identifying a potential topic for your research project. The topic should focus on issues related to your major area of study.

Unit 1 Course Spanning Task
Research Paper Assignment
Begin preparation of your final research paper for this course by identifying a potential topic for your research project. The topic should focus on issues related to your major area of study.
Please note: You may be asked to revise your topic by your instructor. Please pay attention to instructor feedback and make revisions as needed. If needed, you may be asked to resubmit the topic assignment. Your responsiveness to instructor feedback is important for improvement and academic success as a graduate student. Always read your instructors’ feedback!

Interdisciplinarity:
Your paper must be written with an interdisciplinary approach. Your main topic will fall into one discipline, but when you write, you should expand the scope of your paper to include the perspectives of at least two more disciplines. Looking at the topic you wish to explore from several disciplines will help to make your paper stronger and will give you a much better understanding of what it is that you are trying to accomplish. The following list is not all-inclusive, but will give you an idea of certain disciplines from which you can explore:
The natural sciences are such as astronomy, biology, chemistry, materials science (metallurgy), physics, earth science (geology, geophysics, hydrology, meteorology, physical geography, and soil science), atmospheric science, and oceanography.
The social sciences can include anthropology, archaeology, criminology, economics, education, linguistics, law, communication studies, history, political science, sociology, human geography, and psychology.
The humanities are such as ancient and modern languages, literature, philosophy, religion, and visual and performing arts such as music and theater.
Think about this now as you will need to write from some of these perspectives as you develop your paper.
Assignment:
Consider a potential topic for your class research paper assignments. Write a 300-400 word description of your topic and the problem you want to address in your paper.
Locate two research-quality references using an academic database, such as the Discover! search engine on the OU Library home pageLinks to an external site..
Cite the references in your description using an APA in-text citation and include the reference information on the References page at the end of the topic description. The assigned FAS module Topic Exploration – UNIT 1 includes further details regarding this assignment as well as some examples.
Locating at least two research-quality references related to the topic will help you narrow the scope of your topic. You are not expected to generate a fully-formed research topic statement at this point, but it will be helpful to clearly identify your topic and support your topic with information from your references to support the problem you are are addressing with the selection of your topic. Appropriate use of in-text citations in your topic description is expected.
Finally, create a proper APA-formatted reference page for the topic and submit your file to the assignment dropbox. Note: All in-text citations should be included as a reference on the reference page.
Assessment: This assignment is worth 50 points. For details regarding expectations, consult the grading rubric
Assessment: This assignment is worth 50 points. For details regarding expectations, consult the grading rubric. Your submission will be assessed based on the following criteria:
Composition and style (clarity of writing, correct punctuation and grammar usage, correct APA citation formatting, effective paragraph structuring and quote integration, etc.). Use Grammarly to check for errors and suggested improvements,
Substance and depth (demonstrates an understanding of the assignment as outlined in the FAS – UNIT 1 – Topic Description guide, and incorporated two (2) sources meeting the Research-Quality Standard).