Argumentative Research Paper Questions

Censorship/Images in Pop Culture or the Media

  1. Should sex and/or violence on television/in movies be restricted?
  2. How do images in the media affect young Americans? (Choose a focus: Beauty/Weight, Treatment of Women, Use of Drugs/Substances, etc.)
  3. Should teens be allowed to get cosmetic surgery?
  4. Does the media have a liberal bias?

Technology:

  1. Does social networking (Facebook, Twitter, Myspace) have a positive or negative effect on society?
  2. Does gaming (playing video games) have a positive or negative effect on individuals?
  3. Should texting be prohibited/restricted for teenagers?
  4. Is hacking justifiable?

Education:

  1. Should schools require uniforms?

Genetic Research:

  1. Is cloning moral?
  2. Which types of genetic engineering should be legalized or prohibited? (Could focus on Stem Cell Research, genetically engineered food or animals, genetically enhancing humans/embryos, etc.)

Sports:

  1. Should steroid use be allowed in professional sports?
  2. Should girls be allowed to play on boys’ sports teams?

Health Issues:

  1. Should assisted suicide be allowed?
  2. Should the U.S. government support Universal Health Care?
  3. Should higher taxes be placed on unhealthy food choices?
  4. Should obese citizens have to pay more for health insurance?
  5. Should restaurants be required to post with nutritional information?

Military:

  1. Should women be allowed in the military?
  2. Should open homosexuals be allowed to serve in the military?

Crime and Punishment:

  1. Should America continue capital punishment (the death penalty)?
  2. Should juvenile offenders be tried and punished as adults? If so, when?

Individual Rights:

  1. Should smoking in public places be illegal? OR Should smoking be illegal?
  2. Should the drinking age be lowered?
  3. Should marijuana be legalized?
  4. Should marriage be allowed for homosexual couples?
  5. Are US immigration laws fair? OR How should America handle young illegal immigrants?
  6. Is racial profiling necessary in the War on Terrorism/Illegal Immigration?

Animal Rights:

  1. Should medical testing be allowed on animals?
  2. Should performance animals be banned? (Such as Sea World or circuses)

The Environment:

  1. How should America handle environmental issues? (Choose a focus: global warming, battling pollution, recycling, clean/renewable energy sources, oil drilling, etc.)

Argumentative Research Paper Questions

Censorship/Images in Pop Culture or the Media

  1. Should sex and/or violence on television/in movies be restricted?
  2. How do images in the media affect young Americans? (Choose a focus: Beauty/Weight, Treatment of Women, Use of Drugs/Substances, etc.)
  3. Should teens be allowed to get cosmetic surgery?
  4. Does the media have a liberal bias?

Technology:

  1. Does social networking (Facebook, Twitter, Myspace) have a positive or negative effect on society?
  2. Does gaming (playing video games) have a positive or negative effect on individuals?
  3. Should texting be prohibited/restricted for teenagers?
  4. Is hacking justifiable?

Education:

  1. Should schools require uniforms?

Genetic Research:

  1. Is cloning moral?
  2. Which types of genetic engineering should be legalized or prohibited? (Could focus on Stem Cell Research, genetically engineered food or animals, genetically enhancing humans/embryos, etc.)

Sports:

  1. Should steroid use be allowed in professional sports?
  2. Should girls be allowed to play on boys’ sports teams?

Health Issues:

  1. Should assisted suicide be allowed?
  2. Should the U.S. government support Universal Health Care?
  3. Should higher taxes be placed on unhealthy food choices?
  4. Should obese citizens have to pay more for health insurance?
  5. Should restaurants be required to post with nutritional information?

Military:

  1. Should women be allowed in the military?
  2. Should open homosexuals be allowed to serve in the military?

Crime and Punishment:

  1. Should America continue capital punishment (the death penalty)?
  2. Should juvenile offenders be tried and punished as adults? If so, when?

Individual Rights:

  1. Should smoking in public places be illegal? OR Should smoking be illegal?
  2. Should the drinking age be lowered?
  3. Should marijuana be legalized?
  4. Should marriage be allowed for homosexual couples?
  5. Are US immigration laws fair? OR How should America handle young illegal immigrants?
  6. Is racial profiling necessary in the War on Terrorism/Illegal Immigration?

Animal Rights:

  1. Should medical testing be allowed on animals?
  2. Should performance animals be banned? (Such as Sea World or circuses)

The Environment:

  1. How should America handle environmental issues? (Choose a focus: global warming, battling pollution, recycling, clean/renewable energy sources, oil drilling, etc.)