Posts Tagged ‘interesting research paper topics’

How to Write a Holocaust Research Paper
7
November
2008

Writing a Holocaust research paper is an interesting but delicate process.  In some cases, the topic may be considered a controversial one; it others, it may instead be considered informative, and indeed extremely important.  After all, tragedy is often what shapes our history.  Shakespeare knew it, and one need only flip through the history book for any country, principality, or even state to see it.  The Holocaust helped to shape the world as we know it, and there is no changing that fact no matter how much we might warn it.

There is no question that World War II in general and the Holocaust in particular can make for a number of different controversial research paper topics.  However, controversial topics generally make for the most interesting research papers – provided that you do it correctly.  You have to straddle a very fine line here, and the skill and delicacy with which you do it is often as important as the skill with which you write and present your ideas.

What you use as sources are an extremely important factor in the success of a Holocaust research paper.  Most teachers and professors will have their own specifications on what kind of sources you can have, insofar as Internet sources versus written ones go.  In terms specific sources, historical journals, memoirs, and accounts are going to be immensely helpful.  As well, you should always use at least one first person account, written by a survivor, a soldier, an officer, a bystander – someone who was there, intimately involved with this simultaneously tragic but interesting event.  Because this could be considered a critical analysis research paper, your sources and their values are especially important.  This is an historical event; there is no excuse for bad or uninformative sources.

On the subject of first person accounts, even reading the account of someone who was there can make your Holocaust research paper take on brand new dimensions.  How many of you have read Anne Frank’s diary?  It may well be impossible to read that particular account, which is recommended reading for most middle school students and those well beyond that stage of schooling, and not become intensely interested in the entire subject.  Its very horror may well be what makes it so intriguing.  It is almost impossible to imagine that something so hugely horrific really took place, is not a work of fiction – and yet, in reading these very real, very personal accounts, you experience not only its reality, but an empathetic feeling of what it must have felt like to live through it.

In writing a Holocaust research paper, there is a veritable wealth of interesting research paper topics just waiting at the ready.  So much happened at that period in time and there is so much information available on it, that it is very likely you will find that, in this case at the very least, the research paper writing process does not have to be a dull, tedious one.  You will have the opportunity to experience an event that had a huge impact on the world’s history in an in depth and illuminating way.  That almost ensures a well written and high scoring result.

Devising Excellent Sociology Research Paper Topics
24
October
2008

It can be hard to come up with good sociology research paper topics.  This is because the science of sociology itself can be very hard to understand – especially if you find yourself in the prerequisite class during your freshman or sophomore year of college.  Naturally, we cannot cover all the possible topics on which you can write your research papers in this article.  The simple fact of the matter is that there are so many different sociology courses, pinpointing general topics is impossible unless you have a lot of time on your hands.  Still, we are going to discuss some topics which can give you an idea of things you can write about – and they might just interest you as well!

When considering possible sociology research paper topics, naturally you need to bear in mind the nature of your course itself.  A basic sociology course is going to center around more basic research papers.  You may, for instance, be asked to write a series of small essays of sociological items you see in the news.

However, sociology is a big, wide world.  When you are taking a soash course which revolves primarily around gender issues, then you have the opportunity to write some really interesting research papers.  You have to remember, in sociology as in most other subjects, the really controversial research paper topics are going to make your reader tremendously interested in reading your paper.  With a gender based course, you will definitely have your choice of controversial paper topics.

A lot of times, sociology research paper topics will have some element of anthropology as well.  Sociology and anthropology are very closely tied.  When you are able to put aspects of the two subjects together, you have the opportunity to craft amazingly interesting research paper topics.

Bearing all of this in mind, we are going to take a look at some fundamentally good research paper topics for sociology research papers.  Mind, these are somewhat basic topics, but sometimes taking a basic idea or theory and building on it can help you come up with really great topics.

In a sociology course devoted to gender, you could devise a research paper around what the media teaches us about gender and gender roles.  In order to do this, all you really need to do is check out some popular magazines.  Ideally, you should look at a few which target women and a few which target men.  The same goes for popular, media based web sites and television shows.

Secondly, you could discuss the power of “norms” – i.e., what is recognized as normal behavior in a particular society.  This could be your society as a whole, the society of your college and its campus, et cetera.  You can actually go in a number of different directions here, such as how the norms of your society affect the behavior of your peers.

Sociology research paper topics which deal with those “marginal” members of our society – the elderly, the very young, the poor, et cetera – also make for very interesting research paper topics.

Using Persuasive Essay Prompts with Research Papers
3
September
2008

Persuasive essay prompts are actually devices which can help you in almost every facet of literature and writing.  Naturally, they can help you to craft better essays and research papers, as well as term papers, theses, research proposals, and dissertations.  They can also help you create solid yet interesting topics for your research papers et. al.  There is no disputing those facts.  However, they can also help in your personal writing.  After all, in writing a poem, a short story, a book, you do have to persuade your readers to go along with the tale, do you not?  Besides, personal writing does not always mean fiction; some of us may go on to write articles and essays in professional journals, to write anthologies, text books, examples of papers, et cetera.

Does it seem silly to think that persuasive essay prompts, those tools we are generally given in middle school and high school, to which we usually wave good bye as we move on to college?  Not at all!  We can never consider such writing aids silly.  They were invaluable in your early academic years and they are invaluable now, even if you are no longer in school.  Actually, using a prompt even when you have a case of writer’s block can help kick start your imagination, wake up your muse.  Besides, we know well that they help in later academic writing – just think about persuasive research papers!  Persuasive prompts are quite helpful in that area.  Being able to persuade your readers to see things from your point of view, to see the value of your research, et cetera, can ultimately be beneficial for both your grade point average and your future.

At its heart, research paper writing is no more difficult than the smaller essays and papers you write in middle school and high school – even grade school, when three pages seemed like a lot.  It is simply more detailed, it involves more work.  Still, by the same token, even the persuasive prompts you had as a younger student can, even now, be shifted and crafted into interesting research paper topics.  To demonstrate, take a look at the following sample persuasive essay prompts.

Sample 1: Your English teacher often plays classical music softly in the background while your class has free work time.  The music is not particularly popular with you and your classmates.  You would prefer to hear a different type of music.  Write a letter to your English teacher, persuading him or her to play that music when the class has independent time.

That could actual translate into persuasive research papers which look into the idea that playing classical music, especially Mozart, for a child will make it more intelligent – with the writers persuading the readers whether or not that is actually true.

Sample 2: Your family has just moved to the United States from Brazil, and you are the only person in the family who knows how to speak English.  Your parents do not feel the need to learn the language.  Write a letter to them describing the benefits of learning English.

Persuasive essay prompts like this could lead to a discussion on the small controversy surrounding the prevalence of the Spanish language within the United States at all.  Many people think other languages, on signs, in school, et cetera, are a matter of course, polite, respectful, and necessary.  Others … well, they do not.  The point is, you can easily see how prompts can translate into interesting research paper topics.  Likewise, they will be tremendously beneficial as you continue on through school, up to college and graduate school, where research paper writing will be a huge part of the curriculum.

Essay Prompts and Research Papers
19
August
2008

Essay prompts are one of the best, most beneficial tools for research paper writing available to you.  This may seem hard to believe, especially when you are sitting in class, bored out of your mind, and groaning as your teacher gives you yet another essay prompt.

Essay prompts are most common in high school, though they are not entirely uncommon in college either.  They are especially common in early college courses, namely freshman and sophomore English classes.  The point is, you will be seeing a lot of them in your academic career, and going off to college does not necessarily mean you will be rid of them.  Think of it this way, however: whether you are in high school or college, you are going to be writing a lot of essays and research papers.  Repeat: you are going to be writing a lot of them.

Believe it or not, essay prompts are wonderful when it comes to teaching you how to craft good research paper topics.  There are an incredible amount of interesting and even controversial prompts.  They ask thought provoking, specific questions.  Certainly, you might get some simplistic ones, asking you to perhaps compare actual, written letters with emails or conversations with text messaging.  However, there are also prompts asking for your opinions on abortion, animal testing, stem cell research, and any number of other similar topics.

Do you see a theme?  You should – namely that some of those prompts and others like them would make for some very interesting research paper topics.  At the very least, you will learn what kind of elements and information you need to create good research paper topics.  You will know how deeply you need to go in your research papers, what kind of questions you need to ask, and other elements essential to the process of research paper writing.

In fact, this is what your teachers and professors are doing when they hand you essay prompts – and yes, even when they spring them on you with no warning whatsoever.  A sudden, “pop” essay is a veritable nightmare for a lot of students, but promise, your teachers are not doing it to torture you.  They are teaching you to think on your feet, to craft a good, strong essay as quickly as you possibly can.  Essays and research papers are two different things, of course, and you will never have to do that with any research papers.  However, that will help you to get down an outline for your paper as quickly as possible, and even to write rough drafts quickly, which will help you tremendously later on in your scholastic course.

The Key to Choosing Informative Research Topics
14
August
2008

Very often, the hardest part of writing research papers is finding good, informative research topics.  There are many reasons this is difficult.  In any given subject, there are virtually hundreds of ideas from which could can choose – but not all of them will be right for you.  It is thus incredibly important to consider a number of factors before deciding on a final topic.

You have to realize that beginning good habits early will benefit you all through your academic career.  Being able to craft thought provoking research topics is invaluable.  It will not only help you with research papers, but with term papers, college essays, and dissertations as well.  Choosing interesting research paper topics is not that difficult once you get the basic idea of how to do so.  You simply have to be willing to discipline your way of thinking.

In order to craft good research paper topics, you are going to have to do a few things.  To start with, of course, you have to brainstorm.  Think about what kind of things interest you, as they pertain to the class for which the paper is being written.  Often, your teacher or professor may assign research topics, though this is more typical in middle school and high school than in college.  However, very rarely is every student assigned a single topic.  You will generally have at least a few from which to choose, so in that case, pick the ones which interest you the most.  If you have not been assigned a particular topic, or the requirements are broad, there are a number of questions you can ask yourself that will help you come up with a good topic.  For instance, think about social and political events about which you have a strong opinion.  Think about news stories that made you feel very strongly, whether it made you feel angry, anxious, happy, relieved, et cetera.  Has something covered in class particularly inspired you?

After you have picked a few favorite ideas, then you need to start looking into them.  When writing essays and research papers, sorry to say, the research begins before you ever start writing.  You need to get background information on the topics in which you are most interested.  Otherwise you could end up deciding on a final topic that is either too narrow or too broad to write about successfully.  Therefore, you also need to make sure that any potential research topics are manageable in the time allotted for the assignment.

Another key to creating good research topics is ultimately choosing one that you can turn into a very focused, very pointed question that can be answered in the paper.  Interesting research papers are dependent on interesting research paper topics.  You cannot have one without the other.  You might be a natural at coming up with good topics, but if not, you can still make yourself an expert at it.  Rest assured that your hard work will pay off, especially as you continue your scholastic journey.

The Best Middle School Essay Topics and Prompts
13
August
2008

A student entering into the sixth grade is experiencing a whole new world, which is just one of the reasons being familiar with middle school essay topics is beneficial.  Students get a taste of writing in elementary school but the middle school years are when they really begin getting prepped for college, even as they are being prepared for the more intensive writing experienced in high school.

If you are a middle school student, or if you are the parent or guardian of one, looking for some help, thinking about possible prompts can really help you.  Among other things, this article is going to include some examples of middle school essay topics.  They will give you an idea of what to expect, especially as it applies to research papers and the other writing assignments coming your way.

Your teachers start grooming you to know how to craft good research paper topics as early as the sixth grade.  Narrative essays are popular at that level.  A narrative essay quite simply allows you to be the narrator.  You are describing the experience, you are guiding the essay.  Narrative essays that require you to take the reader from point A to point B are very useful.  For example, you might be given a prompt such as “Pacific Ocean,” wherein you are told to write a story that begins with you sitting at home and ends with you out in the ocean.  It is up to you to decide how you happened to get there and what you are doing out in the sea.  These are both ideal for preparing you for later assignments, especially personal experienceresearch papers .

Other middle school essay topics include compare and contrast exercises.  For instance, you may be asked to describe the differences between reading a book and seeing the movie on which it is based, text messaging versus talking, or writing a letter and sending an email.

Topics that require description in the essay are also popular.  Your teacher might ask you to picture a very cold day, to imagine that you are cold.  You can go on to describe how you intend to get warm and how you ultimately go about doing so.  Vibrant details and descriptions are required for these.  In turn, they can prepare you for devising very interesting research paper topics in later grades.

Essays which revolve around a process are also an excellent base for later writing research papers.  In this case, your teacher might has you to write and illustrate some kind of guide or instruction manual, such as describing to younger students the correct way to line up in the class room or something similar.

Persuasive middle school essay topics also prepare you for later assignments – namely persuasive research papers.  In a persuasive essay, you might be asked to talk your parents into letting you have a pet.  You will, of course, have to exhibit why and how you are responsible, what you will do to take care of the pet, et cetera.  You might also be asked to pretend that you are trying to get a job, and to write a letter to your prospective employer.  Again, the essay will be up to how well you present your argument – a perfect talent to have for research papers!

Writing English Research Papers Can be Fun
12
August
2008

You are reading that title correctly – writing English research papers can indeed be fun.  This is especially true in college, where the topics are generally left up to you.  You can write about whatever you like, as long as it pertains to the class you are taking.  When you realize that something controversial, racy, mysterious, or otherwise intriguing can be found behind the writing, or writer, of just about every book, poem, narrative, college essay, et cetera, the whole process is akin to sniffing out a mystery.

No matter what course you are taking, you are guaranteed a bevy of interesting research paper topics.  For the sake of this article, let us say that you are taking the literature of the Renaissance, spanning the years between 1485 and 1603.  This was a rich, extremely interesting period for the arts in general and for literature in particular.  You could write a literary research paper on Henry VIII – an intriguing man all the way around, someone who managed to be both repugnant and charismatic – Shakespeare, Sir Walter Ralegh, Elizabeth I – or Christopher Marlowe.  Any number of English research papers could revolve around the talented Mr. Marlowe, an accused atheist, homosexual, and heretic who was murdered by being stabbed through the eye.  One of his most known and arguably best works is Edward the II, a play which incorporates the king’s own sexuality as part of the plot.

Aspects of both the poet and playwright’s life and his work would make for many interesting term papers.  You could tie his personal life into his writing, you could compare him to his contemporaries, or you could theorize over how his personal life influenced his writing.  And these are only examples of possible English research papers – but certainly it illustrates how intriguing and even controversial (which is always extremely fun) they can see.

As you can clearly see, there is no limit to the number of research paper ideas you can garner from this subject.  Besides, that is only one genre, one period in literary history.  If you are studying eighteenth century literature, there are several emerging female authors about whom to write.  The sermons of the newly arrived Puritans make for surprisingly provocative interesting research papers.

Research paper writing is generally viewed as a burden, but it does not need to be that way, especially not with English research papers.  Presumably, those who are majoring in English or literature will enjoy them as a matter of course.  If writing and/or literature is not something you enjoy, just stop and consider the biographies and works of several of the writers you are studying in your course.  Look for something that piques your interesting – a suspicious story, a strange childhood happening, a checkered past, a weird legend behind a story, play, or poem.  You will be surprised at the drama you can find – and gossip, even if it is centuries old, can always fuel a great debate!  All you will have to do is get it down on paper.