Exploring purpose and topic

topic

Most evaluations you’re required to prepare for school or work come with assigned topics. But here are strategies to follow when you have a choice. (find a topic)

Evaluate a subject you know well. This is the safest option, built on the assumption that everyone is an expert on something. Years of reading Cook’s Illustrated magazine or playing tennis might make it natural for you to review restaurants or tennis rackets. You’ve accumulated not only basic facts but also lots of hands-on knowledge — the sort that gives you the confidence to offer an opinion. So go ahead and demonstrate your expertise.

Evaluate a subject you need to investigate. Perhaps you are applying to law schools, looking for family-friendly companies to work for, or thinking about purchasing an HDTV. To make such choices, you’ll need information. So kill two birds with a single assignment: Use the school project to explore personal or professional choices you face, find the necessary facts and data, and make a case for (or against) Arizona State, Whole Foods, or Sony.

Evaluate a subject you’d like to know more about. How do wine connoisseurs tell one cabernet from another and rank them so confidently? How would a college football championship team from the 1950s match up against more recent winning teams? Use an assignment to settle questions like these that you and friends may have debated late into the evening.

Evaluate a subject that’s been on your mind. Not all evaluations are driven by decisions of the moment. Instead, you may want to make a point about social, cultural, and political matters: You believe a particular piece of health-care or immigration legislation is bad policy or find yourself disturbed by changes in society. An evaluation is often the appropriate genre for giving voice to such thoughts, whether you compose a conventional piece or venture into the realms of satire or parody.