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WRIT 1002 - (Kidder): Topic Selection

Topics to Select From

  • "A Modest Proposal" (Jonathan Swift): Analyze Swift's use of irony and/or disgusting imagery. How does the imagery of eating babies further the political goals of the text?
  • "Politics and the English Language" (George Orwell): Does Orwell’s writing advice still apply today, eighty years later? Which parts of it still apply, and which don’t? We we update some of his advice so that it does apply? 
  • "The Egg and the Sperm" (Emily Martin): Do today's biology textbooks tell the same "fairy tale" about the egg and the sperm? Alternatively, do they relate the spider-in-the-web/femme fatale story of the egg that Martin describes? Alternatively, have modern biology textbooks updated their descriptions of the egg and the sperm, and if so: what new "story" do they tell?
  • "What is a Woman? (a response)" (Julie Serano): What is the rhetorical impact of showing us the open letter that Serano already sent in response to an invitation to a debate? 
  • "Decolonizing the Mind" (Ngugi wa Thiong’o): What does colonizing the mind look like today? How is it similar and how is it different? How does it reflect a new kind of colonialism and/or the disappearance of the kind of colonialism that Ngugi describes?
  • "The Letter from Birmingham Jail" (Martin Luther King): Does King’s description of “direct action” (non-violent protest) still work today? What other activist techniques can we compare it to? Are some better suited to some forms of protest than others? 
  • "How to Tell Someone They Sound Racist" (Jay Smooth): In Smooth's analogy of the thief who takes your wallet, what does the wallet represent?

Define Your Topic

The first step in the research process is to develop your topic.

  • Review the instructions for your assignment and consult your class notes.
  • Consider: What interests you? How does this relate to your assignment? What questions do you have about your topic? What would you like to learn more about?

Tip: If you are having trouble finding a topic, consider a brainstorming activity. Use a tool like a MindMup that creates mind maps or grab a pen and paper and write down everything you already know about your topic. These activities can help you connect the dots and find a topic!