Mrs. Maxson – Senior English Name: ______
Research Paper - Informational
The following is a list of topics and questions to help you focus your topic for the assigned research paper. These are broad topics that require a greater focus for your eventual thesis.
Research Paper Guidelines:
• It must be 5 pages in length. (Cover sheet and Works Cited are included in this page count)
• It must have a minimum of 4 reference sources – one must be a book related to your topic,one must be a database or periodical, the remaining two can be web sources.
• There must be a minimum of 1 quote or paraphrase in the paper from each of the 4sources listed on
the works cited page. These must be properly formatted as parenthetical citations in the paper.
• The due date must be met in order to receive full credit. Your finished, typed, doubled-spaced paper
(in proper MLA format) is due Friday, Feb. 3.
• You must attach your prewriting (graphic organizer or outline – you must do either/or) should be
stapled to the very back (behind the Works Cited page) of your paper.
• A paper received after the due date will receive a 10 point deduction for the first day, and a 5
point deduction for every day thereafter, including weekends.
Topics to choose from:
1) Women’s rights: How was the role of women defined and challenged in the 19th or 20th centuries?
2) Horrors of War:What effects does war have on a culture?
3) Culture: How has the concept of beauty changed over time? Why have practices such as foot binding, tattooing, and piercings been valued?
4) Gender Roles: How have gender roles changed? Which traditional gender roles have been challenged?
5) Media Bias: What is the impact of media bias?
6) Privacy: How has the concept of privacy been challenged in the modern world?
7) Sociology: What dynamics drive group mentality, such as gang behavior, political groups, and social groups?
8) Technology: How did technology create social disruptions during the Industrial Revolution? Any other time period can be substituted.
9) Education: How productive is the United States’ educational system? How effective are recent legislative acts (No Child Left Behind) that demand an increase in standardized testing?
10) Modern Science: What societal dilemmas are inherent in recent scientific advancements such as cloning, genetic enhancement, and stem cell research?
11) Economics: Why is poverty an inescapable byproduct of any productive economic system? Were the conclusions of 18th Century philosopher Thomas Malthus correct?
12) Health: What mechanisms assist adolescents in dealing with self-esteem issues? Why do so many adolescents feel they have to have a boyfriend or girlfriend at so young an age?
13) Sociology/ Philosophy: How has the definition of the family unit changed over the past century?
14) Criminology: How successful are our attempts to rehabilitate criminals?
15) Race Relations: How has the legacy of slavery and segregation impacted upon race relations in the United States?