Narrowing Your Topic

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Narrowing Your Topic
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Think about your message

• In your paper
• WHAT might you
• SAY about your topic?
• or
• What QUESTIONS might you ANSWER about your topic?

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And how are you going to do it

• in just (how many ) pages?

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Narrowing Strategy 1 Aspect

• Focus on a particular ASPECT of the topic
• Not Food
• But Religious aspects of food

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Narrowing Strategy 2 Time

• Focus on your topic during a particular TIME
  PERIOD
• Food production between
• 1990 and 2000

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Narrowing Strategy 3 Type

• Focus on a specific TYPE or CLASS of people or
  things as they relate to your topic

Lenten Diet Whole Foods Devotional
Foods Vegetarians Fruitarians
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Narrowing Strategy 4 Place

• Focus on a particular PLACE
• Popular foods
• in Hawaii

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Narrowing Strategy 5 Add Two Topics

• Focus on the relationship between TWO DIFFERENT
  TOPICS
• Food and Gender

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Now, a really big tip

• COMBINE different kinds of focuses
• Food preparation as related to gender roles
  in WASP homes in the United States from 1950 to
  2000.

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A Review of Narrowing Strategies

• Narrow your topic by focusing on
• Aspect
• Time
• Type
• Place
• Its relationship with a second topic
• A combination of two or more of the above