Controversial Issues: Getting Started

• Choose a topic which has at least two sides.

• Provide background to the issue to help the audience understand the debate.

• Use unbiased sources to defend your view with reason, accuracy, fairness and relevant evidence.

• Know and address your opposition.

• Present an impressive conclusion.

Abortion, Moral and Ethical Aspects
Abstinence and AIDS Prevention

Addiction 

Adoption 

Advertising in Schools

Agriculture Industry --

Alcohol and Tobacco Advertising 

Alcohol Use

Alternative Energy Sources

American Housing Collapse

Amnesty 

Animal Cloning 

Animal Experimentation
Anonymous Egg and Sperm Donation

Anti-Immigrant Movement

Arms Trade 

Artificial Intelligence 
Assisted Suicide

Bilingual Education 

Binge Drinking

Bioethics 

Biomedical Technology

Bioterrorism

Body Image 

Border Fence

Campaign Finance Reform

Capitalism 

Carbon Offsetting 

Cell Phones in School
Censorship 

Charter Schools

Child Welfare 
Children's Online Protection Laws 

Clean Coal 

Cloning   
Commercial Whaling

Concealed Handguns 

Conservation of Natural Resources
Convicted Felons' Rights

Corporate Tax Rate & Jobs  

Domestic Terrorism 

Domestic Violence

Drones

Drug Legalization

Drug Trafficking

Drug Use in Sports

Drunk Driving 

Eating Disorders

Electoral College

Endangered Food

Endangered Species

Environmentalism 

Felon Voting 

Flat Tax Rate
Food Safety

Free Trade

Freedom of Speech

Gambling 

Gangs

Gay Parents

Genetic Engineering 
Genetically Modified Food

Genocide 

Globalization

Gun Control 

Hate Crimes

Health Insurance

Homelessness 

Homeschooling 

Homosexuality

Human Rights

Human Trafficking

Identity Theft

Israeli-Palestinian Conflict

Junk Food

Labor Unions

Local Food Movement
Mental Disorders

Minimum Wage

Missile Defense System

Monopolies

National Retail Sales Tax

National Security

Nuclear Safety

Nutrition 
Obamacare 

Occupy Movement

Offshore Drilling 
Organic Food

Outsourcing

Political Corruption

Population Growth

Prescription Drugs

Prison Overcrowding
Recycling 

Renewable Energy

Reproductive Technology

Right to Privacy

Right to Health Care

Same-Sex Marriage

Sexting 

Smoking Ban

Social Security Privatization

Socializing Online

Standardized Testing

Stem Cells 

Student Rights

Sweatshops
Tablets vs. Textbooks 
Technology and Society 

Teenage Pregnancy

Terrorism

Texting While Driving

The Federal Budget Deficit

The Middle Class

The Tea Party Movement

Torture 

Underage Drinking

Unemployment

Video Games

War Crimes

Water Pollution

Waterboarding

Welfare Reform