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One key to your success with this assignment is that you select a topic you are really interested in knowing more about. I believe everybody is curious about something; the very fact that you’ve come to a university signifies you are eager, or at least willing, to learn something.

Hula Hoops--what they were and how they became such a fad
Tattoos--how does tattooing really work? why do people get tattoos? how are tattoos used in other cultures?
Frisbees--where did they come from? who’s the best frisbee thrower in the world? what is ultimate frisbee?
Downloading music--what happened to Napster and why? why is it still possible to download music? what are the issues involved? which bands joined the side trying to shut down Napster? what are the arguments other bands make about why downloading should be allowed?
Professors--what is a professor anyway? how does one get to be one? is it a good life?
Swimming--compare swimming as exercise to other activities? who is considered the best swimmer ever? when did collegiate competitive swimming get started?
Ticks--what is a tick anyway? what are the problems associated with ticks?
how does Kansas compare with other places in tick problems?
Beer--what’s the difference between heavy and light beers? how does American beer compare to other countries’ beers? why do beer companies advertise the way they do?
Balls--how are various balls made? Especially those balls which don’t seem to have a bladder inside?
Rowing--what about rowing as a sport? when did it become a collegiate sport? what about K-State’s rowing team?
Subsidy Programs--what are they? who receives subsidies and why?
The Trade Center--what was there before? how did it withstand a direct hit and not topple over? why did the towers collapse as they did, straight down?
Disc Golf, Skateboarding, or other cult sport--what is the basic equipment for these sports? Who plays these sports? Are they beginning to get formally organized?
Support Groups at K-State--where can a student go for help at this place? what kind of help exists?
Students and Credit Cards--why do so many companies hawk credit cards to students? why target them? why do some students get in trouble with cards?
The stockmarket--was is the Dow or Nasdaq? What do all the numbers mean? What does a bull or bear market mean? Who benefits and how from when the market goes up or down?
Family Farms--what is a family farm? Do they still exist? How is farming changed and continuing to change? Corporate farms?
Designer Drugs--what are they? which are most popular and why? how do such drugs differ from other drugs?
Endangered Species--what does it mean to be endangered? Who decides that? Is the number of endangered species going up or down? Why? Who opposes putting a species in the endangered category? Why?
Kansas School Board and Evolution--what was the big deal in the news about that? who were the actors? what were they trying to accomplish and why? what is the current situation?
Recording Votes--why all the commotion during the last election about voting? what were the issues? anything done since to avoid similar problems?
Declaring War--what does declaring war mean? who gets to do that? were Korea and Viet Nam wars or what?
Fatwah--what is a fatwah? who get to declare one? who is the object of a fatwah? are there examples ongoing now? to whom? why?
Deregulation--what does that mean? who decides what gets deregulated? what is the goal of deregulation? what are some examples which worked or didn’t? why?
Big 12 player of the week--what does that distinction mean? who gets to decide? what is the process?
Recycling--there are recycling bins all over campus? why? what is the university trying to do? when did recycling as a movement begin? how do different communities deal with the idea?
Salary Caps--how does salary capping work in pro sports? what are its goals and purposes? Is it achieving those goals, meeting its purposes? Players’ reactions?
Asylum--what is it? why do people want it? who decides if they get it? what is the current situation?
Rating Systems--what are the various ratings systems for film, records, and so on? what is their purpose? who gets to decide? what are some of the recent controversies ?
The DARE Program--much new information points to the fact that the Dare program maybe isn’t working? what is it? how do we know it isn’t working? why would some still support the program if it doesn’t work?
American Work Ethic--what is the average work week for Americans? how does it compare to workweeks in other societies? Is it getting longer or shorter? Why?
National Parks, National Forests--what’s the difference between a National Park and Forest? Any of either close to Kansas? Who gets to decide what is a Park? What are the issues in setting aside land for a forest or park?
Free Agency--what does free agency mean? where did the idea come from? advantages for a player? for a team? current feelings of owners? players?
Learning Styles--what the latest thinking on how students learn? what can students do to find out how they learn? what can a student do in response to knowing how he/she learns?
Amnesty International--what is it, its history? what are its current concerns? what do they do? successes, failures?
Microsoft--why did Microsoft end up in court? who were the principal actors? what was decided? any new developments?
Yoga--what is it? who practices it? does it work?
Liberal/Conservative--what do these terms mean? who uses them? one grows out of the idea of conserving--what are they conserving? one grows out of the idea of liberty--what principles do they believe in?
Gas prices--what makes gas prices go up and down? who decides that? why are prices different at different places even just a few miles away?
Walmart in Manhattan--what was Walmart trying to do on the west side of Manhattan? who protested against them and why? who made the final decision and on what bases? what is the new plan for Walmart in Manhattan?
Reality TV--what is it? when and where did it start? why do people watch it?
Water Quality in Kansas--how does the water in Kansas compare to other places? what influences water quality? who is making efforts to improve water quality? who opposes those efforts and why?