The Use of a Worksheet During Topic Selection for Research Paper Topics

The Use of a Worksheet During Topic Selection for Research Paper TopicsTopic selection can make or break a student's grade on a Social Issues Research Paper. The idea is to allow your students to draw their own conclusions, making their work reflects their unique thinking. It should be obvious to you that the chosen topic for the research paper could make a difference in how much they are rated. Consider two main issues: gender roles and sexual harassment.Using the issue of the economy to illustrate, use the following worksheet to construct an explanation of various different social issues. Feel free to add to this worksheet as you go along. It should be clear to you, however, that each of these issues has something to do with another, and all of these things have some bearing on one another.Gender roles in today's society are, as a whole, far more strict and demeaning than in past generations. Children are raised by their mothers, fathers, or others with whom they identify as their primary caretakers. Fathers, while still heavily involved in their children's lives, are typically far less involved in the child's life overall. As a result, the child learns early on that girls are 'spoiled' and boys are expected to 'man up'. From such early, direct influences come from various cultural values that reflect this social trend.Many young men and women who are not traditionally macho find themselves subject to ridicule and rejection because of the way they look, or because of their sexuality. Such young people face great stress as they learn to act in public and are not adequately equipped to deal with the effects of a bad first impression. One of the most important ways that we are all judged in this society is in the media. Television, radio, movies, books, and even video games all portray and express certain ideas, even if they are negative ones. Some media portrays these ideas on a frequent basis, while others are only hinted at.Similarly, we have come to believe that sexual harassment is an accepted, and sometimes expected, behavior in our society. Indeed, the vast majority of sex discrimination lawsuits end up alleging harassment, and many of them involve sexual harassment allegations. Though such cases are few and far between, they make headlines, are re-litigated, and often turn out in favor of the plaintiff. Even if there is no concrete evidence that a victim was harassed, the fact that he or she felt harassed might be enough to succeed in such a case.Perhaps the best way to explain the role of these issues is to offer a great deal of statistics. The following statistics from the Bureau of Labor Statistics may be of interest. Of all of the occupations in the United States, there are five with more complaints than actual sexual harassment claims. Of those five, three of them are government jobs: legislative clerk, administrative assistant, and information technology analyst. Federal law enforcement jobs, such as those in the FBI, US Cust oms Service, and US Secret Service, are also on the list.If your students have not yet performed any research paper topic selection, it is crucial that they start now. After all, you want to give them the best chance possible to get a B, A-, or A. And because the results of this research paper topic selection process will be reflected in the final grade, they need to choose topics that you have specifically instructed them to consider.When you have completed your research paper topic selection worksheet, you should consider creating an example from it. You can use the examples presented here, and you should be able to provide your students with more examples.