Description:
For this journaling activity, you will work on identifying a topic for your final research paper.
Objectives:
Discover your interests and potential topics using prewriting.
Instructions:
In a Microsoft Word document, compose a 150 – to 200-word “free write” which is an informal paper (or paragraph, in this case) where you simply brainstorm ideas on paper (or WORD, in this case). Please use this assignment to consider what kind of topic you would like to focus on in your final paper. Note, it must be something researchable, not personal. Hence, you cannot write about how much you enjoyed your latest birthday party (because that cannot be academically cited or verified), but you can write about the history of the “Happy Birthday” song or the tradition of pinatas (because these topics do have valid research articles supporting their histories). 
Note: The final paper will be 3-5 pages (double-spaced) not including the Title Page, Abstract Page, and Reference List (which must consist of at least five quality sources). It must be typed in Times New Roman 12 and adhere to APA formatting, as must all of the written assignments in this course.