Argumentative research paper topics
Business
- Cheap labor U.S. companies that move factories to undeveloped nations barely pay employees enough to live on. Is it unethical to pay cheap wages or are companies doing those workers a favor?
- Fitness programs Should companies allow employees to exercise on work time?
- Mining What safety measures made the recent Canadian mining accident a noncasualty event, while recent U.S. mining accidents have been fatal?
- Wage gap Women still earn only 75 cents for every $1 a man earns. Explain why.
- Wages There’s a minimum wage, but should there also be a maximum wage/salary a person can earn?
- Workaholics Do Americans work too hard? Does working more actually reduce productivity? Is a 40-hour workweek too much? Should there be a mandatory cap on the number of hours a person can work? Should there be changes in employment laws to give Americans more relaxation time?
Education
- Athletes in high schools Should shoe companies be able to give away free shoes and equipment to high school athletes?
- Censorship Should parents censor textbooks and other literature for children in schools?
- College athletics Should college athletes be paid?
- Electronic information preservation Does the Information Age mean we are losing important historical information?
- Exams Exams often do little more than measure a person’s ability to take exams. Should exams be outlawed in favor of another form of assessment?
- Flag Should children be required to say the Pledge of Allegiance in schools?
- Gap year Should teens in the U.S. adopt the British custom of taking a “gap year” between high school and college?
- Grades In some European schools, fewer than 10% of students get A’s. Is there grade inflation in the U.S.? Why so many A’s for Americans?
- No Child Left Behind Act Is it working?
- School lunches Should government impose restrictions on what kinds of foods can be served in school cafeterias?
- School uniforms Pros and cons of school uniforms.
- Single-sex schools Do children learn better in boys-only and girls-only schools?
Environment
- Climate change Is global warming a hoax? Is it being exaggerated?
- Coal Should the use of coal be subjected to stricter environmental regulations than other fuels?
- DDT Should DDT be reapproved for use in the wake of recent bedbug outbreaks across the country?
- Wind energy Is wind energy really that cheap? Is it effective? Is it practical?
Government Policy
- Airport security Should the government use invasive pat-downs and body scans to ensure passenger safety or are there better methods?
- al-Qaida Has U.S. policy actually spread terrorism rather than contain it? Will it get better or worse? Why and how?
- Arming pilots Good idea?
- Bridges, roads, waterways Why the government gets a bad report card on America’s infrastructure.
- Health care crisis Most developed nations have universal health coverage. Why doesn’t the U.S., the wealthiest nation, have it?
- Homeland Security Are we safer since the creation of this department?
- Immigration Should illegal immigrants be made legal citizens?
- Internet regulation Should the federal government be allowed to regulate information on the Internet?
- Iraq War Is America winning or losing the war? What is the measurement of success? Have the benefits outweighed the costs?
- Iraq War vets Are they being cheated on medical benefits?
- Lead poisoning Should the U.S. stop importing Chinese-manufactured toys?
- Marijuana legalization Should the federal government legalize the use of marijuana?
- Military Should the U.S. have mandatory military conscription? For whom?
- Moms Should stay-at-home moms get a salary from the government?
- Obesity and weight loss Should thin people have to pay Medicare and other health costs for the health problems of obese people? Should obese people have higher premiums?
- Prescription medicines Should there be a national database to track controlled substances (i.e., oxycodone) or should it be a state issue?
- Privacy Should the government be allowed to wiretap without permission?
- School lunches Should government impose restrictions on what kinds of foods can be served in school cafeterias?
- Sex offenders Once they leave prison, are laws about where they may live and be employed unfair?
- Smoking bans Should the federal government pass a nationwide indoor smoking ban?
Health
- Fast food Are we taking it too far by blaming fast-food restaurants for obesity? When is it individual responsibility and when is it appropriate to place blame?
- Fitness programs Should companies allow employees to exercise on work time?
- Food Steroids. Antibiotics. Sprays. Are food manufacturers killing us?
- Health care crisis Most developed nations have universal health coverage. Why doesn’t the U.S., the wealthiest nation, have it?
- Lead poisoning Should the U.S. stop importing Chinese-manufactured toys?
- Malpractice How can we balance the need to lower the cost of malpractice insurance with the fact that physician malpractice is one of the leading causes of death?
- Models Should there be a minimum weight limit?
- Noise pollution How much is too much noise? What, if anything, should we do to curb it?
- Obesity and weight loss Should thin people have to pay Medicare and other health costs for the health problems of obese people? Should obese people have higher premiums?
- Prescription medicines Should there be a national database to track controlled substances (i.e., oxycodone) or should it be a state issue?
- School lunches Should government impose restrictions on what kinds of foods can be served in school cafeterias?
- Smoking bans Should the federal government pass a nationwide indoor smoking ban?
- Social media Can excessive use of social media contribute to addictive behaviors (drugs, tobacco, alcohol) or mental health issues?
- Steroids Should they be legalized?
- Vaccines Should parents avoid vaccinating their children?
Human Behavior
- Nonverbal communication How do men and women communicate differently using body language, and why does it matter (in dating, the workplace, social circles)?
- Road rage Why do normally patient people become impatient behind the wheel?
- Social anxiety How is it different from shyness? And, are we a society of anxiety?
- Suicide bombers What kind of person becomes a suicide bomber?
- Terrorism Can terrorism ever be justified?
Legal Issues
- Airplane accidents Who is responsible? Should families of victims be entitled to compensation?
- Bullying laws Should the state or federal government put laws into place to prevent bullying?
- Civil disobedience Is breaking the law for a cause justifiable?
- Civil unions If civil couples have the same rights/privileges as married people, why get married?
- Holocaust Should denial of the Holocaust be illegal?
- Infidelity In some states, it is illegal to cheat on a spouse. Should we prosecute cheaters? Is a law that’s not enforced really a law?
- Juvenile offenders Should juvenile offenders be tried and punished as adults?
- Organ sale Should we legalize the sale of human organs?
- Parents Should parents be held responsible when their children break laws?
- Sex offenders Once they leave prison, are laws about where they may live and be employed unfair?
- Statutory rape Recently, a 17-year-old boy was sentenced to 10 years in prison for having consensual oral sex with a 15-year-old girl. Are statutory rape laws patronizing to girls and discriminatory to boys?
Media and Freedom of Speech
- Advertising Should certain kinds of ads be banned in the interest of health/morality/annoyance – alcohol, cigarettes, prescription meds, etc.?
- Art A few years ago, an artist was criticized for depicting the Virgin Mary with elephant dung. When is art not really art?
- Censorship Should parents censor textbooks and other literature for children in schools?
- Church arson Hate crime?
- Flag Should children be required to say the Pledge of Allegiance in schools?
- Journalism Should newspaper reporters be required to reveal their sources?
- Media Does the media, both print and broadcast, report fairly? Does it ever cross the line between reporting the news and creating the news?
- Paparazzi What, if any, limitations should be applied to the paparazzi?
- Pornography Parental filters on the Internet. Does censorship actually increase curiosity and use of pornography?
- Public figures Does the public have a right to know about a public figure’s private life?
- Racial bias in media Does news coverage favor whites?
Religion
- Church arson Hate crime?
- Religion Is there one true religion?
- Women in the clergy Should women be priests, pastors, ministers and rabbis?
Social Issues
- Abstinence programs Do they work?
- Alcohol Should the U.S. lower the drinking age to 18?
- Animal rights Should it be illegal to use animals for sports and entertainment?
- Beauty contests Do they serve any purpose in society?
- Campus sexual assault Are sexual assault incidences on college campuses on the rise or has awareness just increased?
- Child soldiers Why and how children are used for war
- Civil unions If civil couples have the same rights/privileges as married people, why get married?
- Cyber crime What are the latest ways to steal identity and money?
- Divorce Should we reform laws to make it harder to get a divorce?
- Felons and voting Should convicted felons have the right to vote?
- Feminism Is feminism still relevant? How do young women view feminism?
- Gay marriage Should there be a constitutional amendment that allows gays and lesbians to legally marry?
- Generations How four different generations in the workplace can work together.
- Infidelity In some states, it is illegal to cheat on a spouse. Should we prosecute cheaters? Is a law that’s not enforced really a law?
- Internet and children Are children smarter (or more socialized) because of the Internet?
- Intersexuals What, if anything, should be done medically and socially?
- Literacy Are Americans “literate”?
- Models Should there be a minimum weight limit?
- Muslim Americans What is life for them like in the U.S. after September 11, 2001?
- Organ sale Should we legalize the sale of human organs?
- Privacy What medical information should be confidential? Who, if anybody, should have access to medical records?
- Sex offenders Once they leave prison, are laws about where they may live and be employed unfair?
- Spanking Should it be outlawed?
- Sports parents What are the effects on children whose parents push them in sports?
- Statutory rape Recently, a 17-year-old boy was sentenced to 10 years in prison for having consensual oral sex with a 15-year-old girl. Are statutory rape laws patronizing to girls and discriminatory to boys?
- Title IX Has it helped women’s sports? Has it harmed men’s sports?
- Tough love Does parental “tough love” really work?
- Toys Do certain children’s toys create social or emotional problems?
- Wages There’s a minimum wage, but should there also be a maximum wage/salary a person can earn?
- Wage gap Women still earn only 75 cents for every $1 a man earns. Explain why.
- Workaholics Do Americans work too hard? Does working more actually reduce productivity? Is a 40-hour work week too much? Should there be a mandatory cap on the number of hours a person can work? Should there be changes in employment laws to give Americans more relaxation time?
- Working mothers What differences, if any, are there in children who are raised by stay-at-home moms and working moms? Does society today still discriminate against working mothers who wish to have flexible work schedules?
World
- Middle East Why so many conflicts? Are there solutions?
- Overpopulation What would happen globally if the demand for natural resources becomes greater than the supply?
