The cause and effect essay for a college course requires you to discuss a subject in length and provide either an explanation for the cause of something or an explanation for the effects of whatever results exist. Choosing a manageable assignment topic is important as it makes the process of finding relevant information easier. Here are some suggestions for coming up with a good topic:

Review the course syllabus for ideas

One of the most effective ways of developing topic ideas is having a look at the course syllabus and highlighting subject areas that interest you. Consider readings, course lectures, and more. The biggest advantage of this technique is that you generally might not have to do too much additional research and can focus on material to which you already have access.

Think about issues occurring around

You can spend a few minutes reading articles on news sites online or watching the evening news to learn a lot about current events happening in the world around you. This can lead to some pretty intriguing ideas to use for a college cause and effect essay. For instance, a pop star’s unexplained or sudden death can lead for a study on the cause and effects of certain behaviors.

List questions you want answered

Another great technique for come up with good essay topics is to list out a series of questions you would simply like to have answered. Look at these questions from both perspectives. For example, let’s say you want to know the long term effects of drinking alcohol. You can look at this from the opposite side and consider the details of the results and look for the main causes that might have led up to those effects. You may find something new or interesting that you might have overlooked by not considering different questions.

Brainstorm ideas with other students

Sometimes some of our best ideas come from simple conversation we have with other people. Take a page out of this technique and arrange a small brainstorming session with other students from your class. While you don’t want to copy someone else’s idea you can stimulate the creative and critical thinking processes to develop a list of topics you would like to explore. Just be sure you each discuss what you are likely to write your assignment on to ensure you don’t step on each other’s toes.