2,893 Inspirational Passion Project Ideas

Turn inspirations into your passion project.

This collection of project ideas, shared by Polygence mentors, is meant to help inspire student thinking about their own project. Students are in the driver seat of their research and are free to use any or none of the ideas shared by their mentors.

Check out some projects

Old Stuff Still Matters!

Show in essay, audio, or visual form how the world we live in is shaped by the poetry you find the most beautiful or the past events you think are the most fascinating.

History

Daniel

Union Negotiation Across Borders and Political Leanings

How do social safety nets impact the tactics employed by Unions when negotiating worker contracts? In this project, we look at a number of countries and compare practices, then relating them to the political and economic environment different unions exist in.

Psychology, History, Languages

Nathan

Building an Online Exhibition

Do you love museums? Perhaps an art gallery strikes your fancy. What if we took something you're passionate about - a hobby, a niche interest, a research project - and turned that into a digital exhibition for all to see!? (It would be pretty rad) This project culminates in building a media-rich, digital collection using the open-source platform Omeka. Although the subject material can vary, humanities/creative arts adjacent topics may feel most tangible to initially dive right into. Throughout the project, we'll discuss research processes, craft a thoughtful and engaged narrative, choose items, work with metadata, and assemble an exhibit. Depending on the subject matter and access to materials, we can also engage with digitization techniques. We can also explore options to potentially host your exhibit so it can be accessible via the Internet!

History

James

General Law

Any project associated with any legal topic (Criminal Law, Contracts, Civil Procedure, etc...)

History

Rebecca

Capital Punishment in America

Examining the legislation and case law surrounding capital punishment in various jurisdictions across America.

History

Rebecca

Tools of Surveillance

This project takes a deep-dive into the history of surveillance in both the US's criminal justice and immigration systems. From vetting systems used to exclude immigration since the 1800s, to biometric tools like fingerprint and facial recognition scans used at our borders today, the US government has a rich history of using surveillance technology as a means to control its populations. Questions on this topic might ask: What are the effects of surveillance (both perceived and actual) on immigrant populations? What are the possible consequences of the lack of regulation of facial recognition technology (in both the private and public sectors)? When we introduce the concept of algorithmic bias to biometric technology, what implications might this have on vulnerable populations?

Psychology, History, Literature

Rachael

Classical Reception in Modern Media

Are you interested in the ways in which Classical mythology and iconography are used within modern media? What can the Ancient Greek text and imagery within Lil Nas X's "Montero (Call Me By Your Name)" video tell us about the queer experience in America? What purpose does the Orpheus myth serve within Portrait of a Lady On Fire (2019)? If this type of project interests you, I'd love to work together. We would begin by reading and discussing important works on Classical reception, and then shift our focus to the media of your choice to produce a research paper, journal article, or oral presentation.

History

Mikaela (Mik)

Investigating the theatrical economy of Early Modern London

Background: Theater blossomed in Early Modern London, leading to many of the plays and production techniques that are most famous today. Networks of actors, writers, producers, patrons, and craftspeople collaborated to build a new industry around an established medium. What made this period and city so unique? How were these economic forces reflected in the plays themselves? Questions like these guide academics, who tend to use literature as a tool to understand broader cultural and historical themes. Process: After solidifying your background knowledge, it will be important to narrow your focus to a particular aspect of this period's drama, whether that is a specific play, a theater, or even a production company. Looking for sources in academic journals, literary texts, and primary sources like historical documents will lead you to unexpected connections and a growing clarity about your specific argument. Finally, understanding the broader critical context of how this period has been discussed will allow you to position your argument to make it more unique and effective. Knowledge and skills: Over the course of this project, you will become familiar with the most common skills for humanities research: finding and synthesizing sources, situating your argument in its critical context, digital archival work, close reading, outlining, and explaining the relevance of your results. Outcomes: Literary analysis tends to fit best in essay form, but there are lots of supplemental ways that you can display your findings. Trendy fields like the Digital Humanities and New Theater Studies have placed a great emphasis on websites and even creative writing as a way to enhance an academic argument. We'll review some examples of what's being done currently and look a tools you can use to share your work online in an interactive form.

Arts, History, Languages, Social Science

Henry

The World of Sagas: Studying Medieval Icelandic Literature

Outlaws and family feuds? Stormy seas and raiding parties? Say no more! In this project, the student will dive into the world of medieval Icelandic literature, studying the artistry of its style from some of its most important works. Together, we will design a program aimed at comprehensively studying these and producing an original project from what we learn. Whether this means research writing, a multimedia project, or even trying your hand at writing your own saga, the student will learn the talents of sophisticated literary analysis, critical thinking, and open-minded scholarship.

History

Griffin Smith-Nichols

Rural Multiracial Students and Their Transition to a R1 Institution

In this project, I would use qualitative methods to investigate the multi-leveled challenges faced by multiracial and transracial adopties who grew up in rural areas of the southwest and now are transitioning into college at a R1 institution. The culmination of this project would be an academic poster with testimonials and quotes from anonymous interview participates.

History

Sydney

The History of Race and Food in America

This project would examine the racial dynamics of food throughout American history. This research will delve into history to help answer our modern question: who owns land in this country and why, where is food unaffordable, and who is producing our food?

History, Languages, Environmental Science, Social Science, Nutrition

Claire

Archival Research Presentation

Lots of libraries and other organizations have archives and special collections that pretty much anyone can visit. In this project, you will learn the skills of archival research and we will work together to create a presentation of your research. You will produce an informative talk about what you found in your chosen archives and you can present it with accompanying slides, photos, and texts.

History

Erin

The Anthropology of Time and COVID-19

This project examines the experience of time during the COVID-19 pandemic. In this project, students will write a research paper or visual essay that asks how the pandemic altered our perceptions of time? Students will select a group to focus on (nurses, doctors, delivery workers, High School students, parents), and consider this question from their perspective by drawing on newspaper articles, social media posts, and/or personal experience ("autoethnography"). We will consider: Who or what gets to "slow down"? Who or what must continue apace? How has COVID changed or introduced new cultures of time?

History, Social Science

Kristen

Contemporary Connections to Historical Themes

One of the most exciting things about history is making connections between historical research and our present moment. These kinds of connections are important not only in traditional academic writing, but also in journalistic pursuits as well. Together we could delve into archival sources to uncover historical trends and phenomena, and connect them to present day events and trends. These connections can be explored in a traditional academic paper, or be used as the basis for a podcast series, social media project, or digital archive. An online exhibit, social media page dedicated to a concrete theme, or even a news article or an op-ed would be a fun project that we can work to develop together.

History

Alexandra

1. Writing a literature review

In this project, you will research and write a literature review on a topic of your choice. Topics could range from anything within environmental science history (the history of polar exploration), to contemporary art history (the history of art and environmental activism). This project will teach you how to find, organize, and synthesize important writing on your chosen topic, as well as help you identify a place where you could do more research in the future. Literature reviews are projects that give you skills in editing, writing, best practices in finding organizing primary literature, and will help you gain in-depth knowledge on your research topic.

Arts, History, Literature, Creative Writing

Clarissa

Music evolution through the decades: Analyzing the history of your favorite music genre

Students could pick their favorite genre of music, for example Hip-Hop, Jazz, Rap, RnB, etc., and learn about the history of this genre, including key artists who influenced the genre, cities where the genre was developed, and different styles and phases the genre went through. Students could analyze different societal factors, like political climate, racial tension and community structures, that impacted music production during each time period. The student would have the opportunity to pick the genre, decide what elements of the genre to focus on analyzing, and put their research together in a unique artistic representation (website, blog, social media account, collage).

Psychology, Arts, History, Literature, Social Science, Organizational Leadership

Mimi

How should we live the Good Life?

Outside of religion, ethicists often draw upon philosophers like Plato, Aristotle, Mill for prescriptions on how to live a good life. However, can we still use their frameworks on how to live morally in a society where we have limited choice whether it be when dealing with transportation, school systems, or agriculture? As consumers, how responsible are we for the infractions of companies that often dominate the market? (If you liked watching the Good Place, think of Doug Forcett.) This would involve an analysis of 2-3 philosophers and their applicability to modern day as well as the potential for coming up with your own philosophical doctrine!

Philosophy, History, Economics, Creative Writing, Social Science

Hala

Choose your own adventure

Although my own research tends to be writing papers, if you've got a burning idea about a project you want to undertake, I'm game to help you figure it out! Whether it be writing and producing a podcast, doing an oral history project, or creating a multimedia presentation, I'm excited to help you figure it out.

History

Erin

What Difference Does Translation Make?

In the age of instant translation, what is the point of literary translation? Is it on the way out? Taking one central text, we compare both existing published translations and instant translations. We ask what translation aims to do and how it “works.” At the end of 10 sessions, we’ll either be vindicated or we’ll let Google take it from here.

Arts, History, Literature, Languages

Hector

Cracking a Case Study

Graphic design involves a lot of creative leaps from start to finish, but it's not just the final draft that matters - clients and employers want to see your thinking throughout the process. This project starts with a finished design and asks you to retrace your steps, writing out your design reasoning, branding choices, visual research inspirations, accessibility audits, and alternate options. How can you craft a narrative that supports your work?

Arts, History

Patrick