One topic that i am thinking about using for my paper would be on the influence of immigrants on certain neighborhoods. I want to know in what ways have different communities been shaped by the immigrants that have arrived there? For instance, the food, art, and overall culture of the community. I am not entirely sure on which specific community i want to focus on, but i am leaning towards Sunnyside and Woodside queens. I can find data through the U.S. Bureau of Census, as well as scholarly resources. I can conduct interviews within the neighborhood on people that have resided in these communities for a long time and have witnessed first hand the effects of newcomers.
My second topic of choice would be the health benefits of smoking medical marijuana for Veterans. I am interested in this topic because I am a Coast Guard Veteran. I believe that cannabis could be beneficial for veterans to help relieve certain ailments from PTSD for instance. A question I have is what affect does marijuana have on the human body? How does marijuana affect the brain? What potential benefits come from smoking Marijuana? Data can be extracted from within specific studies conducted by scientists throughout the years, as well as first hand accounts.
Jonathan, these are both interesting topics, and you could definitely write your paper on either one. I encourage you to do some research to see what else has been written on each of your proposed topics. For example, many social scientists have written about immigrant settlement and community formation in various Queens neighborhoods. It will help you to learn more about the areas of consensus and debate, to figure out what you want to say and where it fits in. You may also want to focus your study on a specific immigrant community. I’m happy to recommend a few articles and books to get you started!
Your second topic idea is one that is also subject to many debates. Again, I recommend checking out the existing literature–from scientific studies to social sciences–as you develop your own research question.