Public:
- of, relating to, or affecting all of the people or the whole area of a nation or state;
- of or relating to a government;
- of or relating to business or community interests as opposed to private affairs.
Policy
a definite course or method of action selected from among alternatives and in light of given conditions to guide and determine the general goals and acceptable procedures especiallyof a governmental body.
Issue:
a matter that isin dispute between two or more parties: a point of debate orcontroversy.
Attributes of a Good Topic
A successful topic is one where a dispute or controversy exists over the course or manner of action that government and other actors should take to resolve a problem that affects all or a significant part of the public.
Descriptive questions:
- How much will college cost in 1996?
- What causes AIDS?
- Are most homeless people unemployed?
Prescriptive questions:
- Should tuition be a major barrier to college admission?
- Is Federal AIDS research policy an appropriate response to the AIDS crisis?
- Will government economic policies reduce unemployment and thereby reduce the homeless population?
Prescriptive questions are:
1. Evaluative (good? bad? right? wrong?)
- Is an existing or proposed policy the right course of action?
2. Assert causal relationships (action verbs)
- "x" causes "y."
- "a" is the result of "b."
- If we do "r" it will help resolve problem "s."
3. Based on specific knowledge. (Independent authorities)
- Studies show that "x" causes "y."
- Authorities say that "a" is the result of "b."
- S.B. 47 proposes we do "r" to resolve problem "s."
A successful question will help you:
- move from the abstract to the specific;
- sort out the competing claims being made about the issue;
- focus your research efforts on a critical aspect of the topic;
- contain your research in a manageable range of material.
School of Journalism and Communication