Write a paper in which you will supply three (3) possible topics in each of the following four (4) categories:

1. Academic subject

2. Social issue

3. Scientific subject

4. Cultural background

Within each of these four (4) categories, you will supply three (3) possible academic topics. Use the following format to organize your topics inventory:

1. Personal interest

2. The category (repeated from above: academic study, social issue, scientific subject, and cultural background)

3. Three possible academic topics (each should be distinctive, developed, and as specific as possible)

After you complete Part I, you will have twelve (12) possible topics that you could choose from and develop into a research project. You will choose one of these and work with the same one for Part II and Part III.

Example: Academic study

1. Personal interest: Cars

2. Academic subject: Eco-engineering

3. Possible academic topic:

. "The Fate of Hybrid Vehicles: The Cost Is Not Worth the Environmental Toll"

. "Hydrogen Cars: Are They a Safe Alternative?"

. "Electric Cars Are Not 'Saving' Environmental Resources, Only Saving

. Money at the Gas Pump"

Part I: Topics Inventory

For the Topics Inventory, you will construct a list of topics from which you may choose one to develop into a Research Paper for this course. This exercise is based on the models on p. 318 of Strategies for Writing Successful Research Papers, so you will want to refer back to this page for examples.

Follow these steps, and draft a Controlling Idea Statement:

1. Choose one topic from the list of twelve possible topics that you created when you wrote your Topics Inventory. Consider these questions when choosing your topic: Which of these topics is most appealing to you? Which one seems as though it has the most possibility for ease of researching and for developing a research paper?

2. Choose one type of Controlling Idea Statement you would like to write:

. A thesis statement "advances a conclusion the writer will defend";

. An enthymeme "uses a because clause to make a claim the writer will defend";

. A hypothesis "is theories that must be tested.

3. Draft your statement; use the examples in Section 14f as examples to assist you.

4. Save a copy of this statement for yourself, and submit your Controlling Idea Statement with the Unit I Assignment.

Your Short Proposal should include the following five elements:

1. The specific topic.

2. The purpose of the paper: Your paper must be an argumentative paper, so you will want to cast your purpose statement towards this argumentative end.

3. The intended audience:

4. Your voice as a writer (informer, advocate, concerned citizen, etc.).

5. The preliminary thesis statement or opening hypothesis.