Mmmmmm.
I don't remember ever having written a paper on Tolkien (and if I had, it was probably so horrific that I most likely broke out the bleach and wiped it from my memory at a later date, to spare myself the recurring nightmares), but I keep going back to Tolkien even in my nonfiction writing - and I think it's always interesting to trace his influence upon the writers working today, and by that I don't just mean the straight-up rip-offs that line the Fantasy aisle like so much fluff from the dryer.
Of course, that involves a whole lot of outside reading that you probably don't want to do if you're writing a short paper!
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I once had a professor who was passionate about Tolkien and actually had a manuscript which he would pass reverently around the group. One of us was doing her Honours thesis on LOTR and he was her supervisor. I hope she did well, but I bet he put her through a lot!
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ZOMG. This is precisely the reason why I did my thesis on a writer that no one in my department had even heard of (with the exception of a visiting British professor who had no idea who I was, was very nice, and very puzzled as to why I insisted on recruiting him as my adviser).
It can be pretty terrifying, when the people on the committee are very passionate about the work, and could possibly smite you.