HI 219 - Women in U.S. History: Childrose: Choosing a Topic

How do you find a research topic that is original, interesting to you and manageable within your time constraints and the size of the assignment?

Pick something you're interested in. You'll enjoy the work and will do a better job on the project. What if a topic area is assigned to you? Find an aspect of the topic that interests you.

The following links explain how to choose a research topic and refine it:

Need help finding an appropriate subject? Here's some suggestions. The library has materials about each of the following women:

• Shirley Chisholm - First African-American woman elected to Congress and to run for the presidential nomination of a major political party, in 1972.
• Lucy Stone - A 19th century leader in the fight for abolition and gender equality. 
• Fannie Lou Hamer - Leader in the African-American civil rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s. 
• Mary Sherman Morgan - America's first female rocket scientist. 
• Lilly Ledbetter - Led recent fight for equal pay for equal work after learning she made significantly less than her male coworkers.
• Margaret Sanger - 20th century birth control advocate.
• Grace Hopper - Computer scientist and U.S. Navy rear admiral.
• Maria Mitchell - 19th century astronomer.
• Rachel Carson - Her book, "Silent Spring," propelled the modern environmental movement.