For this assignment, you will investigate a social problem, issue, or phenomenon related to race and ethnicity in the United States. Your purpose will be to inform a reader – a public official – who will find your research significant, interesting, and satisfying.
It should be 5–8 double-spaced pages and in extended memo format. You must also include at least five credible, outside sources.
For more information about the Informative Report assignment, see 217-219 in your textbook.
Coming up with a good research topic can be tough, but there are tools to help! This video outlines some tips and tricks for how to think about your topic and questions to ask yourself.
Now that you have learned what to do when your topic is too broad, consider another scenario:
Though having a topic that is too broad is a common problem, you also need to make sure your topic is not too narrow. If your topic is so limited by geographical area, details, or is very current, you may not be able to find any information about it when researching.
Below is a table that shows examples of topics that are too broad, too narrow and just right.
|
Too Broad |
Just Right |
Too Narrow |
| Housing segregation in the United States | The effect of racism on home lending and its relationship to housing segregation | How race affects buying homes in Manhattan, Kansas |
| Negative effect of environmental toxins | The exposure of different racial communities to environmental toxins | The exposure of Nicodemus, Kansas to outdated farming pesticides |
| Discipline of children from different cultures | How does race affect the severity of discipline in early childhood education? | Corporal punishment in Johnson County, Kansas elementary schools |
