Topic Ideas

November 04, 2025

Posted by STLCC in Tutoring Resources 

When you’re allowed to choose your own topic for a writing assignment, this freedom is an exciting opportunity to write about a topic you are passionate about, but sometimes having so many choices can be overwhelming. Below are some categories and broad topic ideas that you can pull from the clouds, or maybe you’ll be inspired by related ideas, either of which might get you going in an exciting direction.

Also included in this resource are examples of how to take a broad topic and narrow it, tailoring the idea to the type of assignment you’re writing, such as a narrative, an argument or a causal analysis (causes and effects).

Topic Examples

Education:
Sex education, homeschooling, school bullying, non-smoking campus, learning disabilities, Common Core, affirmative action

Equality and Human Rights:
Intolerance, hate groups, sexism and feminism, racism, religious freedom, criminal justice

Community and Social Issues:
Urban, suburban and rural life, St. Louis versus New Orleans, violence and gangs, The Gateway Arch and Forest Park, volunteerism, poverty, homelessness, materialism and consumer debt

Romantic Relationships:
Romantic love, online dating, communication, domestic violence and abuse, marriage and divorce

Family and Friends:
Parenting styles, mementos, unconditional love, personal boundaries, forgiveness

Recreation and Hobbies:
Fly-fishing, rock climbing, video games and MMORPGs, NASCAR, casinos

Work:
Networking, microlending, current or future job or career, customer service, labor unions, leadership

Identity and Appearance:
Body modification, tattoo art, standards of beauty, fashion trends, retro styles

Food:
Portion size, industrial agriculture, micro-brewed beers, organic food, genetically modified foods, heirloom seeds and gardening

Environmental Issues:
Green building, single-use plastics, alternative energy, climate change, national parks, biodiversity and extinction, animal rights

Technology:
Social networking sites, digital photo manipulation, open source software, technology’s effects on children’s social skills, net neutrality, screen time

History:
Historical preservation, inventions, nonviolence and disobedience, Martin Luther King Jr. and Gandhi, women’s rights and suffrage, World War II

Politics and Government:
Political partisanship, terrorism, immigration, anarchy, helmet laws, protests

Sports:
Snowboarding, professional sports, Baseball Hall of Fame, martial arts, stadiums

Health:
Diseases and conditions, eating disorders, learning disorders, vaccines, health insurance, mental health

Transportation:
Mass transit and buses, bicycling, MetroLink and trains, alternative fuels, electric and hybrid cars

Arts, Entertainment and Media:
Alternative, punk and rap music, reality TV, performance artists, cult and classic movies, celebrity culture, anime

Values:
Competition, duty and obligation, persistence and determination, creativity, resilience and perseverance, heroes

Still Stuck?

Think about what makes you feel strong emotions and what you are passionate about. Consider these questions:

• What makes you angry? What do you think is really unfair or wrong?
• What is a problem or solution you’ve been thinking about?
• What are you excited about? What do you like to talk about and do?

Narrowing and Shaping Topic Ideas Based on the Type of Assignment

Below are some examples of broad topics and ways of writing about them based on specific assignment types.

Broad Topic: Work

• Narrative: Write a story about a work-related event that changed the way you think or behave
• Observation: Using concrete, sensory language, describe an interesting workplace creating a dominant impression
• Causes or Effects: Examine what caused the disappearance of unions in the United States or the effects of that decline
• Definition: Define and discuss various meanings of “work”
• Literary Analysis: Analyze a workplace scene, for example in Sinclair’s The Jungle or Ellison’s Invisible Man. What does it tell us about the society and the author’s attitude toward the topic?
• Argument: Argue for or against the four-day workweek, NAFTA, unions or crossing strike lines

Broad Topic: Duty and Obligation

• Narrative: Tell the story of a specific event involving your fulfillment of a duty and how it changed you
• Observation: Using concrete, sensory detail, describe an event that involved fulfilling an obligation
• Definition: Define and explain various types of duty
• Cause and Effect: Discuss the actual or possible effects of failing to fulfill an obligation
• Argument: How much do we owe to our parents, our country, our religion or our friendships?

Broad Topic: Love

• Narrative: Tell about a personal experience involving love that changed how you relate to others
• Observation: Observe couples of different generations and compare their interactions
• Definition Essay:
  1. Define and discuss one or two types of love
  2. Define “family”
• Evaluation: Develop criteria for a loving relationship and evaluate characters in literature
• Argument: Argue for or against arranged marriage, polyamorous relationships or staying married for the sake of children