Select a Topic - Foundations of the Modern World - Final Inquiry Unit - Resource Guides / Pathfinders at Bryn Mawr School

How to Choose a Topic for Inquiry and Research

Selecting a topic for your inquiry is the first step, and it's an important one! You will be spending a good amount of time reading and thinking about this topic, so it needs to be something that interests you.

Questions to consider in topic selection:

What am I interested in?
What are the parameters set by my teacher?
What do I wish we could study in Foundations of the Modern World?
If I were a teacher designing this course, what would I want the class to learn about?

(Especially if history is not one of your favorite subjects):

What interests me more broadly, that I could explore through a historical lens for the purposes of this inquiry?

Resources to Help with Topic Selection

Browse Topics from Gale in Context: World History
Topic Finder from Gale in Context: World History
Enter a topic and the tool will suggest broader or narrower related topics.
Browse JSTOR by Subject
Browse Online Books by Topic | Smithsonian Libraries
Digitized works in the public domain on a variety of topics. Many may be primary sources, but you might see something fascinating you hadn't thought of exploring before!
Browse Digital Collections form the Library of Congress
ChatGPT by OpenAI
If allowable by your teacher, ChatGPT may be able to help you brainstorm possible topics. This may be especially helpful if you struggle to identify a topic that interests you. Enter the topic selection parameters along with something that interests you, such as fashion, beauty culture, sports, or science. The results may not be perfect, be may spark a cool idea.

Foundations of the Modern World - Final Inquiry Unit: Select a Topic

How to Choose a Topic for Inquiry and Research

Resources to Help with Topic Selection