Tuesday, January 13, 2015

English for Academic Purpose Research Essays: Choosing a Topic


[This is a handout designed for an English for Academic Purposes class in which the students have to write a research essay on an academic topic of their choice. This handout is designed to give them some ideas for choosing a topic.]

Research Essays Step 1: Choosing a Topic
            For this project, you may choose any topic you are interested in.  Any topic is okay, but here are some suggestions to get you thinking:
History
--Biography (The life story of a famous historical person: e.g. the life of George Washington)
--A famous historical event (e.g. The French Revolution)
--An unsolved historical mystery (e.g. Who built Stonehenge and why?)
--A true crime story (e.g. Jack the Ripper)
Literature
--Report on a classic work of literature (e.g. Romance of the Three Kingdoms)
--Report on a famous author (e.g. Shakespeare)
--Report on a style of writing (e.g. the romantic movement)
Art
--Report on a famous artist (e.g. Leonardo da Vinci)
--Report on a famous art work (e.g. The Last Supper)
--Report on an artistic movement (e.g. abstract impressionism)
Music
--Report on the life of a famous classical composer (e.g. Mozart)
--Report on a famous piece of classical music (e.g. The Marriage of Figaro)
--Report on a famous style of classical music (e.g. Baroque music)
Science
--Report on a famous scientist (e.g. Albert Einstein)
--Report on a scientific concept (e.g. theory of gravity)
--Report on a scientific controversy (e.g. multiverse theory)
--Report on a specific animal species  (e.g. dolphins)
--Report on a natural system (e.g. the carbon cycle)
--Report on a geological phenomenon (e.g. earthquakes or volcanoes)
Politics
--Report on a particular political or economic system (e.g. socialism)
--Report on a particular political controversy (e.g. the death penalty)
--Report on the status of a current political party (e.g. the Liberal Democratic Party of Japan)
Religion/ Mythology
--Report on the religious demographics of a particular country (e.g. religion in Malaysia)
--Report on a specific religion or belief system (e.g. Hinduism)
--Report on a specific mythological figure (e.g. Hercules) or event (e.g. the Trojan War)
Geography
--Report on a particular country (e.g. Thailand)
--Report on a geographic feature (e.g. the Nile River)
Psychology
--Report on an influential thinker in psychology (e.g Sigmund Freud)
--Report on a psychological condition (e.g. depression)
--Report on an aspect of human cognition (e.g. how languages are learned)
Architecture
--Report on a world famous building (e.g. The Empire State Building)
--Report on an ancient landmark (e.g. The Great Wall of China)
--Report on an architectural principal (e.g. how to earthquake proof a building)

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