Please note that the primary emphasis in Writing 50 is not to determine the truth or falsity of claims regarding certain topics, but to research their backgrounds and narrative ontologies, including historiography, ethnography, folklore, psychology, etc.; it will be helfpul to think of yourself as an observing field anthropologist.
If—after thoroughly researching and surveying the background of your topic—you still wish to venture an educated, personal opinion regarding the validity and/or truth of reported claims, you may add a separate epilogue. You must, however, qualify the known limitations of your research, including the claims of believers, and rigorously qualify the evidence of your own personal claims. In other words, after researching your topic what don't you know, and to how many decimal places don't you know it? For example, a poor epilogue regarding Bigfoot would be "I was unable to determine whether Bigfoot is an extraterrestrial creature, or a cryptic, prehistoric homid." A better conclusion would be: "Multiple narratives persist regarding the existence of Bigfoot that compete with scientific attempts to discredit alleged sightings; however, the sheer mass of local folklore may ultimately keep Bigfoot alive." Relatedly, a useful epilogue for your paper might be to predict where and how the narrative(s) will evolve next, e.g., "Due to the steady growth of human developments within remote, rural areas claimed as Bigfoot habitat, sighting claims will likely decrease."
Because some topics may be disturbing, you will be wise to select a topic that matches your personal sensibilities. Some topics touch upon truly horrible reports and/or mix reality with fantasy in disorienting ways; there's no point to an academic race to the bottom. Throughout your studies, a Taoist caution is in order: "Guard your senses." The best way to do this is to think in advance about what you are likely to encounter, then prepare yourself mentally. Better yet, do not pick a topic that you know disturbs and/or offends you! When you propose a topic during the fourth week, I will review it with you in person to help you decide, but the ultimate decision and responsibility falls to you.
| Ciguapa | Ant-vaccination movement |
| New World Order | La Llorona |
| Apollo moon landing hoax | ESP |
| Slender Man | Alien abductions |
| Princess Diana conspiracy | "Aliens Among Us" |
| 9/11 conspiracies | Knights Templar |
| JFK assassination | Area 51 |
| Falun Gong organ transplants | Majestic 12 |
| Illuminati | Search for Atlantis |
| Chupacabra | Nazi occultism |
| Flat Earth believers | Sasquatch |
| Mermen and mermaids | Presidential election 2016 conspiracies |
| Roswell Incident | End-of-world narratives |
| Lost continent of Mu | Holocaust denial |
| Obama birther movement | Perpetual motion machines |
| Cold fusion | Bunny Man |
| Armenian genocide denial | Men in Black |
| Freemason conspiracies | Confirmation and hindsight bias |
| Sports superstitions | Memory implantation |
| Piltdown Man | Lock Ness Monster |
| Fijian Mermaid | Cardiff Giant |
| Rock star urban legends | Report from Iron Mountain |
| Spiritualism | Witches and demons |
| Magical thinking | Historical revisionism |
Another excellent source of topic ideas is Snopes.com.