1. What is the relationship between biological sex and gender? After examining the literature on the subject, write a persuasive essay to explain the connection. Arguments for this relationship seem to run along a continuum from “biology is destiny” at one end, and the assertion that gender is a social construction with no relevance to biology whatsoever.
2. LSD (Lysergic Acid Diethylamide) is currently a schedule III controlled substance in Canada; its sale, possession and production are illegal unless authorized for industrial, scientific or medical purposes. In the 1950s and 1960s experiments seeking to test the therapeutic efficacy of LSD were performed, researchers concluding that the drug was useful for attenuating the symptoms of depression. Due to strict regulations enacted in the 1970s, obtaining LSD legally for clinical experimental purposes became nearly impossible, bringing research to a halt. Recently, scientists have once again begun experiments, this time testing “micro-dosing” of the substance. Write an informative essay on this issue. Your essay should have a clear central thesis (see BPH sample paper: Writing to Inform). You may want to watch this short piece of rare footage showing a typical 1950s experiment involving the drug: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UMF-cyHAaSs
3. Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Kurt Cobain and Amy Winehouse were all gifted musicians who made extraordinary contributions to the musical genre(s) they represented. Write an informative essay with a central thesis that examines and compares these contributions. Did each (or any) radically alter the face of popular music? If so, how and in what way?
4. What is the future of the MLB? Baseball has a long history beginning in 1846, was America’s first national sport, and has been called “America’s National Pastime”, but the game has gradually been declining in popularity over the years, both football and hockey drawing larger crowds and interest. Write an informative or persuasive essay with a central thesis that examines major league baseball’s decline, compares it to other sports, and predicts its future.
5. What is your experience with play? Examine the rich geographical, anthropological and psychological literature on play and write a reflective essay with a central thesis that tells your reader about your own experience with play, beginning perhaps as a child and carrying forward to the present. Read the sample essay in the BPH section Writing to Reflect and follow the structure closely.
6. What is the future of writing in education? In the 1970s, Marshall McLuhan famously predicted a “global village” of world inhabitants, each of us inter-connected through technological means. McLuhan predicted that speech (not writing) would be dominant, audio recording its main conduit in learning environments. Today, students and teachers communicate via pictures, videos and audio channels much more frequently, and use these channels frequently as a part of educational delivery. McLuhan’s predictions have largely come true. But where does writing fit into this picture? Write a persuasive essay in which you examine the traditional role of literacy, and predict the future role of writing in education.
