To start brainstorming, you might ask yourself the following questions:
- Do you have a strong opinion on a current social or political issue?
- Did you read or see a news story recently that made you think?
- Do you have a personal interest that you feel strongly about?
- Are there class-related topics that you'd like to learn more about?
You could also try the following exercise to help you brainstorm topic ideas:
- Sketch a blank diagram with two columns.
- Think about your interests, thoughts, activities, goals, and questions. Consider any topic ideas that you may already have.
- List ideas that personally interest you in one column (leave the corresponding space under the opposite column blank until step 5).
- Then, List interesting ideas that are connected to larger contexts, communities, or issues in the other column.
- Once you have your initial list, go back and fill in information relating to each idea under the opposite column. Make connections between your personal interests and the social/contextual components that you listed in the second column.
- From there, decide if any of the connections are worth exploring in a research paper.
