• Your topic will not be assigned. I want you to choose a topic—related to some aspect of the course—that speaks to you. That said, there are some potential pitfalls that you should keep in mind. If the topic is too broad, it will become unmanageable. If it’s too narrow, you may have trouble finding enough material. With that in mind, let me add that you don’t need my approval of your topic before you start writing, but  if you have any doubts you might want to run it by me via email.

Regardless of the topic you choose, your paper must also have a clear thesis. That is to say, it must make a specific argument.

Let me give you some examples of good topics that students have chosen in the past:

EXAMPLE ONE

• TITLE: PORNOGRAPHY RECONSIDERED

THESIS: Many people regard pornography as harmless entertainment, but recent studies have shown that it can be quite damaging to both men and women.

• TITLE: MORE THAN A PIECE OF MEAT
• THESIS: American women have come a long way since they earned the right to vote in 1920. But the extent to which the mass media still depict women as sex objects suggests that the fight for gender equality must continue.

TITLE: QUEER AMERICA

• THESIS: It’s been nearly half a century since the gay rights movement began. But good depictions of gay culture in the mass media remain rare.

Organization

• Your paper should begin with the following:

Title

• Your Name
• An epigraph

An epigraph is an italicized quotation positioned at the beginning of an essay, above the opening paragraph. Though it stands alone from the opening sentence, it is always related to the paper’s theme. The epigraph can be a line from a poem, song, novel, film—or even some bit of wisdom your father used to share. It must include an attribution as well as the quotation itself. The reason for this requirement is that a well-chosen epigraph will help you jump-start your writing and will set the tone for your readers.

• EXAMPLE: Everything in the world is about sex, except for sex. Sex is about power. ~ Oscar Wilde
• Opening paragraph

A good opening paragraph should grab the reader’s attention. You can begin with your thesis statement, OR begin with an anecdote that leads into your thesis statement. An anecdote is, essentially, a little story. It could be a personal recollection, or a story about someone else, in real life or a fictional story, that relates directly to your topic. For example, if you were writing about gay culture, you might relate a story about a friend coming out of the closet in high school.

• If you begin with an anecdote, it should lead directly to your thesis statement at the end of the first paragraph or the beginning of the second.

Development of thesis

The bulk of your paper will be devoted to material that supports your thesis.

It should include historical background (for example, a brief history of pornography), followed by a close examination of the relevant facets of American culture today.

• Conclusion

A conclusion is a summation of your argument. It SHOULD NOT begin with the words, “In conclusion.” A well-written conclusion is immediately recognized for what it is, much like the climax of a piece of music.

• Sources
• Your sources must include one actual BOOK. I’m not talking about an e-book. I mean those things with lots of pages between two covers! The reason for this requirement is that in this cyber age, it is important to remain familiar with what I call the architecture of a book. In particular, it is useful to know how to scan a table of contents and use an index to find information in a book that you do not plan to read cover to cover.
• You must use three other sources. These could include another book; an article you’ve found online or in a hardcover copy of a magazine, newspaper or academic journal; an interview, or a survey that you or some professional polling organization has conducted.

Please make sure your sources are reputable. You can’t go wrong if you use a well-known newspaper like The New York Times, an academic journal or book you’ve found in the library.

• Citations

You must include a works-cited page at the end of your paper. You may choose any style (MLA, e.g.). The important thing is that I can quickly see that you used four reputable sources, including one book. Just make sure you include all the relevant information: the author, the title, and, if it’s a magazine or website, the title of the publication or site, in addition to the title of the article. 

• Please cite your sources in your sentences. I do not mean parenthetical citations. I mean stating the source in full.

EXAMPLE: In her book Vagina: A New Biography, Naomi Wolf argues that excessive viewing of pornography can lead to sexual dysfunction, even in young men.