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Dramatic Arts — Finding A Topic

Choosing a topic

This first step in your paper may prove to be the most difficult, but here are some tips to help you:

  • Always choose a topic that you are interested in. It will be much easier and much more fun for you and your reader.
  • Avoid broad topics (e.g. theater about gender issues), or narrow ones (e.g. theater about incest in boarding schools in Montana). A better topic might be: "Theater about marital infidelity in the 1960's"
  • Review your assignment guidelines, and follow instructions regarding topic selection. (Also, do not hesitate to speak with your professor if you are having difficulties.)

The links below will provide extra tips on choosing topic.

Narrowing A Topic

Sometimes you start a term paper thinking you won't have enough to write about, but more often than not, you will find that you need to narrow down your topic. For example, let's say you want to write about French art. It is a very popular topic, but you will have to break it down into a time period, maybe a specific movement or even a specific artist. Help yourself to these tools and the concept mapping video to ask yourself the right questions so your topic becomes more focused.

Concept Mapping

Subjects: Dramatic Arts

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