Choosing an essay topic

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Choosing an essay topic
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• Your main objective should be to end up with a
  topic that is neither too broad nor too narrow
  for the purposes of your assignment.
• Before finalizing your choice, make sure that
  sufficient material is available on the topic.
• If your topic is a controversial one, consider
  the need for material representing either a
  neutral overview of the topic, or enough material
  on each major viewpoint to achieve a balance.
• Remember that even in an opinion piece, material
  from the "other side" can be used to strengthen
  your own thesis.

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• If your topic is a longstanding issue, make sure
  that current information is available if this is
  required for the assignment.
• While historical information is important, having
  both is usually preferable for a well-rounded
  presentation.
• Finally, make sure your topic choice appeals to
  your own interests as much as possible, as this
  will increase your enthusiasm for thorough
  research and high quality results.

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Fine Tuning Your Topic

• If your topic is too broad...
• Try narrowing it down by selecting one aspect of
  the topic you could concentrate on groups
  involved, or areas of the world affected, or time
  periods covered.
• A search on your topic using a library catalog or
  other online database can yield titles or key
  words representing possible subtopics to narrow
  your focus.

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If your topic is too narrow

• Think about how your topic affects things and
  people or places associated with it.
• How does your topic affect you? What are some
  broader implications? Historical effects? New
  innovations, controversies, or laws?
• Topics that have been in the public eye for a
  significant time period are generally easier to
  broaden.
• If a topic is very new, you may not be able to
  find very much printed information on it.

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• As with narrowing a topic, a library or online
  search can provide other terms that might help to
  broaden your approach.
• A graphic organizer, such as a concept web, can
  be a big help in "branching out" from a central
  idea to possible parallel topics and will help
  you organize your ideas.

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Research Topics

• Fair Trade vs Free Trade
• NAFTA (failure or success)
• Wal-Mart
• Global Warming-Fact or Fiction?
• Drug Trade
• Sex Trade
• Black Market
• Globalization
• Recession (Great Depression vs Recession)
• Canadas Global Market
• See handout for more options