essay

Topic Proposal Example 1:

“Not that long ago I took a botany class at the University of Washington so I could learn how to conduct a class that was held mostly outdoors at various locations. It was a “W” class, which meant it had a significant writing load. For the final research paper, I chose to explore the proposal to allow logging in the Cedar River Watershed, the source of Seattle’s drinking water. I had first learned of this plan from a canvasser from the Pacific Crest Biodiversity Project. Since I knew that the city of Portland had goofed when they logged their watershed, my first reaction was that Seattle’s plan was short-sighted and poorly considered.  Then I talked with my friend Tye, who was the senior staff member for a very green member of the city council, and he said that the plan probably wasn’t such a bad idea. I had to investigate.” 

 

There’s a bit more to the story, but hopefully you understand that you will need to develop an explanation of your motivation and justification for the topic you choose.

 

Once you’ve written the topic proposal, I’ll give feedback and, if necessary, we will begin negotiations.

 

Note:  If you have the recommended text, Writing Research Papers; now is a great time to refer to it.

 

Three more student examples give a good indication of what a topic proposal should look like.  Your proposal should be double-spaced, 12-point Times New Roman, one inch margins.)

Topic Proposal Example 2:

“When my daughter was about eighteen months old her front teeth started to turn brown.  This is when the adventure began to find out why.  I

went to several different doctors and to my surprise none of them agreed or even came close to the same diagnosis.  I have given up on trying

to find out why.  Now my problem is trying to find out what to do about it.  She is now five years old, three of her teeth are basically

deteriorating away.  The dentist says to give her fluoride tablets every day. Plus, every three months paint her teeth with a highly concentrated

fluoride paste.  My doctor and a few other naturopathic doctors say no way, fluoride is toxic to our bodies.  I am torn.  I have learned from my

experience with the original diagnosis situation that doctors have a lot of “ideas” about things and I honestly do not trust them.  I do not have a

strong belief as to which one is right, but for now I have decided to not give her fluoride.  I would feel good about researching this topic and

being able to tell the dentist what I find out about it.  I get a lot of pressure from them to give her fluoride.  I think dentists look at fluoride on a

narrow basis.  They just look at the research supporting it and turn a blind eye to the disadvantages.  My dentist says there is no research

stating it is harmful.  I do not believe this.  I do not have a strong opinion on this subject.  I find it interesting there is so much debate over it.

      My feeling on the matter is that fluoride may be helpful to our teeth but it is harmful to other areas of our body making it not worth using. 

I am still trying to figure out exactly how I want to structure my argument.” 

 

Topic Proposal Example 3:

“My proposed topic for the documented essay is “E-Learning is Here to Stay”. The exact name for my paper is still work in progress, but the

focus is going to be on the subject of e-learning. I am going to argue that e-learning (or distance learning) offers so many benefits for students

from all walks of life that it is safe to say that it is here to stay. I am going to show the benefits offered by distance learning with the help of

research I am going to perform. I am also planning to show the other side, where the argument is against the distance learning which will also

be supported by the research and studies. Needless to say, that I am going to be arguing in favor of the E-learning. I think that this topic is

great. It concerns everyone involved in this class and many more students that attended or will attend online classes. This is not a beat up idea

and it is not so broad that I won’t be able to cover it in the provided space of eight to ten pages. I also believe that reasonable people can argue

about it. I actually know people who do not believe in e-learning and they would argue against it. I am looking forward to hearing your

opinion about my idea.”

 

Topic Proposal Example 4:

“Let’s say you purchased your home 3 years ago at the peak of the market, and it is now worth 70% of what you currently owe on it.  What if

you knew that it would take 40 years to recoup your equity in your home?  Would you still continue to make the payments?  Is it a simple

financial solution?  If this were your family home, would it make a difference?  If your kids could go to the same school, you stayed in the

same neighborhood, and you were able to rent a house just like yours for half the cost of your mortgage payment, would you walk away from

your current mortgage?  Is it immoral?  Irresponsible?

“These questions, and more, are now being asked around the country.  If we, as taxpayers, have to bail out the big banks on Wall Street, why

aren’t we doing the same on Main Street?  Morgan Stanley recently stopped making payments on five San Francisco office buildings.  A

Morgan Stanley fund purchased the building at the height of the boom, and their value has plunged.  Nobody has said Morgan Stanley is

immoral.  Yet, even President Obama has “urged that homeowners follow the responsible course” (Lowenstein, 2010).

     “What would happen, if anything, to our economy as a whole, if millions of people walked away from their mortgage?  Dr. Brent White,

law professor at the University of Arizona has written a 52-page report on exactly that.  He writes about the shame and fear that individuals

feel when they foreclose.  He discusses the financial logic of walking away from your mortgage, explaining homeowner’s choices.  He also

lists many solutions that could resolve this problem and that would benefit lenders, buyers, and our economy overall.  A website

(youwalkaway.com) allows you to calculate your losses and gains based on current values, mortgage balances, how long you intend

on staying in your home, and at what rate you expect appreciation/depreciation to change.

     “I want to determine options that are feasible for me.  I assume my credit would be ruined, but would there be other consequences if I let

the bank foreclose on my home? The intent of my paper is to discuss this question in detail.”