Choose a topic

  • Choose a topic that enables you to make an original contribution to scholarship.
  • Choose a topic for which primary source materials are ample and reasonably accessible. This will make your research and writing much more enjoyable.
  • Choose a topic that builds on and extends your knowledge of American studies methods and subjects.
  • Choose a topic that is challenging and that will sustain your interest over the course of an entire semester or two-semester sequence.
  • Do not choose a topic that has been exhaustively studied, or for which you lack the appropriate methodological training.
  • In choosing a topic, don’t hesitate to consult American Studies faculty and reference librarians.