Someone has said, "You can't write writing." You must write to a target person or group, and you must have a purpose for writing. When we lack a sense of audience and purpose, we write badly. Consequently, in this course you must take the important first step of choosing your own topic--complete with audience, and purpose--so that you can develop an interesting and effective composite writing topic. Choosing your own topic improves the chances that you will care about your work, write with conviction, and see yourself as a "real-world writer."
This report is the culmination of the semester's work. You now write the report you proposed early in the semester--a feasibility report, manual, proposal, brochure, evaluation and recommendation report, or other approved document--designed to help a real or imaginary organization to solve a problem or reach a goal. Report length and sophistication will vary by topic and course.
You should first try for a 95%-100% real topic. Review the organizations you have been a part of, including your classes, jobs, clubs, teams, community groups, etc. Ask yourself, "What problem could I begin to solve?" or "What opportunity could I seize?" Consider your experience with the organization, your qualifications and interests, and your relationships with the other members. Weigh the scope of the problem or opportunity. If it is large, could you break off a chunk of it and still accomplish something meaningful? If it is small, is it significant enough to spend your time on?
Examples of topics rooted in reality include the following:
Examples of topics combining real interests/experience and a hypothetical setting.