Post 2: Day 1 - Brainstorming a topic

Ok, so no we're starting off with what is the most important part of the process...choosing a topic.

I know that it seems like the easiest, but thats just not true. It is CRITICAL that you consider possible topics and choose something that is right for you and for the task. Many students in the past have simply chosen either a basic research project (without considering available sources or the argumentative nature of the topic) or something they just plain like and think will be easy (which, in my experience never is...usually these topics are too ambiguous and therefore unanswerable through research). The important thing here is to take the time to branstorm possible interests and then narrow them down based on three main concepts...1) is it argumantative and original? 2) are there resources at my disposal which make me able to conduct proper research? and 3) do i like it (but not too much) or am i going to lose interest?

***Lets look at these three ideas separately and then i will walk you through my own thoughts on my own personal research project.

1) This is, in my opinion, the most important of the three...basically...can my topic be examined through a process of either research, interview, or experimentation. AND has someone already done this to the point where it is useless (i.e. have multiple books/entire volumes of research been done on the subject therefore making a 2000 word paper on the subject a bit broad and futile?)

2) When i look around the library/environment...etc. am i sure i will be able to find answers to my ideas? this is somewhat less important now with the advancement of technology, but still, if my topic requires samples of cured lamb meat from Mongolia, or interviews from an aboriginal tribe in Vanuatu, i may want to reconsider. You cannot rely heavily on background knowledge. Encyclopedias and wikipedia are for background knowledge at best (if at all). But, more on this later.

3) This is a slippery slope. I do, i swear, want you to enjoy your topic. music, however, is not a topic, it is an entire world. you must be very specific and understand the implications of your topic. to conduct a research or experimental based task, you must have the right idea of what you are doing, without letting too much personal interest could your ideas. sure it would be fun to listen to Mariah Carey (or whatever you teenie-boppers listen to at the sock-hop) all day, but thats not going to write your paper. You will most likely have to do something related to physics or tone to make that happen!

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OK...so now im going to think about what i like, where i am, and how i can make a plan of action for the ideas that come up. My mind always leans towards the historical side of things, but this should NOT stop you from choosing papers and projects on literary analysis, scientific experiment or social issues such as the impact of ipods upon the traditional family unit. Look at topics from the angle that suits you best!
• I love food (can you tell?) so for me, cuisine and history is always a topic of interest. specific dishes, culturally related techniques and utencils or known restaurants make for easy and well developed essays. But i dont speak Greek so this may be difficult.
• I like futbol...i could do the history of a stadium, club, fan club, impact of a player or specific moment in the history of futbol. this could work out even better if i have access to either interviews or archives. Espeically if i choose something here in Cyprus, but again, there's the Greek language barrier.
• I like history but since I am teaching 3 sections of it this year, and since i have done many history papers in my life, i'd prefer to try something new, y'know, to break the monotony a little. We'll see...however, Cyprus is very new to me having only been here for 6 months (most of which i've spent in this building we call school with these things we call students), so that is an option. I'm not much for ancient history, so if i do this i would prefer a modern paper such as NGO work being done on the island or something in relation to the UN or US Embassy. This could also complement my inability to speek Greek.
• I like film too, so maybe something related to cinema would be nice, but I'm not sure about resources and access to necessary interviews/documents...etc here on the island. hmmm, may be difficult.
• OR...i could combine these, the history of film or the history of a futbol something. Im gonna spend a few minutes on google. just basics (searching for Cyprus and film for example) and see what i come up with.Allright, 30 minutes later and im a bit stuck. I'm gonna work on something else for a while, put it all on the back of my mind and come back to it later when im fresh, maybe after dinner...mmm dinner!