Conspiracy Theory
PWR 1 Fall Quarter 2008
Jonah G. Willihnganz
Stanford University

Choosing Research Topics

Some students find choosing a topic difficult. The first thing to keep in mind is to choose a topic that genuinely interests you and that you want to know more about. If you write about something that bores you, then you will write boring essays. One way to spark ideas is to browse through the editorials or letters section of your favorite newspaper or magazine, and to look for opinions that intrigue or enrage you. If you feel at a loss, make a list of your own interests and affiliations, your major, your hobbies, your pet peeves, or your most recent quarrels.

The second thing to keep in mind is that your topic must be arguable and researchable in the academic sense. Your end goal is a research-based argument of 12-15 pages. Along the way, you will write a number of other assignments to help you focus your research and develop your point of view. In order to discover your topic and develop your point of view on the topic, you will need to do a substantial amount of digging even before writing your research proposal. Use the skills you learned last term to do this digging. I would suggest especially looking at secondary sources on the topic that interests you and talking with a reference librarian. Remember too that to produce your research this term you will need to do all of the following in some form and at some point:

• find a variety of recent and older print sources, as well as reliable Internet sources
• define, explain, and take a position on your topic
• explore and temporarily adopt credible views in opposition to your original stance
• explain the history of the controversy and its place within a larger cultural debate
• synthesize your arguments to propose some action or change in thinking that should be taken on your issue.

The best resource for browsing conspiracy theories and conspiracy theory narratives is 2-volume Conspiracy Theories in American History: An Encyclopedia and you can look at this any time in the reference section on the first floor of Green LIbrary (it's call number is 179.C66 2003).