Alternatives to Welfare

• One idea is to write a research paper in which you discuss ways in which low-income families can find economic alternatives to welfare and whether these ideas are realistic or not. You should discuss the political, cultural and economic factors that lead some families into welfare dependency, and you could also examine the negative effects of welfare dependency on low-income communities. You should read recent scholarly articles, news magazine articles and some nonfiction books which may offer solutions to welfare dependency.
  
  

Relations Between African Immigrants and African Americans

• Another idea is to write a paper that examines the relationships between African immigrants and African Americans. You should start the paper with an introduction that discusses how the European slave trade affected the lives of both those in Africa and the enslaved people in the Americas. You also want to talk about the reasons why there has been a recent rise in Africans migrating to America and the images they have of black Americans. Finally, you should examine how black Americans view the recent migration of Africans to the United States.
  
  

Internet and Social Activism

• You can write a paper on how the Internet is changing social activism in America. For example, you can discuss in detail the role that the Internet played in the uncovering of political corruption as seen with Julian Assange and the website Wikileaks. Another example is how bloggers and social networking websites contributed to informal campaigning for current President Barack Obama. Finally, you can mention how local nonprofit organizations are utilizing the Internet to raise awareness of certain issues.
  
  

Changing Family Trends Over 20 Years

• Another idea is to discuss how family trends have changed over the past 20 years. You can discuss how more grandparents are raising their grandchildren, how more college-age children are returning home to live with their parents for a longer period of time, and how more women are putting off marriage and childbearing for various reasons. Some good sources of research include gender studies books, sociology journal articles and random interviews with local families.