Choose one of the topics listed below, research it thoroughly, and write a short expository paper about it, including a bibliography of sources and proper citations within the text. You should choose a topic that is significantly different from your conference project topic. I must approve your topic choice in advance. Ideally, I would like for everyone to choose separate topics, so the sooner you let me know your choice, the more likely it will still be available. If you would prefer to choose a topic that is not listed below, come talk to me about it.
The goal of this assignment is to give you some practice doing library research, and writing a research paper. While Google and Wikipedia are fine to use as starting points (Wikipedia in particular can often be a good source of references and pointers to more in-depth information), you should plan to make good use of our library's search facilities to look for published books, journal articles, magazine articles, or newspaper stories on your chosen topic. I would like you to use at least three different sources for your paper.
Your paper should be 4 to 5 pages in length (not including pictures, diagrams, or the bibliography), double spaced, single sided, using black ink, standard 1-inch margins, and 11-point font. You should not assume that your reader will have any in-depth knowledge of your topic. Rather, your goal should be for the reader to come away from your paper with a feeling of having learned something significant and interesting about a topic that they didn't know much (if anything) about before.
I am looking for quality, not quantity. A short paper does not mean that it should take you a short time to write; it means that it should take me a short time to read! A good approach is to start by writing a slightly longer draft, then trim it down by rewriting portions that can be expressed more succinctly. I also expect you to carefully proofread for grammar and spelling, which means more than just running your paper through an automated spellchecker. The edit-rewrite process is an effective way to take a longer paper and make it into a better, shorter paper.
During the week of November 8-11, you will give a short oral presentation (10-12 minutes long) summarizing your paper and explaining your topic to the class.
Possible topics: