What course is it for? What have you been studying in that course?

It is a school wide paper meaning I can pretty much do it on whatever I want it to be. The topic is philosophy of course, and it explains why I am here :D

It's not for a particular class? (I'm guessing this is not in the U.S. then)

What sorts of topics have you been learning about? Have you studied philosophy in school, or you're just interested in it and that's why you want to do a paper on it?

I am in the US. It was not meant for any specific class
No, I have not studied any of this in school. Through my interest in mathematics I learned of Archimedes and it led to Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle which got me interested in philosophy. Ever since then I have been reading other philosophers here and there.

You might like doing a project on propositional and predicate logic then. Depending on the length. It's very mathsy.

Oooo, yes yes that is a good idea; keep 'em coming hehe

I am in the US. It was not meant for any specific class — Marius

So who assiged it?

Anyway, another suggestion. How about a paper on what mathematics is ontologically?

Most of this article has to do with this issue: https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/philosophy-mathematics/

And here's a good book about it (though one biased towards a particular answer): https://www.amazon.com/What-Mathematics-Really-Reuben-Hersh/dp/0195130871

My dual enrollment teacher which I have no idea what it is about
I just got the class this semester

Press them on what they want. You're a high-school student; there is only so much you will be able to do.

Tell them that when they give no direction they shall have to be satisfied with the direction you take - and of course they won't be, because they'll be grading you!

As with any paper or presentation, ask yourself, "What do I want them to know or be able to do after I've completed my paper/presentation?" If you answer that well, you'll have an easy time and do well, if not, then not and not. It is a very serious question. It does not have to be answered comprehensively out of the gate, but as your answer evolves, so it should inform and refine what you're doing. And, whatever else KISS!!

Here's a challenge, though. Explain Godel's undecidable proposition, together with the corollary that the consistency of certain systems cannot be proved within the system. Interesting, engaging, impressive, doable. And you can search/research this site. A lot of nonsense here, but also some gold.

Jeez, I don't even have the slightest clue in the understanding of mathematical logic... although if it takes relatively little time to go over an introduction to mathematical logic book, then I am surely willing to do this.

Also, any viable sources you can point to me (since I can’t cite the “gold” from here)?

Well, maybe not for you. Search Kurt Godel, undecidable propositions. By the way the proposition in question is a statement in arithmetic (extended arithmetic) that is known to be true, but it cannot be proved, nor can its negation.

Or perhaps a report on transfinite cardinals, cardinal numbers and ordinal numbers.

Or a review of the history of the evidence in support of evolution as it developed to meet the objections of people who deny evolution.

A development of an understanding of the problem of NP-completeness.

A study of American Indian tribes and a history of the treaties between them and the US government. You can start with Squanto, about whom little is known except what happened to him in his life, which is really interesting. Perhaps a history told through the famous battles between them,of which Custer and the Little Big Horn is but a chapter. Maybe end with Chief Joseph of the Nez Perce,

An argument as to why the Civil War was fought. Everyone knows it was about slavery, but why and how, and why do many modern southerners insist it was fought over state's rights. Refer to Webster's 2d Reply to Hayne speech in 1830, The Lecompton resolution, Bloody Kansas, The Ordinance of 1787 for the governance of the Northwest Territories, the compromise of 1850, the admission of Texas and Maine into the Union, and a survey of antebellum and postwar sentiment on the subject., and so on.

For starters

I would do something relatively interesting and that is easy enough to comprehend (at least, they seem so when you don't dig too deep).

My first philosophy classes in college were The Nature of Human Nature and Art and Philosophy. You can find all sorts of things written about either of these, seek out some authors who appeal to you, and almost anyone should be able to relate to the subject matter.

Or, my personal favorite: the trolley problem. Simple concept with HUGE potential for philosophical analysis and discussion.
In case you don't know what it is:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trolley_problem

You are aware, I hope, that you don't have to write the paper about philosophy or mathematics. You could choose a historical topic (like what major events happened in the state that you live in) pick one, and write a paper about it. Maybe there is a large corporation in your town that you could research -- I don't mean like researching Walmart just because there is a walmart store in town.

You could write a paper about Karl Marx, Oscar Wilde, Charles Bukowski (a poet and fiction writer, very disreputable character but lots of fun) or maybe a famous criminal -- like Al Capone or Donald Trump.

In order to write a research paper, you - a high school student - need a topic that interests you, is manageable (The History of the World is a hair too large) and for which there are research materials available. You could do a paper on the Boer War from the Afrikaner perspective, but you might not find much in the way of resources -- Afrikaners spoke Dutch, if I remember correctly. How's your 19th century Dutch? Not good? Skip that topic, then. You will be using the Internet, of course, but it still takes time to read material, and sift out the ample amounts of bad information that is floating around out there. (Even before the Internet, back in the stone age of print, there was bad information floating around.)

You also need a topic that you can get your head around right away. Even if it is due in 3 months (not that long) you might want to get started soon.

Have you all had any instruction on "how to write a research paper"? Like, devising a plan, taking notes, outlining, writing a draft, putting together a bibliography, etc.?

Of course I know how to write a research paper; the difference is that this is the first time I’ve been given the opportunity to choose what I’ll research instead of a relatively stupid (in my opinion) topic like pollution, gobal warming etc.

Originally before this post I was thinking of the incompatability of existentialism and hard determinism. These are ideas that do wrap around my head easy along with propisitional and predicate logic.

Definitely I agree that things I cannot understand will cause me to lose interest in even completing the assignment, however I still want to show teachers and my friends alike the importance, depth, and compatability philosophy has in our practical side of reaility.

Edit: Lol you think Donald Trump is a criminal? Not yet proven so it’ll be quite a tremendous leap.