Controversial issue Essay Topics:
Note: These are topical questions that can help you come up with ideas for your paper. Remember, you can't just pick a topic - you also need to choose a stance to take on that topic (are your "for" something, or "against" something?). You are not required to choose a topic/stance that you agree with - sometimes choosing something you do not agree with can be more interesting.
- Does Your School Hand Out Too Many A’s?
- Should Schools Stop Using Standardized Tests?
- How Well Do You Think Standardized Tests Measure Student Abilities?
- Do Students Spend Too Much Time Preparing for Standardized Tests?
- Should Schools Offer Cash Bonuses for Good Test Scores?
- Should We Rethink How Long Students Spend in High School?
- Does High School Really Prepare Us for Life?
- Does Homework Do More Harm or Good?
- Should Junk Food (+ Soft Drinks) be Banned from School Campuses?
- How Important is Arts in Education?
- Should Netiquette (Etiquette on the Web) Be a Mandatory Part of the School Curriculum?
- What Should the Goal of Education Be?
- How Should Schools Deal With Students Who Misbehave?
- How Should Schools Address Bullying?
- Should a College Education be Free for All People?
- What Criteria Should Colleges Consider to Determine Admissions?
- Should Education Be Privatized?
- Do You Support Affirmative Action?
- Do College Rankings Matter?
- Are the Web Filters at Your School Too Restrictive?
- Should Governments Censor Certain Content the Internet?
- Does Technology Make Us More Alone?
- Are We Too Reliant on Technology?
- Is Social Networking More Harmful That It Is Helpful?
- Should What You Say on Facebook Be Grounds for Getting Fired?
- Should People Be Allowed to Obscure Their Identities Online?
- What Should the Punishment Be for Acts of Cyberbullying or Online Harassment?
- Is Online Learning as Good as Face-to-Face Learning?
- Should Companies Be Allowed to Collect Information About You without Your Consent?
- Should There Be More Racial Diversity in Main Characters We See on TV and in Movies?
- Should TV and Movies Feature More Elderly Main Characters?
- Should TV and Movies Feature More Disabled Main Characters?
- Should Video Games Be Considered a Sport?
- Should Stores Sell Violent Video Games to Minors?
- What is Good Art?
- Is Art an Important Part of Modern Society?
- Is Peer-Pressure More Helpful, or Harmful?
- Is Patriotism More Helpful, or Harmful?
- Do Parents Have Different Hopes and Standards for Their Sons Than for Their Daughters?
- Should Parents Change the Way That They Raise Boys? or Girls?
- Is There Too Much Pressure on Girls to Have ‘Perfect’ Bodies?
- How Much Pressure Do Boys Face to Have the Perfect Body?
- Should Images of People's Bodies in the Media be Photoshopped?
- Should Plastic Surgery be Restricted or Made Illegal?
- Should Companies Stop Using Skinny Models to Help Solve the Problems of Eating Disorders Among Girls?
- What Should We Do to End Violence Against Women?
- Should Women Be Allowed to Fight on the Front Lines Alongside Male Soldiers?
- How Much Equality Should Exist Between Women and Men?
- Should Schools Ban American Football Because It Is Too Dangerous?
- Should Colleges Fund Wellness Programs Instead of Sports?
- Should Athletes Who Dope Have to Forfeit Their Titles and Medals?
- Should Gambling Be Legal Everywhere?
- When Is the Use of Military Force Justified?
- What Is More Important: Individual Privacy or National Security?
- Should It Be Illegal to Buy Products From Countries that Use Slave or Child Labor?
- Does Freedom of Speech Give People the Right to Use Hate Speech?
- Should Businesses Be Allowed to Ban/Refuse Certain Customers?
- Should Governments Spy on Their Friends/Allies?
- Should Governments Give Bailouts to Bankrupt Businesses?
- Should Military Service Be Compulsory?
- What Do You Think of the Police Tactic of Stop-and-Frisk?
- Do Rich People Get Off Easier When They Break the Law?
- Should Rich People Have to Pay More Taxes?
- What Is The Best Form of Government?
- Should Gay Couples Have The Same Rights as Straight Couples?
- Do Laws That Ban Offensive Words Make the World a Better Place?
- Do Leaders Have Moral Obligations?
- Should The Law Always Be Obeyed?
- Should Businesses Be Allowed to Outsource Jobs to Other Countries?
- What Should be Done to Stop Terrorist Groups?
- Should People Have the Right to Own and Carry Guns?
- Do You Support or Oppose the Death Penalty?
- So You Support or Oppose the Practice of Euthanasia?
- Do We Give Children Too Many Trophies?
- When Should You Be Able to Buy Cigarettes, Drink Alcohol, Vote, Drive, or Fight in Wars?
- Should the Morning-After Pill Be Sold Without a Prescription?
- Should Birth Control Pills Be Available Without a Prescription?
- Do All Women Have a Right to Free Birth Control?
- When Should Abortion Be Legal or Illegal?
- Is Technology Use Ruining Childhood?
- Are Adults Hurting Young Children by Pushing Them to Achieve?
- Should Public Shaming Be Used as a Method for Changing Child/Teenage Behavior?
- Should Children Be Allowed to Wear Whatever They Want?
- Should Bad Parenting Be Criminalized?
- Should Parenting Classes Be Compulsory? Or a "Parenting License" Be Required to Have Kids?
- Should Mothers and Fathers Receive the Same Amount of Paid Leave Time from Work When a Baby is Born?
- Should the Government Limit the Size of Sugary Drinks?
- Should the Government Restrict What Business are Allowed to Sell?
- Should Marijuana Be Legal?
- Do Bystanders Have a Responsibility to Intervene When There is Trouble?
- Should You Care About the Health and Safety of Those Making Your Clothing?
- Should Developed Countries Intervene in Developing Countries to End Child Labor? Slave Labor? Human Trafficking?
- Does Morality Come from a Religion or Holy Book?
- Does Religion Cause More Good or Harm in the World?
- Should Couples Live Together Before Marriage?
- Should Scientists Try to Help People Beat Old Age So We Can Live Longer Lives?
- Should Stem Cells be Used In Medical Research?
- When Is It O.K. to Replace Human Limbs With Technology?
- Should People Be Doing More to Prevent Climate Change?
- Should People Have More Vacation Time?
- Is It Ethical to Eat Meat?
- Should Animals Be Kept in Zoos?
- Should Whaling Be Prohibited?
- Is the Genetic Modification of Food Dangerous?
- Is It Wrong for a Newspaper to Publish a Front-Page Photo of a Man About to Die? Is Anything Off-Limits to New Reporters?
- Should Animal Testing Be Illegal? Or Should Companies Using Animal Testing Pay Higher Taxes?
- Should The Use of Plastic Bags (or Bottles) Be Made Illegal? Or Should Companies Using Plastic Bags Pay Higher Taxes?
- How Should The World Deal With the Large Amount of Trash in The Oceans?
- Have your own, original idea? Ask Ms. G for approval.
http://learning.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/02/04/200-prompts-for-argumentative-writing/?_r=0