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Syllabus, ENG 101
Possible Topics

The following lists offer some suggestions for the different types of essays you will write this semester.   Your textbook also offers several possible topics lists in the chapter regarding the mode being studied.
Feel free to pick any topic from any of the lists for any type of paper.
Remember, you are not in any way limited to the topics that are listed here.

Narrative:
a loyal pet or friend
the worst mix-up of your life
your best Christmas (birthday/holiday)
an act of courage or cowardice
your most wonderful or frightening childhood experience
a memorable event governed by nature
meeting a celebrity
an event that changed your thinking on a certain subject
challenging an authority
an event that influenced your choice of career (or some
other important decision)
your first introduction to prejudice or sexism
being hired or fired from your first or most important job
a triumph in sports or some artistic endeavor
a risk that paid off
a non-academic lesson learned at school
a trip or special time spent by yourself
a bad habit that got you into (or out of) trouble
a family story passed down through the generations
an episode marking your passage from adolescence to
adulthood



Descriptive:
your room or roommate
a piece of equipment important to your major or to a hobby
or a favorite sport
a building or place you are fond of (such as a "haunted" house in your neighborhood or even a childhood treehouse)
a sports event
your most valuable material possession
the ugliest/most beautiful building in your town
a typical family dinner at your home
your first or worst car (or dream car)
a place where you've worked
a strange-but-wonderful friend or relative
a computer, microscope, or some other complex machine
a favorite painting, sculpture, or photograph
your most unforgettable character
a laboratory experiment
a doctor's or dentist's waiting room
your face--or your face after plastic surgery
a special day in your life (birthday, holiday, graduation
a dead cockroach

Cause/effect:
a pet peeve or bad habit
a change of mind about some importnt issue or belief
an accident
a family tradition
the popularity of some sport, hobby, fad or style
a trend in T.V. shows or movies
a change in your appearance
a form of pollution or crime
cheating or dishonesty
an important decision
an act of heroism or sacrifice or selfishness
an important idea or discovery in your field of study
a superstition or irrational fear
a place that is special to you
a disappointment or a success
sexism, discrimination, prejudice
a friendship or influential person
a political action or piece of legislation
teenage marriage or divorce



Argumentation:
For this essay--there are five topics you MAY NOT choose. They are: Abortion, Euthanasia, Capital Punishment, Gun Control, and Legalizing Marijuana

Process:
stopping smoking or some other bad habit
selecting a college course or major
beginning a collection or hobby
buying a computer
saving money
meeting the person of your dreams
understanding how something in nature works or was formed
selling a product
operating a machine or piece of equipment
curing a cold or hangover
losing or gaining weight
arriving at a major decision
selecting a new (or used) car, house, apartment, roommate, spouse
vacationing on five dollars a day
getting rid of roaches or other pests (human or otherwise)
succeeding or failing in a job interview
repairing some small item
planning a perfect party, wedding, funeral, birthday, etc.

Compare/contrast:
an expectation and its reality
a first impression and a later point of view
two views on a current controversial issue
two conflicting theories you are studying in another class
a memory of a person or a place and a more recent encounter
coverage of the same story by two newspapers or magazines
(The National Inquirer and the Arizona Republic, Time and Newsweek)
a hero today and yesterday
two commercials for a similar product
two pieces of technology you've owned and operated
a public or private myth and it reality
two solutions to a problem in your professional field
one of today's popular entertaiments and one from an earlier era
two places you've lived
two politicians or public figures from today and from the past
two books or a book and its movie, or movie and its sequel
two jobs or employers
two places that are special to you
an opinion you held before coming to college that has changed now that you are in college
two sports or athletes or pieces of sports equipment
the perfect parent/friend/roommate/spouse
and your real parent/friend/roommate spouse