ENG 111 College Composition I
Lori Johnson
Unit 2 – Expository Essay – Potential Paper Topics
After reviewing your Personal Development Journals, I have derived a list of topics on which some of you have
already touched. Please review this list and choose a topic that suits your interests.
Today you will brainstorm on the topic using at least three methods:
 Clustering or “mind mapping”
 Freewriting
 Creating a list of at least 25 questions you have about the topic
After you have completed the brainstorming, please draft a potential outline and craft a thesis statement for
your paper. You can change your mind about the topic if you find that this first attempt falls apart. But I want
you to get some prewriting practice today. All of this will be due by the end of the class period.
For this essay, your job is to write a paper that informs, but doesn’t argue. How will you accomplish that? You
will write a report (Ch 8) in which you strive to be objective as you present researched information to an
audience of college peers. You will need to demonstrate your understanding of all of the subjects from the Unit
2 reading assignment by using each of the modes – definition, cause and effect, comparison and contrast, and
classification/division – in your paper (Ch 31, 33, 34, 35). To demonstrate your textual analysis skills (Ch 7), you
will also be required to prepare an annotated bibliography (Ch 11, note additional Unit 2 reading requirement)
in which you demonstrate proper citation as well as a thoughtful paraphrase of your sources. You will need to
gather researched information for this paper, referring to at least five high-quality sources of information (more
on that later). You will be required to produce a minimum of 5 pages of text (not including the title page and the
works cited page), formatted according to the MLA Style Guide (see NFG for details). Finally, I will provide you
with a rubric for you to use when you do peer review.
The many benefits of martial arts training (or playing chess, some other physical/mental discipline)
How to do effective family genealogy studies, with your own examples
Famous civil engineers and their contribution to American life (or photographers, or some other profession)
What it takes to be an excellent athlete/sportsman (narrowed to a sport if you so choose)
Effective strategies for negotiating conflict with peers (or parents, or siblings, or authority figures)
What are the different kinds of traps set by perfectionism?
How to take risks, overcome your fears, and accomplish your goals
A review of five websites on homemaking skills (or money-management, or some topic that interests you)
Learning to stand up for yourself in ten easy steps (or some number suitable for your page requirements)
How to survive in the woods with only a hunting knife (or other wilderness survival topic)
An analysis of common “snack foods” (or fast foods, or body products) and their effect on the human body
What are the causes and effects of being a “people pleaser”?
Steps to position yourself for traveling internationally as a student diplomat
Learning how to overcome anger and become a more patient person
What steps can young adults take to repair and restore broken family relationships?
What “helping careers” will be most in demand in the next five years?
How to skillfully give and receive correction/criticism so you can grow into a better person
What steps can one take to open a summer camp for disabled children in the state of Virginia?
How does nutrition affect our emotions? What can “super foods” do for our emotional health?
Making homemade laundry soap, and other penny-pinching ideas for living on a tight budget
What you can do to increase your attention span and make learning more enjoyable
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