Choosing a Topic
Before you start writing, take some time to think about what you want to write about. What topic is interesting to you? Then do some research to learn more about the issue BEFORE you take a stance.
As you browse for topics, take notes of possible key terms. Databases look for the exact words that you put in, so you need to think about what words are used to describe your topic, including synonyms and related terms.
Topic Databases
Topic Databases
These databases are organized by topic to help you find information on current issues. The articles represent the many sides of each issue. Remember, most debates are not simply pro and con.
- Congressional Quarterly (CQ) Researcher via NC LIVE This link opens in a new windowIn-depth coverage of some of the most controversial topics of our day in health, social trends, criminal justice, international affairs, education, the environment, technology, and the economy.
- Opposing Viewpoints This link opens in a new windowOpposing Viewpoints covers todays' hottest social issues and includes published opinion essays, reference articles, infographics, news, images, video, audio, and more. Informed, differing views help learners develop critical-thinking skills and draw their own conclusions.
- SIRS Issues Researcher via NC LIVE This link opens in a new windowProvides background and current analysis of 360+ current and pervasive Leading Issues. Analysis and opinions cover the pros, cons, and everything in between.
Background Information
Background Information
The sources below are online encyclopedias and other reference sources that contain information on women's, gender, and sexuality studies topics. Utilize them to find background information on your topic or browse for topic ideas.
Philosophy: Feminism by
ISBN: 9780028663340Publication Date: 2017-08-18This book addresses feminism, including the aspects of human nature, intersectionality, sexism and oppression, LGBTQ theory, ecofeminism, and power.
New Dictionary of the History of Ideas by ISBN: 9780684313771Publication Date: 2004-12-03A six-volume survey of the history of Western thought and culture, presented through 700 alphabetically arranged entries. Each entry explores the origin, cultural interpretations, and historical themes of such subjects as beauty, love, feminism, diversity, and social capital, among many others.
Gender: Space by ISBN: 9780028662855Publication Date: 2018-02-23Part of the Macmillan Interdisciplinary Handbooks series on gender studies, this book examines the correspondence between people and space, the ways in which gender, gender norms, and gendered identities are constructed and deconstructed, and the multiple ways gendered bodies make, occupy, reclaim, and discover space in a mutually constituting relationship.
Gender: Time by ISBN: 9780028662831Publication Date: 2018-03-16Part of the Macmillan Interdisciplinary Handbooks series on gender studies, this book applies theories to examine how time is experienced differently for women, people of color, and LGBTQ individuals. Topics include the gendering of history; memory and identity; queer affect, art, and time; temporality and normality; and transgender time.
The SAGE Handbook of Gender and Psychology by ISBN: 9781446203071Publication Date: 2013-10-16This handbook synthesizes the known work, combined with current research trends, in the broad field of gender and psychology. Multiple perspectives and methodologies are presented to understand gender and its implications for behavior.
Quick Tips
1. Read the assignment prompt.
Did you read it? Go ahead and read it again. Ideally, the assignment prompt will help you scope your topic (ex. do you need a topic that can be covered in 2-3 pages, or 21-23 pages), provide expectations for the purpose of your claim/thesis, and point to specific types of materials the instructor may want you to use.
2. If you have been using a textbook for the course, review the chapters for topic ideas.
Your research should tie directly back to what you have been learning in the course. The readings listed on your syllabus are another good source of ideas.
3. Your topic should lend itself to a research question, the answer to which will become your thesis.
With this in mind, look to areas for which there is a conflict or an issue to be addressed. This will also help you narrow your topic, as fortunately for undergraduates the goal is to craft a researched claim related to the course material, not to tackle everything related to the subject area.