Majors and Careers - ENG1100: College Writing - Summer 2025 - LibGuides at William Paterson University

Researching Your Topic

Develop Your Research Topic

Begin to think about possible topics, issues, events, etc.

Start with a topic that interests you.
Conduct some preliminary research to determine what has already been written on the topic.
What are the key concepts of your topic?
Can you broaden or narrow your focus?
Develop your thesis statement.

Consider focusing on one or more of the following:

time period
specific event
specific people
historic events of the time

Does your topic overlap other subject areas such as history, geography or political science?

Think of 2- 3 questions that you will need to explore.

Think about the topic you are researching and the topic's main issues.
What was the historical period of your topic?
What happened that was significant?

Under each question, think about the following aspects:

What do you already know about your topic?
What do you need to learn to better understand your topic or issue?
What kind of information resource might provide the answer to these questions?

Sources for Majors and Careers

Occupational Outlook Handbook
The Occupational Outlook Handbook is a resource published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) that provides information on hundreds of occupations in the United States. It is a nationally recognized source for career information, offering details about what workers do in different jobs, the work environment, required education and training, pay, and job outlook. The Handbook is primarily organized by jobs, but it includes a "Field of Degree" page that can use college majors as a starting point for exploring possible careers.
Big Future: Explore Career Possibilities
The College Board's "Explore Career Possibilities" site includes several resources to help students match their educational pathway to a career. Tools include a "Career Search" section that provides details about specific occupations, the most common educational level generally required for them, median yearly income, and projected job growth; a "Career Quiz" designed to match your personal interests to jobs; and "Career Paths for Popular Majors." There is also a useful "College Majors" section that can be used as a starting point for exploring careers by major.
Titles in the "Great Jobs for ... Majors" Series
The library owns several volumes in this series, including those for English, Math, Business, History, and Liberal Arts majors.

Education for Employability by Higgs, Joy, Geoffrey Crisp, and William J. Letts, eds.
Call Number: [ E-BOOK ]

ISBN: 9004400834

Publication Date: 2019

In this book experts explore critical questions in the employability agenda: Who sets the standards and expectations of employability? How do students monitor their own employability? How can universities design whole curricula and university environments that promote employability? What teaching and learning strategies facilitate the development of employability?
Education for Employability. Volume 2, Learning for Future Possibilities by Higgs, Joy, Geoffrey Crisp, and William J. Letts, eds.
Call Number: [ E-BOOK ]

ISBN: 9789004418707

Publication Date: 2019

This book examines how higher education and vocational training must adapt to a rapidly evolving, globalized, and digitally driven world. It argues that employability is less about a fixed set of skills and more about a mindset—one that embraces uncertainty, continuous career identity formation, and self-management over the lifespan.
Major Decisions: College, Career, and the Case for the Humanities by Laurie Grobman; E. Michele Ramsey
Call Number: [ E-BOOK ]

ISBN: 9780812296945

Publication Date: 2020-03-13

This book demonstrates how choosing a major in the humanities is a worthwhile investment in a global economy that is shifting in the direction of college graduates who think broadly, critically, and ethically.

Librarian

Satasha Williams

Email Me

Contact:

973-720-3190

Subjects: Asian Studies, Languages & Cultures, Latin American & Latino Studies

Common Categories of Traditions

There are many types of traditional practices and beliefs. When searching for information on traditions, it's a good idea to focus on a specific category or type of tradition to get useful results. Here are some examples:

Authority
Belief
Conventions
Craft
Economy
Etiquette
Fashion
Food
Holidays
Knowledge
Language
Lifestyle
Myth
Norms
Pastimes
Rite of Passage
Rituals
Roles
Rules
Storytelling
Systems

ENG1100: College Writing - Summer 2025: Majors and Careers

Researching Your Topic

Sources for Majors and Careers

Librarian

Common Categories of Traditions