Help With a Research Paper Topic

[Zinzo]

This is kind of short notice, and may sound a little ungrateful since I never come here anymore, but this is the one place I can think of for the best help.

My world cultures teacher broke the world down into regions and assigned everyone in the class one of them. We have to pick a country in the region and write an 8 page paper on a topic about it. My region, lucky me, included Japan. I was wondering if someone could help me choose one of the topics that I could write the most about. The topics are as follows:

1. How geographical features affect the country's way of life.
2. Dating, courting, and marriage customs.
3. Animals.
4. Wonders of the country.
5. Educational system.
6. Leisure time activities.
7. Clothing and food.
8. Language.
9. Customs and traditions.
10. Sports.

I was thinking about #8 & #9 because those seem like the bigger ones to me. Also, I'm required to make a "specific" topic regarding the topic I chose. So the customs/traditions of a certain area of Japan, or maybe the origin of the language or something along those lines.

Once again, what I'd appreciate input on: Which topic I could easily get 8 pages out of (12 font, Times New Roman)? And of that topic, what a good specific topic may be. Or if my ideas seem fine, just tell me, or give my ideas a little tweaking.

Thanks to anyone who took the time to read this and commented regarding my questions.

High School Honors classes are the biggest pain ever...

[Gundaetiapo]

I was wondering if someone could help me choose one of the topics that I could write the most about.

Ah, this brings back memories. Choosing a topic because of how much material it generates.

[Mike Cash]

Would you believe that the point of the paper is not just to force you to write a paper?

What was the point of them putting you in there to begin with if you're just going to slouch through it? You could have done that in the regular class.

[Tspoonami]

Honors classes are easy. Try AP classes, specifically AP European History or AP Psychology.

Interestingly enough, for my 8th grade science fair oh so long ago, I did have to write a paper just for the sake of writing a paper. Or maybe it was 7th grade.

[tanuki]

8 pages aren't that much, you know. Just pick the one you're most interested in and it will be over before you know it. I bet "language" is an easy choice no matter what, though. There should be plenty of information about it. However, I'm not sure if focusing on the origin of the language is a good thing if you're looking for simplicity. As far as I know, linguists don't agree on that matter, so you'd probably have to take sides and defend your opinion.

[Gundaetiapo]

I don't blame the guy actually. I have my suspicions about the role school essays have in the verbosity some folks write with after college. Ideally pithiness and content are valued above page quotas, but that wasn't the reality when I was in school. So I did the same thing as the OP.

[saraLynne]

He's not asking you all to write the paper for him. Goodness! ^_^

I think that the geography and its impact would make excellent material, being an island nation. You could talk about economic issues, close quarters and the feudal system (maybe even compare to European feudal conflict). International communication (ancient times with China, modern times with Admiral Perry....). Food staples... rice and seafood? Largely a geographic issue.

Have fun! Papers don't have to suck.

[Infidel]

I actually think number 1 would be the most interesting. There's a lot of fun stuff there. Geography had an extremely strong effect on the development of nations and customs. Even in modern times it still is very important. Understanding how it affected Japan will help you to understand how it affected other countries as well.

Generally, I've found that the problem isn't finding a topic worth 8 pages, it's narrowing the topic down to one that can be sufficiently explained in only 8 page. No matter how little you think there is to say about a topic, once you dig in your heels, you will find out that entire books have been written on the subject.

[Zinzo]

Finally got a chance to read replies. Thanks for the opinions. Now that I reread my post, it does sound like I'm whining a little . That's what I get for typing on 4 hours of sleep. Anyways, I signed up my topic today. I chose Language because it seemed like it'd be pretty interesting to learn more about. My specific topic is "Components of the Japanese Language". I thought I could do a nice little section on Hiragana, Katakana, and Kanji, a little on their origins, and end it with a chunk on modern Japanese. I'm going to work on an outline tonight and reaserch a little, and hopefully start typing tomorrow.

And just wondering, does someone have a reputable website with information on the subject that they'd recommend? I'm allotted one website out of 3 sources.

I may be back with more questions if I get stuck, but please don't flame me...It's my first big paper, the biggest I've ever written, and I just get a little stumped sometimes. Thanks!

[Infidel]

sounds like you need to narrow your focus to components of Japanese Writing as opposed to language.

[Zinzo]

That's actually not a bad idea. I'll ask my teacher if I can modify my topic tomorrow. Thanks, you probably saved me some suffering.