Sample Research Questions/Topics from Current Events
Immigration Issues:
- What rights, if any, should be available to illegal immigrants?
Ideas to consider: Should illegal immigrants have access to government-subsidized healthcare? Should illegal immigrants be offered in-state tuition rates at public colleges within their residing state? Should children of illegal immigrants be granted legal citizenship?
- Should the U.S. build a wall along the southern border? Ideas to consider: the history of immigration from Latin American countries/ crime rates/ security issues
- Should immigrants be required to learn English? Ideas to consider: does the U.S. have a national language? How does mastery of English connect to jobs, success? Should working illegal immigrants be given temporary amnesty?
Education Issues:
- Should Affirmative Action policies in undergraduate education continue in admissions? Ideas to consider: the history of affirmative action, affirmative action in California (prop 209), the Harvard case, etc.
- Should community college be free? Ideas to consider: The cost of college, rates of graduation/hiring successes, student debt and its effects on the economy, society
- Should universities provide “trigger warnings” and “safe spaces” for students?
- Should teachers be allowed to carry guns at school?
Environmental Issues:
- Should the United States Government approve the construction of a new oil pipeline extending from Canada to the United States? Angles you may want to consider: History of the government with oil on Native American lands, the controversy surrounding the North Dakota Pipeline and the Standing Rock Indian reservation that occurred in early 2016, the policies of past and current administrations on this issue. You may also focus on drilling in the Alaska Wildlife Refuge instead.
- Should the government increase environmental regulations to prevent climate change?
Social Issues:
- Should there be defunding of the police?
- Should a business be able to deny service to a customer if the request conflicts with the owner’s religious beliefs?
- Should states be allowed to display the Confederate flag on government property?
- Should transgender athletes be allowed to compete in athletic events?
- Should prisons ban the use of solitary confinement for juveniles?
- Should convicted criminals have the right to vote?
Health Issues:
- Should the government require children to be vaccinated for preventable diseases?
- Should producers be required to label genetically engineered foods?
- Should there be national mandates regarding Covid restrictions to control the pandemic?
- Should the U.S. Government replace private medical insurance with a National “Medicare for All” healthcare plan?
- Should health insurance providers be required to offer free birth control?
- Should “gender identity” be added to anti-discrimination laws?