Learning Goal… students will learn about the process of selecting a topic to research and writing an essay on.

Possible Independent Study Essay Topic Areas

These are only suggested areas of interest. They are not actual essay topics or theses. You need to choose some areas of interest and do some preliminary research to find out enough about the topic to develop a thesis. Try to keep as narrow a focus as possible to increase the likelihood that your essay will have some depth.

Consider two papers about the same length…

Shallow, covers 1500 words a more narrow focus 1500 words

more information on the surface covers fewer different things, but can

but doesn’t get very deep go a lot more deeper into the topic

Family Issues
Trends
Fertility rates and …
Divorce and …
Marriage and …
Common law and …
Mixed couples and …
Same sex families and …
Gender roles
Teen pregnancy and …
Adolescent development &
Socialization and …
Child abuse and …
Domestic violence and
Loss, grief and …
Hooking up
Dating and mate selection
Elder abuse
May December relationships
Surrogacy
Equity
The culture of rape in North America
Cultural genocide & Canada’s First Nations
Prostitution and …
Racial profiling and policing
Racialization
Taking back language
Identity
Heteronormativity
Homophobia
Hate crimes
Transgender discrimination / Anti-semitism
Anti-racism
Multiple oppressions
Systemic discrimination
Feminism
Patriarchy
Access to services
Islamaphobia
Black Lives Matter movement
The 1% movement
The glass ceiling
Privilege
- White
- Male
- Cis
- Hetero
Identity Issues
Cis and
Heteronormativity and …
Gender identity and …
Trans identity and …
Socialization and …
Transgender discrimination …
Miscegenation (mixed) identity and …
Race and …
Gender and …
Wellbeing Issues
Suicide
Mental wellness
Mental illness and stigma
Bullying
Social Class
Social homogamy & the widening gap
Causes of poverty
The cycle of poverty
Impact of poverty
Poverty and identity
Poverty and First Nations, Metis and Inuit
The feminization of poverty
Social assistance and …
Seniors and poverty
and political affiliation
Income disparity
Education and …
Homelessness and …
Political Spectrum and…
The 1% and …
Ideologies and …
Changing the status quo…
The evolution of villain as a reflection of an increasingly violent society
The Arab Spring Movement …
Youth and activism
Canada and US relations
Female genital mutilation and
Rape as a weapon of war
Millennials and …
Universal post-secondary education should be available in Canada, it is a right not a commodity *
Universal post-secondary education should not be free in Canada, it is a commodity for those who can afford it * / Social and Cultural Issues
Deviance
Alienation
Isolation
Anarchy
Crime and recidivism
and punishment
and hate
and youth
and women
Serial murder and …
Justice system and …
Hate crimes and Canadian law
Gun violence and …
Video games and …
Culture and beauty and …
Hate crimes versus freedom of speech
Dress codes and sexism …
Women and …
Men and…
Youth and…
Racism and immigration…
The brain drain
The Jian Gomeshi trial and verdict brought to light the patriarchal bias of the current justice system in Canada *
Donald Trump, the good, the bad, and the ugly *
Hilary Clinton, the good, the bad, and the ugly *
*WARNING do not choose this if you have a strong bias, and also, understand that you will need to use academic sources more so than social media, blogs, news and magazines

C:\Users\A.Carruth\Downloads\social_science_research_essay_topics_spring_2016.doc