DeVry Chicago ENGL 135 Week 1 Topic Selection Assignment

For this assignment, you will choose a topic, narrow
it, research different points of view about it, and identify your audience in
order to develop your angle on the topic.

After looking at the list of topics below, which was
shared in Week 1’s lecture, choose a topic in which you have more than just a
passing interest. The best topic to
choose is one which impacts you in some way.
Having personal experience with the topic will probably lend some
perspective on it and may get you closer to an angle on it. Also, sometimes research can be daunting, but
if you have personal experience with the topic, or are even passionate about it,
you will probably be more motivated to keep working when the “going gets tough.”
Thus, while “interest” in a topic is important, mere interest will
probably not sustain you through this project. You might ask yourself, “What is
it about this topic that sparks my interest enough to write a ten page paper
about it?”

Once you choose the topic, please respond to the
five questions below. Each of your
responses should be approximately two paragraphs in length. This assignment will be graded using the Week
1 Assignment Rubric available in Doc Sharing.

Education

Technology

Family

Health
and Wellness

School
Bullies

Multitasking
and Technology

Sexualization
of Girls

College
Students and Weight Issues

No
Child Left Behind Act/Race to the Top

Technology
and Social Isolation

Gender
Discrimination

Childhood
Obesity

Grade
Inflation

Perils
of Social Networking

Unequal
Rights in Marriage, Children

Fad
Diets

College
Students and Underage Drinking

Online
Dating/Online Predators/Sex Offenders

Children
of Divorce

Junk
Food

Student
Debt

Illegal
Downloading of Protected Content

Domestic
Violence

Sedentary
Lifestyles

College
Students, Cheating, and Plagiarism

Internet
Censorship/ Classified Information Leaks

Cyberbullying

Teenage
Pregnancy

College
Dropout Rates

Identity
Theft

Life-Work
(Im)balance/Flexible Work Schedules

Concussions
in Athletes

High
School Dropouts

Texting
and Driving

Insurance
Premiums for Smokers and Obese Employees

What is your possible topic? Brainstorm five
questions about it.How is the topic
important to you and how does it affect you? What do you personally hope to
gain or accomplish by writing about this topic?Research your topic
and provide a brief summary of the current points of view about the topic. Share
at least two different/opposing positions on the topic.Describe whom you
might choose as your audience. Who are your readers, and what are their needs,
motivations, and influences? In what ways will you need to structure your
writing to appeal to them?1. What specific issue
will you write about within the larger topic, and what unique angle will you
provide?