Pick the topic and answer the questions below:

1) What specific topic are you hoping to focus on (the more specific you can be, the better in most cases)?

2) What do you think this topic is interesting and/or would work well for a discussion?

3) If anotherPERSONis interested in a similar topic, what other topic(s) are you potentially interested in?

REFERENCES:

Purpose

The primary goal of this assignment is to lead a meaningful discussion covering a topicrelated to economicthat you find interesting

Thinking about potential topics that might be interesting for you, and possibly even doing some initial research to narrow your topic down,

Sample Topic Overview and Discussion Questions

To give you a clearer idea of what I'm looking forward, here is an example of a discussion facilitator post I developed for a global issues course that focuses on the production of Apple products in China:

Read thisNew York Times article from 2012(https://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/26/business/ieconomy-apples-ipad-and-the-human-costs-for-workers-in-china.html?_r=1&pagewanted=all)and/or watch the ABC Nightline videos below that documented the living and working conditions of Chinese factory workers involved in the production of Apple iPads.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cx8mejj232w

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rICiSANhpO0

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNulTLoDD9A

FOR EXAMPLE OF SOME PEOPLE MADE A POST ABOUT THEIR TOPIC

Matthew The topic that I would like to address is the concept and future of cryptocurrency adoption in the United States. Specifically, should more Americans invest in cryptocurrency such as Bitcoin to prepare for retirement, or should they be worried about regulations and losing their investments? Despite its volatility in the market, Bitcoin, a form of cryptocurrency, was able to hit an all-time high price of over $60,000 in April 2021 with its meteoric rise in increase in the past decade since its creation (Edwards, 2022). Due to its potential to make a significant amount of return however, there has been a significant rise of cryptocurrencies and crypto scams created with the intention of stealing money from individuals (What to Know About Cryptocurrency and Scams, 2022). As of October 12, 2022, Bitcoin has suffered a significant decrease in the market with a current price of below $20,000 (Macheel, 2022). I find this topic interesting, as well as relevant for an ECON 101 discussion, as El Salvador became the first country in the world to make bitcoin a legal tender (Sigalos, 2022). The results of El Salvador's Bitcoin experiment may influence other economies to adapt similar fundamentals. As a result, discussions can be centered regarding possible predictions and applications for cryptocurrencies in other parts of the world. Cryptocurrencies have also been of interest as Blockchain technology has increased the level of security between transactions. The U.S. government currently does not back cryptocurrency. However, the Biden administration is currently in the process of researching and developing a "U.S. Central Bank Digital Currency" (Abbruzzese & Collier, 2022). If another student is interested in a similar topic, I would like to request the topic of "meme-stocks" and retail investors and the dangers of investing. As stock recommendations and due diligence can be obtained online for different investments, some stocks have seen a drastic rise in popularity leading to higher trading volume. While some retail investors may have benefitted from the investment, others may have found themselves losing a considerable amount of money (Gravier, 2021). Have social media and entertainment sites changed the culture of investing? Should investors be aware of the dangers involved in investing in companies with little to no accurate information? References Abbruzzese, J., & Collier, K. (2022, March 10). Biden takes big step toward government-backed digital currency. NBC News. Retrieved October 12, 2022, from https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/crypto/us-government-digital-currency-rcna19248 Edwards, J. (2022, July 2). Bitcoin's Price History. Investopedia. Retrieved October 12, 2022, from https://www.investopedia.com/articles/forex/121815/bitcoins-price-history.asp Gravier, E. (2021, October 18). Meme stocks: What are they and why you should be careful buying them. CNBC. Retrieved October 12, 2022, from https://www.cnbc.com/select/what-is-a-meme-stock/ Macheel, T. (2022, October 12). Crypto prices are higher ahead of key inflation data, bitcoin holds at $19,000. MSN. Retrieved October 12, 2022, from https://www.man.com/en- us/money/markets/crypto-prices-are-higher-ahead-of-key-inflation-data-bitcoin-holds-at-2419000/ar-AA125Nex Sigalos, M. (2022, June 25). El Salvador's $425 million bitcoin experiment isn't saving the country's finances. CNBC. Retrieved October 12, 2022, from https://www.cnbc.com/2022/06/25/el-salvador-bitcoin-experiment-not-saving-countrys-finances.html What To Know About Cryptocurrency and Scams. (2022, May 19). Consumer Advice. Retrieved October 12, 2022, from https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/what-know-about- cryptocurrency-and-scamsLea Bahner The topic I would like to focus on is homelessness. Specifically, the root causes of it and if there are any good solutions to those problems that would prevent us from having to deal with finding solutions to the consequences of those problems. This topic is one that is very important to me, as I have had multiple opportunities to serve those who find themselves in the situation of homelessness, and I have gotten to know a few of them. There are many reasons that people become homeless, and some are more preventable than others. I want to focus on the issues that are preventable. Because, if there are ways for these issues to be prevented, why are they issues in the first place? I believe that this topic fits with economics because a lot of the preventable issues have something to do with the economy, such as low minimum wage and lack of affordable housing. Another topic that I would be interested in would be the housing market, specifically the evolution of it and what a potential good balance would be. Jayden Parks The topic that I would like to look further into is if it is better to drive electric cars rather than gas-automated cars, specifically how prices of gas may affect people's choices and what each type of car plays a role in the environment and other things like that. I believe this topic is interesting because ever since electric cars came out, I feel like people have always wondered if making the switch would be cheaper on them than having to constantly pay for gas prices that keep going up. Also, there are many benefits of doing both that people might not even know about which might be surprising for them to hear and both of them do have their own faults which might also surprise people and make them think about something that they never even thought of. Another topic that I would like to go further into is the effect of income changes on consumer choices, specifically how people might make different choices based on the prices of certain items they normally buyAllison Lam The topic I am hoping to focus on is the fashion industry, particularly fast fashion (cheap, mass produced clothes, like SHIEN and Zara), and its effects on the economy. Despite having horrible taste in clothing, I'm interested in fashion. I think this topic is fascinating because it's a relatively recent development (I think) that gained a lot of traction (and flack) from social media. More people are buying fast fashion products due to their accessibility and large selection of products, and it's interesting to find out the costs it takes to produce (and consume) so much merchandise. Other projects I'd be interested in are the film industry's effect on the economy (and vice versa) and NFTs (and their impact on the economy). Brittany First I would be interested in learning about the strain of veterinary medicine. There seem to be fewer veterinarians entering the field, in addition to the reduced numbers of support staff. This coupled with the added pressure of an increased amount of household pets in recent years leaves veterinary medicine in a constant state of burnout. I work in veterinary medicine and am currently working on becoming a practice manager for my veterinary clinic and I would find much value in this information. Another topic I would consider interesting would be in researching the sustainability in the housing market with the number of people wanting to buy homes and the increase in prices and interest rates while household incomes haven't risen at the same rates. Jessica Frydenlund A topic that I would like to look further into is poverty. Specifically what causes it and what can be done to reduce it. Poverty is a huge issue today. There are a lot of different issues that go along with poverty that can be discussed. I would like to dig deeper into the richest country versus the poorest country and see how they compare. I think this topic is interesting because it is a global issue that comes with a lot of consequences. I think this topic would work well for an Econ 101 discussion because there are a lot of things to talk about related to poverty such as homelessness, lack of access to healthcare, substandard housing, lack of education, inequality, hunger and malnutrition, and many more. I think another topic that would be interesting to talk about would be child labor. I think this topic is not talked about a lot and is the cause for lack of economic growth in developing countries. I would like to know more about the causes and effects of child labor and where exactly it takes place the most