When did this begin? What was its original form? What cultural purpose did it serve?
Who performed this activity? What cultural place did they occupy? How were they regarded by others?
What prior historical events did this event/activity resemble? Is this coincidental? Did this event/activity model itself on something that came before? What philosophy does this reveal?
What ideal picture of human beings does this activity/event hold up?
How did this activity develop from its beginnings to the present day?
What effects did this event have on its surroundings? On the generation directly after? Five hundred years later? The present day?
How did this activity/event change the way people viewed nature? How did it change the way they thought about God?
What current cultural trends are reflected in this activity? What cultural trends resulted from this event?
History
Be careful not to get “stuck in the past.”
Deal with the event’s relationship to similar prior events, its effect on the surrounding cultures, and any effects that stretch to the present day.
Conclude your paper by answering the question: What does this tell me about my own day and culture?
Literature
Treat the development of the genre under study, from its roots to the present day.
Math
The historical development of a type of mathematics (from Pythagoras and Euclid to the present).
The application of mathematics to specific scientific problems.
Science
A historical survey.
Experimentation or projects.
Languages
Write a paper on the literature of another country.
Write a literature, history, or creative paper in the foreign language of your choice.
Do a project. This project should be summarized in a ten-page essay.
Computer Programming
Indicate, first, what you believe are or will be the main advantages of computer technology, and why; second, indicate what are or will be the main disadvantages of computer technology, and why.
A programming project, with a manual to accompany the project.
Religion and Ethics
Trace the development of a certain aspect of faith and practice and reflect on present-day effects and applications.
Any paper treating the ethical aspect of some behavior must examine the history of the issue as well as evaluating present guidelines.
The Arts: Painting, Sculpture, Theater, Music
A historical survey (of a painting or sculptural style or school, the development of a particular theatrical convention, the performance history of one of Shakespeare’s plays, the development over time of a particular musical form or style, the development of an instrument).
A recital, an art exhibit, or a theatrical performance. A ten-page essay should document and explain this project.
Sports
A historical survey.
A sports performance, properly documented with a ten-page essay.