Choosing a topic can be overwhelming. You might want to test a few areas before you decide on one that:
- Will sustain your curiosity and interest throughout the semester
- Yield insights. You are not repeating the findings of others, but joining in a scholarly conversation in which you weigh evidence and offer your own conclusions.
- Be sufficiently focused in scope to be covered adequately in your presentation/paper.
Have you already done a great deal of reading on a topic you want to explore further? Is it an area that recently twigged your interest? Or are you at a loss at what area would engage you for the semester?
Begin with tertiary sources, encyclopedias, dictionaries and discographies to
- Get a quick overview of your area of interest
- Learn unfamiliar terms associated with your topic
- Focus in on narrower topics within your broader area of interest
- Alert you to important scholars and source in the area
