How to pick a PIP topic

[beatroot]

Hi to all Society & Culture students! Hope everyone is going well with their PIPs Still unsure what topic to do for your PIP? Well look no further. Below is a list of suggestions and methods you can use to determine your PIP topic.

If you take my class for example (as mentioned in the guide), the most common threads were:

- Culture/Race (casual racism / white privilege / discrimination towards minorities)
- Current events (secularisation / discrimination towards minorities / modern day slavery / women in sport)
- Gender (women in sport / modern day slavery / body images in media)
- Society (secularisation / modern day slavery / body images)

I reckon you could definitely start brainstorming ideas surrounding those threads. But also you can always check out the fundamental+additional concepts and work your way from there. What social topic is associated with time? Power? Technologies? etc. Is there a particular topic that gets you riled up. Imagine you're in a debate with a family or friend. Which topic will be most likely discussed and which topic are you more likely to participate in a discussion in?

For me, I always knew it was casual racism towards Asians. It gets me so angry hearing about it all the damn time and knew I had to be that "person" to stand up and speak up about it. Still can't think of that ONE topic that gets you riled up? Check out the latest news. What has Donald Trump done this time? What's going on with the refugee crisis? Why are sweatshops still a problem in the world? Why is there a wage gap between men and women? Find that topic that makes you ANGRY and makes you want to fling a chair at someone.

I'll suggesting looking at the 'Issues in Society' book series. You can check them out at any library! Some school libraries have it, so it's definitely worth a check. It has all the latest articles and stats on the said topic. Also, 'Issues in Society' is a good secondary source you can use for your PIP .

What topic did you submit for your PIP proposal (if you had one)? What comments has your teacher made?

Take a look at the core topic (Social and Cultural Continuity and Change) and the elective topics (Popular Culture, Social Inclusion and Exclusion, Belief Systems and Ideologies and Social Conformity and Non-Conformity). Are there are any social issues connected to those five topics?

I think another tip I would suggest is, AVOID DOING OVERDONE TOPICS. Not gonna lie, I'm so sick of hearing about body images and 'the impact of social media on a teenager's wellbeing'. That's just coming from the current Year 12s from my school. I can't imagine what it's like to be an official marker. By doing a unique topic, it shows that you are a socially and culturally literate student and that you actually took time to search for a greater topic that hasn't been talked about much and that needs desperate attention.

Good luck!