Nearly every American literature class studies Shakespeare, and a wide variety of term papers can be written about his works. Examining the way Shakespeare used tragedy in his most famous plays like "Romeo and Juliet" and "MacBeth" can make for an interesting term paper. A student could first define the historical origins of tragedy in literature, then apply it to selected Shakespeare plays to show how famous characters like Lady Macbeth are brought to ruin by some flaw or weakness in their character.
American history is replete with interesting and controversial subjects that can function as term paper topics. One of the most hotly debated issues in recent American history is the intervention into the Vietnam war. A persuasive term paper could pose the question of whether the U.S. should have gone to Vietnam and take a pro or con position supported by evidence. If pro, the writer could argue that going to Vietnam signaled to the world that the U.S. would not allow Communism to expand. A con position could argue that the U.S. lost the Vietnam war and the public lost confidence in its military and became more isolationist and wary of intervening in foreign disputes.
Sociology offers an abundance of topics related to the study of human social behavior, both on the individual level and in society at large. Because sociology encompasses economics, politics and religion, it's important to be specific when choosing a topic on this subject. Examining the effects of single-parent households on children could make for an incisive term paper that tracks the increase over the past 25 years of single-parent families and documents how the traditional notion of the nuclear family has changed. The term paper could explore crime statistics, economic class and educational level of a sample size of children who grew up in single-parent homes, and determine the negative or positive impacts of their upbringing.
While the Tea Party has grabbed the spotlight in recent American politics, there are more extreme splinter groups unaffiliated with any major political party whose frustration and anger at the government continue to grow. A term paper on the roots of American militias could explore the history of domestic groups who hate and distrust the government, the states in which they are most prevalent, their goals and objectives and whether they pose a real danger to the established order.