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Research Materials: ARGUMENTATIVE ESSAY TOPICS

Handouts and Research Guides used by librarians in information literacy sessions. For more help, look in the Guides by subject.

Help with Search Terms

This worksheet will help you begin planning the research for your paper.

Choose a Topic or Kick-Start Your Research

Browse these series to get a head start or if you cannot think of a topic.
Opposing Viewpoints and At Issue comprise anthologies of selected articles about pertinent issues. These books are located on index tables behind the main desk in the Reference Room on the second floor of Watson Library. Ask for more help at the desk.

Opposing Viewpoints

 

A Partial List of Possible Topics

 Abortion  
 Adaptation and Climate Change
 Adoption Policies
 Africa
 Achievement  Gap, The
 Addiction
 Advertising
 Afghanistan
 Aging  Population, The
 Agricultural  Subsidies
 AIDS
 Alcohol
 Alternative  Lending
 Alternative  Medicine
 American  Values
 America's  Global Influence
 America's  Prisons
 America's  Youth
 Antibiotics
 Armed  Forces, The
 Artificial  Intelligence
 Atheism
 Banking  Crisis, The
 Behavioral  Disorders
 Biofuels
 Biological  Warfare
 Biomedical  Ethics
 Bio-terrorism
 Birth  Control
 Canada
 Cats  in America
 Catholic  Church, The
 Celebrity  Culture
 Censorship
 Chemical  Dependency
 Child  Abuse
 Childbirth
 Child  Custody
 Children  and the Entertainment Industry
 China
 Church  & State
 Civil  Liberties
 Cloud Technology
 Coal
 Conflict  Resolution
 Consumerism
 Copyright  Infringement
 Corporate  Social Responsibility
 Cosmetic  Surgery
 Crime  and Criminals
 Criminal  Justice
 Culture  of Beauty, The
 Culture  Wars
 Cyber  Crime
 Debt
 U.S. Debt Ceiling
 Deregulation
 Discrimination
 Distracted Driving
 Divorce
 Domestic  Violence
 Doomsday  Scenarios
 Eating  Disorders
 Eco-architecture
 Education
 Effectiveness of Government Bailouts
 Election  Spending
 Endangered  Oceans
 Endangered  Species
 Energy  Alternatives
 Environment,  The
 Epidemics
 Ethics
 European  Union, The
 Extremism
 Fair Pay for Women
 Family
 Fashion  Industry, The
 Federal  Budget, The
 Feminism
 Film  Industry, The
 Food Insecurity
 For  Profit Education
 Free  Trade
 Future of US Economy
 Gambling
 Gangs
 Garbage  and Recycling
 Gateway  Drugs
 Gay Marriage
 Gays  in the Military
 Genetic  Disorders
 Genetic  Engineering
 Genetically Engineered Food
 Girls  and Sports
 Global  Resources
 Global  Warming
 Globalization
 Government  Spending
 Gun  Control
 Gun  Violence
 Health
 Health  Care
 Home  Schooling
 Homeless,  The
 Homosexuality
 Human  Rights
 Hunting

and more--browse the catalog or the
Opposing Viewpoints series
 

More Potential Topics

 Illegal Immigration
Immigration
 India
 Inevitability of Mass Extinctions
 International  Adoptions
 Interracial  America
 Iran
 Iraq
 Islam
 Islamic  Militancy
 Israel
 Japan
 Judicial  Activism
 Labor  Unions
 Latin  America
 Legal  System
 Lowering Legal Drinking Age
 Male  and Female Roles
 Malnutrition
 Mandatory  Minimum Sentencing
 Mass  Media
 Media  Violence
 Medicine
 Mental  Illness
 Mexico
 Middle  Class, The
 Middle  East Peace Process, The
 Middle  East, The
 Military  Draft
Nanotechnology
 Nation  Building
 National  Security
 National  Service
 Necessity of Foreign Aid
 North  & South Korea
 North  and South Poles, The
 Nutrition
 Obesity
 Occupy Movement, The
 Offshore  Drilling
 Online  Pornography
 Organ  Donation
 Outsourcing
 Pacifism
 Pakistan
 Paranormal  Phenomena
 Pharmaceutical  Industry, The
 Players' Unions in Professional Sports
 Political  Campaigns
 Pollution
 Polygamy
 Popular  Culture
 Population
 Poverty
 Presidential  Election Process
 Presidential  Powers
 Privacy
 Race  Relations
 Racial  Profiling
 Reforming  Wall Street
 Refugees
 Religion  and Sexuality
 Religion  in America
 Renewable  Energy
 Reproductive  Technologies
 Resurgent  Diseases
 Russia
 School  Funding
 School  Policies
 School  Reform
 Self  Mutilation
 Selling Body Parts
 Sexual  Violence
 Sexually  Transmitted Diseases
 Social  Justice
 Social  Security
 Sports  and Athletes
 Standardized Testing
 Stem  Cells
 Street  Teens
 Student  Life
 Students' Preparation for Global Economy
 Suicide
 Taliban,  The
 Tax  Reform
 Technology  & Society
 Teen  Drug Abuse
 Teens  at Risk
 Television
 Terrorism
 Tibet
 Tobacco  & Smoking
 Transportation
 Transportation Infrastructure
 U.S.  Intelligence Community, The
 U.S.  Latino Community, The
 U.S.  Supreme Court, The
 Unemployment
 United  Nations
 Universal  Healthcare
 Urban  America
 Veterans
 Veterans and Adequate Health Care
 Video  Games
 Violence
 Voting  Rights
 War  Crimes
 Water
 Welfare
 Western Diet and Its Effects
 White-Collar  Crime
 Working  Women
 World Trade Organization, The