Research paper, Below you will find suggested topics for your research paper

Research paper, Below you will find suggested topics for your research paper. You may also propose a topic
that is not listed below. You must submit your topic for approval by Wednesday of week
seven. You’ll find a dropbox in week seven’s folder; simply type out your proposed topic
and submit it for my review.
Race and Ethnicity
• Should racial profiling be a legitimate law-enforcement policy in some areas?
• Should Affirmative Action for state university enrollment be continued?
• Should the primary method of public school funding–property taxes in individual
school districts–be amended to create more fairness in schools?
• Should high-school history classes and social-studies curriculum be changed to
reflect
diversity and multicultural perspectives?
• Should Christmas, Easter, and other religious observances be considered national
holidays?
• If a university offers “African-American Studies” or “Black Studies” as courses,
should it
also offer “European-American Studies” or “White Studies”?
• How do certain television programs perpetuate racial or ethnic stereotypes?
• Should Columbus Day be discontinued in favor of a new post-colonial perspective?
• Should schools only purchase textbooks that offer revised or alternative histories of
historical events?
• What should be done about racial disparities in the sentencing of criminals?
• Should the American government pay reparations and return land to Native
Americans?
• Should hate groups have the right to distribute literature on university campuses?
• If research shows that certain racial or ethnic groups receive poorer medical care on
average, how should this problem be corrected?
• Should governmental organizations have staffs that accurately reflect the racial,
ethnic, and gender balance in society?
Gender and Sexuality
• What should be done to eliminate salary disparities between men and women?
• What should be done to create equity in executive positions for women in particular
corporations and industries?
The research paper that you write for this class will be an argumentative paper on a
current topic of significance. The paper should be at least five pages in length and
should utilize a minimum of five sources. It is due by 11:55 p.m. on Sunday, November
16.
• Should women be allowed in military combat? To what extent?
• Is healthcare for women underfunded? In what ways?
• Should insurance companies which cover the cost of Viagra prescriptions also be
required to cover birth control and regular examinations for women?
• Are homosexual characters and topics appropriate for prime-time television?
• In what ways does gender play a difference in student success and teacher attention
in the classroom?
• Should the Equal Rights Amendment be revived and made part of the Constitution?
• Should the Family and Medical Leave Act be extended beyond 12 weeks?
• Should prostitution be legalized? Under what conditions?
• How does pornography differ from prostitution? Is it contradictory that one should be
legal while the other is not?
• Should homosexual marriage be permitted in Florida?
Multiculturalism and Diversity
• Should English be made the official language of the United States?
• Should Christmas, Easter, and other religious observances be considered national
holidays?
• Should the United States have a more stringent immigration policy
Advertising and Marketing
• How do certain kinds of advertising perpetuate racial stereotypes?
• How do certain kinds of advertising make claims of patriotic values?
• How does mass marketing and manufacturing affect originality and creativity in the
arts
and other fields?
• Does the American consumerist society conflict with democratic values? In what
ways?
• How does advertising treat convenience as necessity?
• What kind of advertising is unethical?
• What current issues of truth in advertising exist?
• Should product placement in movies, film, and other media be controlled?
• Should product advertising and selling by permitted in public schools?
• Should communities retain the naming rights to baseball parks and football
stadiums,
or should businesses be allowed to purchase these rights?
• Does the modeling industry bear any responsibility in providing healthy, realistic
physical role models for young women?
• Is the use of sexual imagery in a certain ad campaign unethical?
• Should tobacco and liquor advertising be allowed on television?
• Should all billboard advertising of alcohol be banned?
• Should tobacco and alcohol companies be allowed to use ad campaigns that could be
considered child-friendly?
• Why are alcohol companies now allowed to advertise on television under certain
conditions (after prime time, with responsible drinking messages in some ads, etc…)?
Economic Issues
• Should the local sales tax be increased/decreased?
• Should “sin taxes” on alcohol and tobacco be increased to help pay for the increasing
costs of medical care?
• Should the state increase the use of toll roads to pay for local road improvements?
• Do local power and utility companies operate as monopolies?
• Should purchases made over the Internet be taxable?
• Should the government provide financial assistance to people whose retirement
funds were invested in the stock of companies that may have used unethical
accounting practices
(i.e., Enron, Arthur Andersen, etc.)?
• Argue for or against the earning potential vs. risk of investing in a certain kind of
stock.
• Argue for or against a controversial trade tariff or tax.
• Does America have a responsibility to assist its industries financially and politically if
other countries’ industries receive similar assistance from their own governments?
• Argue for or against Federal Reserve strategies that attempt to keep inflation low.
• Large corporations, such as Walmart and Barnes & Noble bookstores, have been
criticized
for driving mom-and-pop shops out of business. Is this a valid criticism when
considering
the nature of supply and demand?
• A few years ago, the U.S. Mint issued a new form of dollar-bill coin. Argue for against
the continued use of this new currency
Environmental Issues
• Should national environmental policy focus on developing more oil resources, or
developing renewable energy sources?
• Should our national energy policy focus on building more nuclear power plants?
• How does overseas oil dependency influence our economy/ international policies?
• Should genetically engineered food be labeled differently?
• How do city zoning laws and ordinances effect development and conservation?
• What civic policies should be changed to encourage conservation rather than new
land development?
• Should recycling be mandatory?
• How should recycling efforts be funded?
• Should fines for littering and dumping be stronger?
• Should fines and penalties for corporate pollution be more punitive?
• Should the fuel efficiency of SUVs and pick-up trucks be raised?
• Should the government offer tax credits for the purchase of hybrid or alternative
energy vehicles?
• Should the designations of endangered and threatened species be changed?
• Should loss of economic/industrial benefit be considered when land is preserved for
endangered species?
• Should more civilian oversight be created to monitor government and military
pollution?
• Should environmental studies become a mandatory part of science curricula in public
schools?
Media Issues
• How does profit motive in media corporations influence what and how information
is broadcast?
• What ethical considerations or conflicts of interest exist for a corporate media news
channel?
• How and why do certain media outlets contribute to sensationalism in news
reporting?
• Is the Internet a positive development for news reporting? Does it represent a more
democratic medium of information?
• How does specific media bias affect how news is interpreted and delivered?
• How has the conglomeration of media companies influenced radio and TV content?
• Do cable companies represent a monopoly?
• Should cable services be offered on an a la carte system?
• Should a stiffer rating system be imposed upon television programming?
• Should tabloid television be scheduled only for late night time slots?
• Should parental locks be optional or mandatory on televisions?
• After 2006, only high-definition television will be broadcast, and older television sets
will require a type of converter box to interpret the new digital signal. Argue for or
against this development.
• Consider media influence on national political campaigns fifty or a hundred years ago
in comparison with such influence today. Should new regulations be imposed to
make current campaign coverage more equitable?
• Should music-sharing programs on the Internet be outlawed?
• Should websites that allow the free download of bootlegged movies be shut down?
Do production companies have the right to shut down websites that allow the free
download of sound or video clips from their media?
Consumerism and Convenience Culture
• Should the official work week be shortened/extended?
• How is shopping an American cultural value?
• What American or cultural values does the mall represent?
• How does the concept of consumer credit influence our economy?
• How does American consumer culture deal with the concept of death?
• How are the values, expectations, and rituals of specific holidays such as Christmas,
Valentine’s Day, and Mother’s Day influenced by consumer culture?
• What role does product packaging play in consumerism?
• What role does the national debt play in consumer’s spending awareness?
• Consider the issue of disposable products and packaging and their impact on the
marketplace as well as the environment. Argue for or against new regulation.
• Should third-world countries be held to the same levels of pollution control as more
advanced nations?
TV and Film
• Should TV ratings be re-evaluated in regards to sex and violence?
• Is there a double standard regarding nudity, sex, and ratings on television?
• Is male nudity rated at a different “level” than female nudity?
• What values do “reality television” shows appeal to? How have they changed
television viewing?
• What does the trend towards voyeuristic TV programs reveal about modern American
culture?
• To what extent has television as a source of entertainment changed American
neighborhoods and leisure activities?
• What values/philosophies/worldviews are expressed by a certain television program?
• What impact has 24-hour news coverage had on our TV watching habits? How has it
changed our view of information?
• How does MTV contribute to celebrity and image-selling?
• Should more customer options be available with cable television?
• Should consumers be able to purchase viewing rights to TV channels in an a la carte
fashion (for example, paying $40 a month for 40 channels individually chosen by the
consumer)?
• How has the television as an invention changed the American household and family
life?
• Why is the TV and Film industry considered so hard to break into?
• Because celebrities are so often in the public spotlight, do they have ethical
responsibilities to set good examples for young people?
• In the past, the Screenwriters Guild of America has pushed for the credit “A Film By
[director’s name]” to be banned. Why would the SGA want this, and is this a justified
request?
• Do scriptwriters have a right to be allowed on the set of a movie they wrote, or is
this a privilege to be allowed at the discretion of the direction?
Sports and Entertainment
• How has the increase in ticket prices and athlete salaries negatively affected
professional sports?
• Should professional tennis players only be able to use wooden rackets?
• Should professional sports leagues such as the NBA , NFL, and MLB establish a
promotion/relegation system that rewards strong teams from lesser leagues with
promotion, while relegating poor teams to a lower division?
• What changes, if any, should be made to NBA rules to preserve the integrity of the
sport?
• Do sports stars or celebrities bear any responsibility for being role models for
children?
• Should the instant replay remain in effect in the NFL? Should it be extended to other
sports as well?
• Should teams with potentially offensive logos and nicknames (like the Cleveland
Indians and Washington Redskins) change their names to be more racially sensitive?
• To what level should collegiate sports be funded? What is their relationship to
academics?
• Should college athletes be exempt from taking classes?
• Should college athletes be paid to play?
• Does Title IX actually promote gender equality in college sports?
• Should GPA standards for college athletes be raised, or more rigidly enforced?
• How have professional sporting events been negatively influenced by entertainment,
including Jumbotrons, music, and crowd-pleasing activities?
• What kind of performance-enhancing drugs should be allowed in different sports?
Should creatine be banned from Major League Baseball?
• Should women be allowed to play in professional sports leagues that have no female
league equivalent (the NFL, NASCAR, the NHL)?
• How have the four major professional American sports (baseball, basketball, football,
and hockey) affected the rise of other sports such as soccer and lacrosse?
• How has ESPN and other media sources influenced (positively or negatively)
professional sports in the last twenty years?
• Should communities bear all, part, or none of the burden of financing new sports
arenas for professional teams?
Religion
• Should religious schools be required to teach health/sexual education from a nonreligious
perspective?
• Argue for or against school vouchers. How does the separation of church and state
apply to this issue?.
• Should religious phrases be removed from American money?
• Should government provide faith-based organizations with funds to help the needy?
• Should evolution be the official curricular focus of public schools regarding human
origin?
• Consider the Christian Science relgiion. Homework help – Discuss why this is a valid or invalid science.
• Should faith-based organizations be given tax exempt status by the government,
even if the organization does not provide any concrete services for the needy–food,
shelter, etc?
• Is the government justified in denying the Wiccan religion tax-exempt status
because it fails to meet one of the government regulations in defining a religion–that
of congregating at a regularly scheduled time and place?
• How has the role of the Catholic Church being affected by the recent accusations of
sexual abuse by priests? Argue for a specific change in church policy regarding these
crimes.
• Are public school Winter Holidays still generally organized around Christian holidays
rather than those of any other religions? Argue for or against a change in policy.
• On campus, faith-based organizations can receive funds as part of a club. Does this
follow the seperation of church and state?
Criminal Justice
• Should the judicial system be reevaluated or changed because of racially unfair
sentences?
• What changes should be implemented to prevent male-male prison rape?
• How has the proliferation of privately funded prisons changed the criminal justice
system in America?
• Should certain non-violent crimes be punishable by fines rather than jail time?
• Are state-mandated “three-strikes” policies unfair?
• Should children who commit certain crimes be treated as adults? If so, is there a
lower age limit to this policy?
• Are exile programs (where a criminal is sent to prison in a distant state) fair?
• What kinds of rights should criminals have?
• What conditions of incarceration are fair?
• Are certain kinds of capital punishment cruel and unusual?
• Should prison be punitive or rehabilitory in nature?
• Now that genetic/DNA evidence is admissable in court, should controversial closed
cases be re-opened?
• If someone has already been executed, should his or her case be re-opened under
certain circumstances? Should some kind of reparation be made to the families of the
wrongfully accused?
• Should there be a limit to the number of death row appeals that can be made?
• Is society’s obligation to simply remove a criminal from society, to actually punish
the criminal for crime, or a combination of both? Considering this, then what is the
nature of the death penalty in America today?
• Should the legal requirements for obtaining a search warrant be changed?
• If an officer finds something that he was not looking for (e.g., narcotics in an
automobile that was being searched for firearms), why should or shouldn’t the officer
have the right to take the accused into custody? Consider the issue of “reasonable
suspicion” in your discussion.
• Why are lawyers stereotyped as sharks? Is this a fair representation, and if not, why
is it so prevalent?
• Many consider today’s justice system to be too slow. What improvements could be
made to expedite the system without sacrificing due process?
• Many states have harsher penalties than others for drunk driving. Consider the
policies of a particular state and argue for a change in the penalties.
• Define “terrorist.” Under what circumstances, if any, is “terrorism” acceptable?
• Should terrorists be tried in a military or civil court?
• If being tried in our court system, should the citizens of other countries have the
same rights as citizens of the United States?
• Argue for or against an amendment to the statute of limitations for a particular
crime.
Education
• Is standardized state or national testing (such as the FCAT) helping or hurting
American schools?
• Is the current system of public school funding–primarily through property taxes–
unfair? How does it contribute to inequality in the public school system?
• Should tracking be used in determining courses for public schoolchildren?
• Should magnet and charter schools be encouraged or discouraged?
• Should the system of busing students to school be amended?
• Should local school districts be redrawn to create schools that are more equal?
• Should federal school vouchers be used at religious schools?
• Consider the needs of a teacher’s salary vs. the realities of the funding schools now
have. Argue for a change in education budget allocation.
• Do teachers in classroom of thirty or forty children accomplish their intended tasks
as educators? Should they be expected to?
• Some standardized tests scores factor in to how much money a school will receive in
the next fiscal year. Is this an ethical way to demand accountability from a school, or
does this further punish lower-performing schools?
• Consider the benefits and drawbacks of a home-school education vs. a public school
education.
• How necessary are the arts in the public-school system? Argue for or against a
change in funding for a particular district.
American Politics
• Should the electoral college be discarded in favor of a simple popular vote in
presidential elections?
• Do alternative political parties in America receive fair treatment during elections?
• Should third parties be allowed to participate in national debates?
• How does the media help or hinder third parties? Should they receive equal and free
airtime on major networks?
• Should the campaign financing system be reformed?
• Should presidential candidates be barred from spending their own money for their
campaigns? Does personal campaign finance represent free speech?
• Should terms of senators and congressmen be further limited?
• Should a national form of health care be created, or should health care remain a
private industry?
• Examine the historical role reversal of the value systems of Republicans and
Democrats.
• Should a particular Congressional District be reapportioned?
• Argue for a policy change that would make the American democratic process more
efficient.
• Are checks and balances a crucial element in American government? Do this process
work as it was originally intended?
• Has the executive branch of the American government gained too much power in the
last fifty years? Cite specific examples in your argument.
• How has/will new technologies like the Internet change the political process?
• How can the voting process in national elections be made less confusing?

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