infectthe reader; your lack of interest, on the other hand, will borethe reader. Boring papers are harder to write andget low grades. • Your topic should be narrow enoughto cover in 2,000 words. • Your topic should have plenty of sources of information. • Your topic should be academic. • Your topic should avoid overused, unimaginativesubjects — unless you are able to present them in newand freshways.
These are your goals: • Something most people do not know enough about to appreciate • Something people should be more concerned about • Something people should preserve before it is too late
Read these example topics, which vary in success: • An F topic: Diabetes • A D topic: Types of diabetes • A C topic: Treatments for type 2 diabetes • A B topic: The use of insects in modern medicine • An A topic: Maggot therapy in the treatment of necrotic tissue common in diabetes patients
Test your understanding of these topic requirements by seeing what some real studentshave pitched ...
... and if you discover that your proposal has problems, make the necessary fixes!
I was really affected by the death of a Sea World trainer. I wonder if the treatment of the whales inspired the attack. I want to write my research essay on animal cruelty.
Is this a good topic for a research essay? • Yes! This student should run to the library to do some research! • No! This student has not been paying attention.
What is the biggest problem? • The topic is not interesting to the student. • The topic is too broad. • The student will have trouble finding enough good sources. • The topic is not academic. • The topic is overused and without imagination.
The solution: Narrow the subject to a topic that can be adequately explored in 2,000 words. Keeping Killer Whales in Captivity The training that both the trainers and killer whales receive The behavioral problems of killer whales in captivity The zoo philosophy for keeping animals like killer whales in captivity
I have really strong feelings about the death penalty. So I want to write my research essay on capital punishment.
Is this a good topic for a research essay? • Yes! This student should run to the library to do some research! • No! This student has not been paying attention.
What is the biggest problem? • The topic is not interesting to the student. • The topic is too broad. • The student will have trouble finding enough good sources. • The topic is not academic. • The topic is overused and without imagination.
The solution: Choose overused topics only if you plan to say something that we don’t hear repeated on the news every other night. Capital Punishment The reasons some state governors have instituted a moratorium on executions The lives innocent death-row inmates have lived after their release from prison The attitudes other developed countries have towards human executions
Abortion Dangers of smoking Family values Gun control Global warming Legalizing marijuana Ozone layer Skin cancer Suicide Teen pregnancy Violence on television Violence in video games War on drugs These topics are overused and should be avoided unless you can present them in an exciting and fresh way:
If you think a topic is overused, it probably is! You can confirm it by emailing your professor from Atlas. Hmmm. I better ask about this one before I propose it as a topic!
Our first son was born three months premature, so I witnessed first-hand the amazing medical advances that allow preemies to survive. I want to write my research essay on the medicine and technologythat help these babies overcome the complications of their early births.
Is this a good topic for a research essay? • Yes! This student should run to the library to do some research! • No! This student has not been paying attention.
What makes this topic suitable? • The topic is interesting to the student. • The topic is narrow enough. • The student will be able to find enough good sources. • The topic is academic. • The final essay will give its reader new information and perspective.
I’m a vegetarian animal lover. I want to write my research essay on the negative karmic energy trapped in meat as a result of the barbaric practices at slaughterhouses.
Is this a good topic for a research essay? • Yes! This student should run to the library to do some research! • No! This student has not been paying attention.
What is the biggest problem? • The topic is not interesting to the student. • The topic is too broad. • The student will have trouble finding enough good sources. • The topic is not academic. • The topic is overused and without imagination.
If your topic isn’t taught in a college course, then it is notacademic!
The solution: Write about personal beliefs in an academic fashion. Treatment of Animals Used for Food The changes mainstream markets have made as “organic” products gain popularity The more humane ways “organic” farmers treat their livestock The health consequences of eating meat from animals treated with hormones and antibiotics
I love biochemistry, so I want to write my research essay on the nutritional deficiencies of Rwandans in Africa, explaining the necessity of the native people poaching wildlife in protected parkland to meet RDAs of vitamins and minerals.
Is this a good topic for a research essay? • Yes! This student should run to the library to do some research! • No! This student has not been paying attention.
What is the biggest problem? • The topic is not interesting to the student. • The topic is too broad. • The student will have trouble finding enough good sources. • The topic is not academic. • The topic is overused and without imagination.
The solution: Don’t pick a topic that requires a $4 million grant from the World Health Organization, a staff of fifteen, and a two-year stint in Africa to do original research!
I work as a firefighter for Osceola County, and every week I see people injured—sometimes dead—because they didn’t buckle up. I want to write my research essay on the under appreciated value of that simple nylon belt that folks foolishly neglect to strap across their laps.
Is this a good topic for a research essay? • Yes! This student should run to the library to do some research! • No! This student has not been paying attention.
What makes this topic suitable? • The topic is interesting to the student. • The topic is narrow enough. • The student will be able to find enough good sources. • The topic is academic. • The final essay will give its reader new information and perspective.
I hate English classes! I can never think of anything to write! Oh, well, I’ll do my research essay on the reasons why English teachers are often depressed.
Is this a good topic for a research essay? • Yes! This student should run to the library to do some research! • No! This student has not been paying attention.
What is the biggest problem? • The topic is not interesting to the student. • The topic is too broad. • The student will have trouble finding enough good sources. • The topic is not academic. • The topic is overused and without imagination.
The Solution: Do not write what you think your professor wants to hear. Pick an academic topic out of the options offered in the course that really interests you .
My mother had breast implant surgery 15 years ago. Before the operation, her doctors didn’t warn her of the long-range health problems that she could suffer. Now she is in tremendous pain from a number of complications. I want to write my research essay on the dangers of breast implants.
Is this a good topic for a research essay? • Yes! This student should run to the library to do some research! • No! This student has not been paying attention.
What makes this topic suitable? • The topic is interesting to the student. • The topic is narrow enough. • The student will be able to find enough good sources. • The topic is academic. • The final essay will give its reader new information and perspective.
After taking a history course, I’ve developed a real interest in ancient Egypt. I’ve been reading on the Internet that no one knows for sure how the pyramids were built, and I want to prove that extraterrestrials used their space ships to help the pharaohs create these architectural wonders!
Is this a good topic for a research essay? • Yes! This student should run to the library to do some research! • No! This student has not been paying attention.
What is the biggest problem? • The topic is not interesting to the student. • The topic is too broad. • The student will have trouble finding enough good sources. • The topic is not academic. • The topic is overused and without imagination.
The solution: Write about historical events in an academic fashion. The Pyramids of Ancient Egypt New theories modern archeology has provided about the pyramids’ construction The innovations that ancient architects used to build bigger and better pyramids The ways that Egyptian and South American pyramids compare and contrast
My mother struggled with depression during her long illness. At the very end, it was hard to talk to her about anything. I would like to talk about the effects of depression on the family members of the affected person. I could use “The Yellow Wallpaper.”
Is this a good topic for a research essay? • Yes! This student should run to the library to do some research! • No! This student has not been paying attention.
What makes this topic suitable? • The topic is interesting to the student. • The topic is narrow enough. • The student will be able to find enough good sources. • The topic is academic. • The final essay will give its reader new information and perspective.
