Topic Selection
Selecting a good topic for an open-ended assignment can be a
challenge, but there are many things worth pursuing. For example, all of these topics are unique
and narrowed, and there is ongoing debate about them in at least some forum:
- Negative effects of society’s expectation that everyone should go to college
- Evaluating the proposed Yucca Mountain nuclear storage facility in light of the Japanese nuclear disaster
- The “CSI Effect”: How forensic investigation dramas distort jury perceptions of evidence standards
- Societal ramifications of unscheduled but potentially harmful drugs (like Salvia divinorum)
- Effects changes in the Motion Picture Rating System have had on perceptions of acceptable media content
- Language proficiency assessment for Arabic speakers in the military
- Psychology of alien abduction reports
- Rise in unclaimed bodies at morgues
To find a salient topic, consider browsing sources that
provide in-depth discussion of contemporary issues, rather than relying on sources
with mass market appeal. A few
of those I find helpful when looking for timely topics are listed after the jump. (And here's a list of some key content farm
sites to avoid (click
here).
