Any topic (writer’s choice)

Posted: July 31st, 2013

ALL of the Professional Experience Options require a minimum 20 page paper and all of the options will have a research element, requiring the use of secondary, academic sources.

Examples of Past Student Projects

Option 1: Research Paper
●    Art Therapy—reviewed the relevant literature on the purpose, history, and practice of art therapy, described some of the professional opinions about its use and effectiveness, and outlined career possibilities in the field
●    Women of the Civil War—explored the role of women in the Civil War through family history and scholarly sources
●    Curators and Contemporary Art—argued that curators have as much influence on art history as the artists themselves do
●    Object-Oriented Programming—compared OOP  to traditional programming methods and explored the uses and advantages of each

Option 2: Internship/Job Shadowing plus Documented Research Report
●    School-to-Work Transition Programs—evaluated school-to-work transition programs for students preparing to enter the workplace by interning in such a program, reporting case studies of the program’s participants, and describing the legislative and funding history of this type of social service
●    Using Technology for Better IT/IS Management—shadowed the IT manager at a local hospital and reported on the process of improving services through strategic technology management
●    Sound Engineering—shadowed a professional sound engineer in order to learn how theatrical and musical productions rely on sound engineering for their performances
●    Child Abuse Intervention: Becoming a CASA Volunteer—documented current child abuse statistics and information about prevention services, and explored the process of becoming a volunteer child advocate to help intervene in potential child abuse cases

Option 3: Fieldwork plus Documented Research Report
●    Fraley Branch Project—collected data on water quality in a small stream in Virginia, interviewed state and local officials about the issue, and reviewed the relevant scientific and legislative literature on the subject of rural water quality
●    Border Patrol and Illegal Immigration—conducted fieldwork during military service in order to report on contemporary immigration issues