Classes in the liberal arts are more likely than other subjects to require research papers. In English, some popular topics include Shakespeare, modern literature, British literature, critical theory (such as feminism in literature), cultural literature and film adaptation. In anthropology, sociology or psychology, popular topics include family relations, ancestry, race relations, languages, historical and contemporary cultures, and abnormal human behavior. And in political science and history, popular topics include Marxism, international relations, great wars and leaders, voting patterns and powerful nations.
The fine arts are usually hands-on and require more practical assessment than research papers. However, you will come across a fair number of paper assignments, so it is helpful to have an idea of the more popular topics in that arena. In art and design/media art, popular topics include modern art, art history, typography, form and color, and interactivity in art. In music, popular topics include world music, the jazz movement, music history, theories of music composition and music education.
The sciences will likely require hands-on experiments to be incorporated into research papers. Many broad subjects are popular in the sciences, however, and can give you a head start when you're designing your experiment. In geology, popular topics include mineral deposits, trace elemental analysis, seismology and structural geology. In mathematics, popular topics include the history of mathematics, applied mathematics, pure mathematics and mathematics in business management. In environmental sciences, popular topics include predicting future environmental problems, proposing solutions to environmental degradation, sustainable development, energy resources and global climate change. In chemistry, topics include chemical composition and properties, semiconductors, polymers and biomaterials.