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Area of Interest Template

SELECTING A TOPIC OF INTEREST Selecting a topic of interest may not be as easy as it sounds. It is an iterative process that you will revisit several times throughout an individual course and many times throughout your program. Below are several simple steps you can take to make selecting a topic of interest for an individual course project or for your overall career focus of expertise a bit easier.

When you think about selecting a topic at the graduate level, you do so in two primary formats.

1. The first is selecting a topic for an individual course project or paper. 2. The second is more broad and relates to selecting a topic of interest or focus for your overall

program and ultimately, for your career as a scholar/practitioner. Essentially, selecting the area or areas that you are most passionate about and that you will work towards becoming an expert in.

You will go through a similar process for both, however, what will vary is your degree of specificity – essentially the size of your funnel:

Course Project Topic

Let’s tackle the Course Project process first:

1. Review Course Requirements. a. Review your course syllabus and determine the content area(s) for the paper or

project. 2. Brainstorm Ideas.

a. Consider what you have read about the content area in class, your personal or professional experiences, recent news stories/articles you have seen, etc. Click here to print out a handy sheet to guide your brainstorming session.

3. Select Three of Your Favorite Topics to Explore Further. 4. Develop a List of Key Words for Each Topic. 5. Conduct Initial Research.

a. Do a quick Google search of your three favorite topics using your key words– what do you find on the topic? Does it seem too broad? Are their lots of articles that seem a bit all over the place? Does it seem too narrow? Are the sources only slightly related?

b. Take a few brief notes on what you find – number/type of sources, insights, concerns, etc.

c. Do a quick search of the library databases of your three favorite topics - what do you find on the topic? Does it seem too broad? Are their lots of articles that seem a

bit all over the place? Does it seem too narrow? Are the sources only slightly related?

d. Take a few brief notes on what you find – number/type of sources, insights, concerns, etc.

6. Select a Topic. a. Review your top three choices. b. Narrow or broaden your focus as needed. c. Select a topic.