220+ best humanities research paper topics
Choosing a paper topic can be a daunting task for any assignment. A student may face agony trying to come up with the best topic to impress their instructor and readers. The best way to come up with a humanities research paper topic is to broadly begin with an area that holds your interest and then capture this as your paper writing decision. Choosing a topic that captures your attention and captivates you makes the paper-writing process entirely seamless.
You may start by reviewing your course book for ideas on several subjects in humanities you might discuss. Humanities contain an array of topics such as history, music, philosophy, architecture, art, religion, etc. You may choose to write on any of these subjects unless required to write about a specific subject by your instructor.
What are the humanities?
Humanities study features of human society and culture from a critical point of view. Humanities promote vast research, critical thinking, creativity, and qualitative analysis. Each discipline within humanities employs certain interpretation methods most suitable to it. For example, historical methods are used on history to evaluate whether it is oral, cultural, or quantitative history.
Topics for humanities research papers
We have understood how to come up with a topic and what humanities are. Here are a few examples of good research topics:
- Analyze the causes of war? Will planet earth ever experience peace?
- What are the underlying ethics and moral issues behind modern reproductive technologies?
- Is objectivity a ripple effect of critical thinking?
- What are the drawbacks of pragmatism in North America?
- How are idealistic concepts applied every day?
- Make a critical investigation of why it is so hard for humans to understand each other’s feelings
- How do advertisements influence political views?
- Compare and contrast: Sheikh Zayed and Barrack Obama
- Issues surrounding the US-Mexico border
- What is the correlation between public policy and collective action?
- Is the application of behavioral game theory feasible in politics?
- An analysis of urbanization in developing nations
- What effect did the 911 terrorist attack have on Muslims
- The importance of studying humanities
- The effect of social media on modern human interactions
- Animal and human sacrifice in religion
- Reformation in art
- The age of enlightenment
- Human subcultures
- The correlation between theology and medicine
- The role of music in pushing political propaganda
- The relevance of humanities in the age of information
- Racism and the relation to the human family unit
- Mayan architecture, art, and history
- Cults and contemporary religious movements
- Can photography be used to shape public opinion?
- Liberal arts in edification in the 21st century
- Modern music and political clarification
- The printing press: is it a dying industry
- Social Darwinism
- The education experience: color and gender
- Why do human beings engage in acts of violence?
- The dystopian revolution: corporate and social control
- The meaning of freedom within humanities
- The sciences versus humanities
- A historical review of humanities on the late, middle, and early middle ages
- Roles and jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court
- Is it fair for an employer to dictate employee conduct outside the workplace
- Ethics and moral dilemmas surrounding assisted suicide
- A study of conscience rights within the workplace
- The roles of labor unions in workplace negotiations
- The threat of maritime piracy in the 21st century
- Is human cloning morally and ethically acceptable
- The life of Christians in the modern middle east
- A look at the neo-romantic era
- Analyzing the theme of tragedy in Romeo and Juliet by Shakespeare
- The role of symbolism in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling
- The politicization of futurism in the 20th century?
- Scientific revolution within the arts: Francis Bacon
- Egyptian art as a world heritage
- The life of Jesus as depicted in medieval Europe
- Mosque architecture: typology and art
- Art in the Renaissance era: the human body
- A history of the culture and ways of Native Americans
- Effects of the reconstruction on African Americans
- Revolution against slave trade: John Brown
- Socrates’s philosophy in Western democracy
- The role of religion in influencing Middle Eastern politics
- The role of song in warfare
- The correlation between ear training and human biology
- Modern music and file-sharing issues
- A review of classical compositions: Mozart
- The foundation of modern rock music: the pentatonic minor scale
- The influence of music on human emotion
- Mastery of an instrument: practice versus innate ability
- The evolution of music production in the computer age
- An account of past piano methods
- Medical anthropology
- Cultural imperialism and contemporary media
- Political correctness in the new millennia
- Pagan festivals and rituals
- Cultural implications of deviant behavior
- Critical race theory
- Lives of contemporary Jewish families
- The influence of health and illness on human society
- The rise of cities and the way of living of the modern man
- Technology and automation: evolution of human behavior
- Islamic societies: lives of inter-racial couples
- The influence of the first African American president: Barrack Obama
- Culture and life of the Quechua people of Peru
- Modern policy and environmental anthropology
- How does archeology enable the study of past human culture?
- The significance of the Digital Archeology Record in preserving irreplaceable archeological records
- Derivations about the earthly species from the archeological study
- The correlation between time, space, and archeological records
- A behavioral evaluation of vandals: ancient and ceremonial archeological records
- The Taj Mahal: inspiration of its creation and building
- An analysis of contemporary artists breaking genre stereotypes
- Art by Pablo Picasso
- Trends and aspects of digital art
- Does the expression of art have boundaries?
- Compare and contrast Mesoamerican and Egyptian pyramids
- The history of the Venetian masks festival
- What is the relationship between art and philosophy?
- A critical analysis of the foundations of futurism
- Discuss the element of style in Gustav Klimt’s The Kiss
- Discuss the power of art therapy
- Should academics include the recognition of art?
- American vs. Bollywood dance routines
- Contemporary dance styles in modern society
- Greek vs. Roman mythology
- 18th and 19th-century art: similarities and differences
- Description of art in India and Artwork
- Influence of Adolf Hitler on art
- Is it possible to decode abstract art?
- Political cartoons as a form of art
- The thinker vs. Venus de Milo
- Is television becoming obsolete?
- The intrinsic value of truth and knowledge
- The mind philosophy: dualism
- Moral epistemology
- What is the difference between knowledge and vagueness
- Probability theory and quantum thinking
- Understanding happening in semantic history
- The welfare and rights of animals in society
- Understanding of the Copenhagen concept
- Discuss contemporary life values
- Discuss argumentatively: Is earth home to the only living organisms in the universe?
- Can an individual attain happiness without a family?
- What is the moral concept of breaking laws and rules for the greater good
- Explain the concept of love and why it is so important to humans
- Which is more important in the contemporary world: a higher IQ or EQ?
- Is ideal democracy achievable?
- Discuss the concept of life after death, do you believe in it?
- Explain what happiness means to you
- Which theory appeals most to you: determinism or free-will
- The impact of genetics on human life
- Safety issues in construction sites
- Challenges in the design and building of sports structures
- An analysis of the uniqueness of Chinese architecture
- Is virtual planning feasible and reliable?
- Methods of preserving ancient buildings
- Compensation and payment disparities among architects in the US and Europe
- Is extreme weather a factor to consider in determining the durability of a building?
- Pros and Cons of vertical housing
- What are the applications of computer technology in architecture and building
- What are the most significant things to consider for resilient design?
- Discuss the best practices in urban planning
- Assess the origins of Islamic architecture
- What has information modeling done to influence architecture?
Interesting humanities research paper topics
A great way of easily writing a humanities research paper is searching for an interesting topic. These topics are usually non-technical but offer insight and learning into your subject of study. Here are a few examples:
- American distress and popular culture
- Discuss the theory of distraction
- Philosophical theory: hedonism
- Discuss the nature of being
- Is war justifiable
- An analysis of the theory of scientific realism
- Outlook of the philosophy of language
- The black hole theory
- Describe your view of a perfect life
- What roles do good and evil play in society
- Compare and contrast spiritual power and free will
- Egoism: pros and cons
- Should abortion be legalized?
- Is patriotism a virtue?
- White lies: when should we tell them
- Will Artificial Intelligence renders the humans useless
- Describe anti-utopianism
- Is it ethical to allow euthanasia in healthcare
- What has impacted human knowledge: evolution, experience, or learning
- What is power?
- Are people and animals different?
- Discuss the role of society in the formation of an individual’s society
- Which is better, a vocation or a well-paying job?
- Has the significance of education evolved, is it for everyone?
- Is there relativity in truth?
- Discuss the concept of eternity
- Do video games affect the morality of their consumers?
- Is it possible to always think positively?
- Communism vs. capitalism
- Is it ethical to perform experiments on human subjects?
- Should there be a reason for the creation of a space code of ethics by humans?
- Does culture influence morals?
- Is the existence of the American dream still there?
- Human nature: God and man
- Is capital punishment justifiable
- Discuss mass incarceration’s effect on the overcrowding of correctional facilities and ways to impede it
Social science research topics
Social science is a division of science that studies individuals’ relationships with society. Social sciences try to understand the working of the human mind and how society functions. Students studying social sciences develop dispositions, content, ideas, and skills that are needed to become well-informed and fully active citizens. Here are a few social science research topics for college students available for your social science assignments:
- Conspiracy theories
- A study of the New World Order
- Issues of race and politics
- The gold rush of California
- Real issues that led to and sustained the Vietnam war
- The impact that WWII had on women
- Should same-sex marriage be made legal?
- State vs. Federal power
- Discuss the concepts and underlying principles of advertising
- Labeling theory: an analysis of its basic principles
- Do sports have an impact on adolescents’ mental health, how so?
- What is the process and contribution to the establishment of social norms in society?
- Opinions and concepts on intersexuality
- Prostitution: what would be the impact of legalizing it
- Should there be more stringent punishment for hate crimes?
- Is social media activism impactful: role of social media in policy implementation
- Discuss the impact of prison overcrowding on society
- Analyze the evolution of feminism in the last ten years
- Analyze the issues of data and information security in the information era
- Religious discrimination: islamophobia
- Do movies influence human value systems?
- Compare and contrast experiences between growing up in a nuclear family versus an extended family
- Psychological development of children: analysis of gender-oriented toys
- The influence of same-sex parenting on a child’s psychology
- Is population control ethical and moral?
- Hitler versus Obama: an analysis of good and bad role models in history
- Impacts and Issues of English as the global language
- A comparison between the metric system and the imperial system
- The effects of cosmetic advertisements on self-image
- The importance of taking care of your mental health
- Does technology promote and enhance a culture of procrastination
- A review of steps to making a friend
- Perception control: should people judge me based on what I wear?
- The workplace: a look at women’s rights
- A statistical analysis of the worldwide suicide rate according to gender
- What role do tabloids play in defamation: an ethical and moral approach
- A moral approach: the electric chair versus a lethal injection
- Are facial recognition and behavioral analysis systems used for racial profiling?
- Correlation between race and education levels
- Aspects of immigration and assimilation
- The influence of romantic comedies on women’s ideas about love
- Does social media promote narcissistic tendencies?
- Instagram vs. Twitter vs. Facebook: an analysis of each of its users and audience
- A review of food laws and regulations
- Is being a vegan a great practice?
- The culture of extreme sports: skiing, surfing, and skating
- Does competition between young women digress strides made by feminism
- The dilemma: globalization vs. national identity
- Trends and ways of bullying in colleges and the workplace
- Is society overloaded with too much data: information overload
- Social stigma and isolation of people living with HIV/AIDS
- The impact and influence of developing countries: the global economy and international law
- An evaluation of the effectiveness of fighting poverty on earth
- School gun violence
- Could virtual reality redefine social interaction?
Humanities research example
From the list of our research paper topics, we have picked one of the interesting topics we have for our paper example. The example below is under linguistics one of the branches of humanities:
Impacts and Issues of English as the global language
What would happen if the world did not share common languages? Would people from different cultures and countries communicate? English is used by many people across the world and is considered one of the most important languages in the world’s history. We will look at the impacts (both good and bad) of using English as a global language.
English as a global language allows for the transmission of information and interconnectedness among people. For example, English is the main language used in mainstream media to convey international news. Major news outlets such as CNN and BBC have their broadcasts in English. Al Jazeera, an Arabian news company changed its name from the Arabic language to English to gain a wider audience. If different people from different non-speaking countries come together, their common language of communication will most probably be English. Hence, language acts as a link between people.
The predominant use of the English language could lead to the death of other languages. According to linguists, the death of a language refers to a lack of speakers of the language. The death of a language also leads to lost traditions, culture, and heritage. The use of an international language may seem appealing hence native languages are rendered useless. Loss of language eventually leads to loss of diversity.
In conclusion, English as a global language has both its positive and negative impacts. English allows for interconnectedness and a free flow of knowledge. On the other hand, it leads to a loss of culture and diversity through language death. How has English as a global language impacted your life?
The briefly written essay above presents one of the easiest research paper topics for a humanities class. The topic is easily researchable by use of primary, secondary, and web sources.
Humanities research paper format
Since Humanities consists of very broad subjects, they are ideal for writing a research paper. After carefully choosing good research topics, go ahead and do thorough research on your chosen research topics. The best formatting style for writing your humanities research paper is Modern Language Association (MLA) format. A basic humanities research paper consists of three parts introduction, body, and conclusion.
Outline of the introduction of a humanities research paper
The introduction of your paper should have the following features:
- Start the introduction with a hook sentence to grab the attention of the reader
- Give a summary humanities topic you are addressing in your essay
- Define terminology that may be new, complex to understand, or important to the audience
- Conclude your introduction with a thesis statement
Outline of the body of a humanities research paper
The body is the largest part of your research paper. It should have the following elements:
- All significant parts of the paper should be discussed in full within the body part of the essay
- Back up all your main points with appropriate examples
- Use sources as evidence to support your main points such as quotations, facts, statistics, previously done research, etc.
Outline of the conclusion of a humanities research paper
This is the final and yet significant part of your research essay. Here are a few things you should consider while writing your conclusion:
- Paraphrase the thesis statement you had written in your introduction
- Summarize all the main points within the body part of your paper
- End your conclusion with a provoking question or a call to action to your audience
Humanities final project ideas
You may be nearing the end of your humanities studies and need a project to complete your course work. Coming up with a suitable project idea can be an uphill task. With a little bit of research, however, you may be able to find the perfect idea for your project. Ensure your study comprises research topics about humanities and social sciences. Here are a few final project ideas:
- The effects of the Somali conflict on student performance a case study of immigrant students studying in Kenya
- A study on the effects of alcoholism on family development in Africa
- Promotion of children’s rights in war and conflict regions by international organizations
- Motor speech skills among children suffering cerebral palsy: a study of African special schools
- A study of impressionism, fashion, and modernity.
In summary
Choosing a great humanities topic requires vast research over several humanities research paper topics. Once you narrow down the most interesting and researchable topic, writing the paper becomes a seamless experience. Humanities comprise the study of people and society. It is a vast subject with subdivisions that comprise many interesting topics for research.
The most suitable paper format to use with your chosen topic for a humanities research paper is MLA. A humanities paper has a simple outline comprised of an introduction, body, and conclusion.
You may need a few ideas for your humanities project as part of your coursework. Detailed research will lead you to a good idea for your project. In case you need to write a humanities paper and can’t seem to come up with a topic in mind, go through this article for some insight. For humanities assignment help visit My Homework Writers.