English C1000 - Garcia: Topics & Background Research

Broad Topic Ideas

• Housing Challenges (lack of housing, unaffordable housing, redlining, etc.)
• Migration and/or Immigration Challenges (citizenship status, deportation, unlawful detention, racial profiling, cultural shock, economic exploitation, etc.)
• Food Concerns (food deserts and lack of access to healthy foods, food addictions, eating disorders, etc.)
• Climate Crisis (drought, fires, flooding, pollution, resource scarcity, climate-induced migration, etc.)
• Higher Education (lack of access, lack of affordability, discrimination within educational systems, censorship, book bans, defunding, etc.)
• Social Oppression (discrimination based on race, class, gender, sexuality, religion, nationality, language, citizenship, etc.)
• Substance Abuse (drug and alcohol use and its effects)
• Criminal Justice System Issues (policing, incarceration, and related challenges)
• Financial and Employment Struggles (poverty, debt, unemployment, underemployment, exploitative jobs, etc.)
• Imposter Phenomenon (also known as imposter syndrome)
• Cultural Identity and Power Loss (genocide, forced acculturation, despair, etc.)
• Language Loss or Discrimination (loss of language or restrictions on language use)
• Mental Health Concerns (depression, anxiety, PTSD, self-harm, etc.)
• Physical Health Issues (lack of healthcare, unhealthy habits, disabilities, etc.)
• Body Image Struggles (body dysmorphia, societal beauty standards, etc.)
• Abuse, Violence, and Trauma (physical, emotional, sexual, spiritual/religious, etc.)
• War-Related Stigma (mental health challenges related to war experiences)
• Political Oppression (living under occupation or genocide; living under authoritarianism, capitalism, communism, etc.; being persecuted for identity of beliefs)
• Social Media Use/Screen Time (effects on academic performance or cognition, effects on mental or physical health, addictive traits, etc.)
• Artificial Intelligence (threats to human existence, effects on higher education, effects on informational ecosystems, impacts on jobs, environmental impacts, impacts on forms of oppression, impacts on biases, threat to democracy or authoritarian tool, impacts on human relationships, impacts on mental health, impacts on human creativity, etc.)
• Other (check with your professor)

Getting Topic Ideas

Pro/con databases and websites can be good places to get ideas about current issues:

• Explore the Browse Issues section of the Opposing Viewpoints in Context database for topic ideas (you'll be prompted to log in with your Pipeline information from off campus).
• Explore the issues on the ProCon.org website (this website is freely available and won't require a login).

Library reference sources are a great place to get topic ideas and find objective background information on your topic. They can also help you narrow your topic and discover keywords for further searching.

• Explore the Topic Pages list in the Credo Reference database for topic ideas (you'll be prompted to log in with your Pipeline information from off campus).

Narrowing Your Topic

Try creating a concept map to help you brainstorm topic ideas and narrow your topic.