need help. writing a paper on body language.

so, i have to choose a topic, &i chose body language. problem is, i don't know which sub-division of body language i should write about. there are so many to choose from. i had originally picked romantic body language, but i would feel uncomfortable talking in front of the class using the words "erotic" &such. haha

heres's a list

too many to choose from.

haha I'm taking a (short) break from writing a paper right now.. lets see...

I would pick dominant or aggressive body language just because they sound much more interesting than "bored" body language!! =P also you would be able to get into gender differences because while male and female body language may be the same with a lot of those, they definitely show aggression/dominance differently.

wow, cel- GREAT idea! that would give me SO much material to work with &it would interest my peers cause hey, who doesnt love the whole men vs. women???

i was also wondering, do you know any websites for  good scholarly journals or articles? my school's sucks.

i wouldn't feel weird saying erotic in front of people. as long as YOU'RE serious about it and don't get a serious case of the giggles (as i am wont to do), you'll have a topic that people are actually INTERESTED in, and they'll take you seriously!

unfortunately all the websites that I know for those sort of articles are ones that you have to pay for (I log into them from my school server) and I don't know any free ones.. but try doing some specific searching using "and/or" in the search engines and you might come up with something. good luck!!

i mean i wouldnt feel uncomfortable saying erotic in front of few friends, but in front of a CLASS? &EVERYONE there is older than me. i'm the youngest, so it makes it even more scary. plus, i would feel uncomfortable showing/demonstrating some of the things. haha. =/

thanks cel! =)

check with your school, there's a good chance they've got a school-wide subscription to jstor, which is pretty much the best journal archive you could possibly get access to. the librarian can usually give you the login information. i know my high school had it. i just wish i had discovered it while i was still IN high school.

ohhh, i still wouldn't worry about that. like i said, if you can successfully pull off a serious presentation without dissolving into the giggles, they'll probably respect you even more!

EDIT: this looks really interesting

maybe start your paper with some general info on body language, and then move on to specific studies like the above link. Also scroll down to the "references" on the above link and try to see if you can find those articles somewhere..since they are all on your topic! whenever you find an article that is relevant to your topic you should check their references for where they got THEIR info.

jstor wont work. any others?

Original Post by cel301:

EDIT: this looks really interesting

maybe start your paper with some general info on body language, and then move on to specific studies like the above link. Also scroll down to the "references" on the above link and try to see if you can access those articles..since they are all on your topic!

 thank you! so helpful! haha

Original Post by yourfavoriteblonde:

ohhh, i still wouldn't worry about that. like i said, if you can successfully pull off a serious presentation without dissolving into the giggles, they'll probably respect you even more!

 nah, i decide not to do it when my prof asked the class "what topic have you decided on?" i could BARELY even say "romantic body language" &i'm not one to get embarassed or worked up that quickly.

haha. well i guess you've got to go with what you're comfortable with!

if you live near a major university, swing by their library, lots of times they've got a "friends of the library" type deal, where you get access to their journal subscriptions and stuff. and even if they don't have that, you can always go to the reference desk, they'll be more than happy to show you how to use the catalog and use the hardback journals. 

(ps, i'm assuming you're in high school because i feel like i saw you mention that once before in another thread. if you're not, my sincerest apologies!!)

im a sophmore in college. i'm supposed to be a senior in high school though.

i think ill just ask a few friends where they get their articles from.

thanks to the both of you!

if you're in college, you should definitely have access to jstor!! ask around, i'll bet you do! 

i'm telling you, jstor got me through college. if it weren't for jstor, i'd be a dropout. it's like my history degree bible.

congrats on being a super smart kid. i'm jealous. i'm graduating a semester late (this december) and even though it's because i'm getting two degrees instead of one, i still feel kinda guilty. i'm really jealous of people who are ahead of the game!

what did you get two of your degrees in? i'm confused are you a double major?

oh, &thanks. =)

yeah, i'm a double major. history and spanish. i graduate in six months and i have NO idea what i'm going to do with it. i know that my next step is an MA in history, but then after that, i'm at a loss. oh well. at least i'll be smart and good for conversation. (and super awesome at translating for just about everyone i know on a regular basis).

couldn't you teach with those majors. i have a friend who has a friend (lol) who is majoring in history &he has to write ALOT. like 20+ &he's just a freshman. jeez, i HATE writing. how do you do it?

it helps when you're writing about something you're interested in. last semester i wrote a 20+ pager on this one lady saint from england, and this semester i wrote a 15 pager on the black death (by far the coolest paper i've EVER written, i was actually sad when it was done) and a 25er (in spanish) on the new world discoveries. 

i will say, when it comes to me and writing, i am a procrastinator. i write my best papers when i've got 2-3 days to knock out 20 pages. i don't know why. i don't recommend it. for whatever reason, i got lucky in that aspect.

i'm like that too! i'm really good at pulling my best last minute. although i wish i would start sooner on getting my things done. ah, o well. but seriously, 20 pages? i have a hard enough time writing 4 page papers. i hate writing, even if i am interested in the subject.

my paper due in 14 hours is 15 pages and I've only written 2. =( lol