Senior Research Paper

Each student will be required to complete a 4-6 page fully documented research paper which examines some aspect of a global, national, state, or local issue and how economics plays an important role in that issue. The research paper is required to be supported by utilizing at least four sources, at least one of which needs to be a non-internet source. Any internet source must be from a legitimate database. The format of the research paper should be in the MLA writing style and the paper should contain internal citations as well as a works cited page. The assignment will be broken into three parts.

The first portion will be a formal one page topic proposal, highlighting the purpose and scope of the topic to be investigated (such as causes and possible solutions of the topic), which will be due by the end of October (for the Fall semester) or by the end of February (for the Spring semester).

The second portion of the assignment will be an annotated bibliography of the sources to be used in the paper and will be due at the end of November, after Thanksgiving break (for the Fall semester) or by the end of March (for the Spring semester).

The final portion of the assignment will be the completed paper and will be due before the end of the second quarter, the end of January (for the Fall semester) or by the end of May (for the Spring semester). 

Possible Topic Ideas include:  (Please get your teacher's approval for topics not included on this list before undertaking too much research on a different topic)

REITS (Real Estate Investment Trusts): What are they, why are they good/bad investments, how they impact the real estate market and the local/national/international economy(ies)

Anti-Trust Laws and their Economic Impact

NAFTA (The North American Free Trade Agreement) and its Economic Impact on the U.S., Canada, Mexico, and the World

OPEC and its Economic Impact

The Economic Aspects of the European Union

The Council of Economic Advisers

Farm Subsidies and their Economic Impact

Federal Trade Commission

Flat Taxes, Progressive Taxes, and Regressive Taxes: Arguments for and Against

Value Added Taxes: Arguments for and Against

Right to Work Laws and their Economic Impact

Internet Commerce: Its Economic Impact on Brick-and-Mortar Stores, Local Economies, Sales Tax Collection, and the National and World Economies

Minimum Wage Laws and their Economic Impact

World Bank

International Monetary Fund

Free Trade and the World Trade Organization: Pros and Cons

The History of Collective Bargaining (The Taft-Hartley Act and the Landrum-Griffin Act)

The AFL-CIO

The Economic Costs and Benefits of the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency)

Dow Jones Industrial Average: Its Usefulness and its Limitations

The National Labor Relations Board

Stock Exchanges (NYSE, Amer. Stock Exchg., Nasdaq, Over-the-counter)

The Federal Government Budget

The Federal Debt

Medicare and Medicaid

Social Security

Unemployment Insurance

Seasonal Unemployment

Supply-Side Economics

Keynesian Economics

The Federal Reserve System

The Money Supply and Monetary Policy

The Consumer Price Index (and the Producer Price Index)

The IRS

Inflation: Causes and Solutions

Unemployment: Causes and Solutions

Commodities Trading

Currency Default Swaps

Patent Law and/or Trademark Law

Consumer Protection

Energy Independence

Nuclear Power

Tort Reform

Universal Healthcare

Hydrofracking and its Economic Impact

School Choice (Charter Schools and/or Vouchers) and its Economic Impact