Start with your Major

Your major might be a great place to start - knowing the names of the fields related to the Humanities, Business, or Education might help you develop search terms, research questions, and innovations. 

Majors and Minors

Are you represented by this list? If so, next ask yourself some questions, listed below!

Humanities Subjects

• African & African American Studies
• Anthropology
• Archeology
• Art & Design
• Chinese Studies
• Classics
• Communications
• Dance
• East Asia Studies
• English
• Film & Video
• French
• German
• History
• Integrated Studies
• Italian
• Juvenile Literature
• Latin American Studies
• LGBTQ+ Studies
• Middle East Studies
• Modern Languages
• Multimedia Journalism
• Music
• Philosophy
• Photography
• Religious Studies
• Spanish
• Theater
• Women, Gender, & Sexuality Studies
• Writing

Business Subjects

• Accounting & Taxation
• Advertising & Public Relations
• Business
• Communications
• Economics
• Finance
• Hospitality & Tourism Management
• International Business
• International Relations
• Management
• Marketing
• Public, Nonprofit, & Health Admin.
• Public Speaking

Education Subjects

• Biology
• Chemistry
• Earth/Space Science
• Education
• (M.Ed.) - Higher Education
• (M.Ed.) - Instruction & Curriculum
• (M.Ed.) - Leadership
• (M.Ed.) - Literacy Studies
• (M.Ed.) - School Counseling
• (M.Ed.) - Special Education
• (M.Ed.) - Technology
• English
• French
• German
• History
• Integrated Science (Elementary)
• Latin
• Mathematics (Elementary)
• Mathematics
• Music Education (K-12)
• Physics
• Social Studies (Elementary)
• Social Studies
• Spanish
• Special Education
• Visual Arts Education (K-12)

Next, Ask Some Questions

There are many ways experts investigate the state of the Humanities, Business, or Education. Here are some questions to get you started.

Humanities - "Big Ideas"

• Application - what is the practical application of…? 
• Ethics - what sort of ethical decisions are made when…?
• Education - how does one learn about…?
• Experts - who are the experts and what do they say about…?
• Conflict - what issues surround this idea?
• History - what has happened in the past about this topic?
• Industrial Effect - how is the industry affected when…?
• Innovation - what new ideas are happening/could happen?
• “-Isms” - who are the people who benefit and/or lose…?
• Legal - what is legal/illegal about…?
• Natural Effect - how is the environment affected when…?
• Politics and Policy - what are the regulations, policies, and politics?
• Practice - how does it look when…?
• Social Effect - how are people affected when…?
• Theory - what theories support this idea?

Learn More:

• Brainstorming: Asking Questions
• Brainstorming Tips - Idea Mapping
• Broadening your topic (Brainstorming)
• Choosing a Topic from a Theme
• Choosing a Topic from Scratch
• Choosing a Topic with Subject Terms
• Keyword (Brainstorming)
• Narrowing your Topic (Brainstorming)
• Overcoming Writer's Block
• Research Question Development
• The Communication Triangle
• Symptoms and Cures for Writer's Block - Purdue OWL

Websites and Blogs

• GVSU Library Website
• Big Think
• NPR
• TED Talks
• Discovery Education
• UofM Flint Lib Guide: Research Topic Ideas (Humanities)