Narrowing Your Topic

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Narrowing Your Topic
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Think about your message

• In your paper
• WHAT are you going to
• SAY about your topic?
• or
• What QUESTIONS are you going to ANSWER about your
  topic?

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And how are you going to do it

• in just (how many ) pages?

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Narrowing Strategy 1 Aspect

• Focus on a particular ASPECT of the topic
• Not Free trade
• But Environmental impact of free trade

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Narrowing Strategy 2 Time

• Focus on your topic during a particular TIME
  PERIOD
• Free Trade
• between
• 1990 and 2000

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Narrowing Strategy 3 Type
IT Industry

• Focus on a specific TYPE or CLASS of people,
  institutions, or other things as they relate to
  your topic
• Free trade in the IT industry

Capital
Goods
Clothing Industry
Services
Intellectual Property
Labor
Steel Industry
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Narrowing Strategy 4 Place

• Focus on a particular PLACE
• Free trade
• with Asia

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Narrowing Strategy 5 Add Two Topics

• Focus on the relationship between TWO DIFFERENT
  TOPICS
• Free trade and communism

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Now, a really big tip

• COMBINE different kinds of focuses
• The relationship between free trade agreements
  made between 1990-2000 with communist countries
  in Asia and the US steel industrys compliance
  with environmental protection laws

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Ok, maybe thats going too far

• Are you really going to find enough information
  about how free trade agreements made between
  1990-2000 with communist countries in Asia have
  impacted the US steel industrys compliance with
  environmental protection laws?
• (Maybe not)

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But how about this

• What can you SAY about
• Changes in the US steel industry as a result
  of recent free trade agreements with China
• What QUESTIONS could you try to ANSWER about
• The impact of recent free trade agreements on
  US environmental law

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A Review of Narrowing Strategies

• Narrow your topic by focusing on
• Aspect
• Time
• Type
• Place
• Its relationship with a second topic
• A combination of two or more of the above