Fossum English 10

Name______Block ______Fossum English 10 Topic Selection

Example of working thesis statements (not including the three subpoints)

1. Affirmative action is a reasonable method of ensuring fair treatment of minorities in schools and work.

2. Amateur sports organizations (schools, Olympics) should prohibit all performance enhancing drugs.

3. America would be a safer place if private citizens were not allowed to own firearms.

4. Capital Punishment is an effective deterrent for capital crimes.

5. Corporations should be required to clean up any industrial waste or pollution they make.

6. Exposure to violence in the media (TV, movies, videogames) desensitizes children to real life violence.

7. Hunting is a basic American right and we should be able to hunt for sport or subsistence. 8. In order to reduce America's dependence on foreign oil, the government should compel companies to develop alternative sources of fuel. 9. Individuals should give up their reasonable expectations of privacy so the government can ferret out potential terrorists.

10. Individuals should have the option to use physician assisted suicide to end a terminal illness. 11. Individuals should have the right to remove books from public and schools libraries if they feel the books should not be read.

12. Juvenile criminals should be tried as adults.

13. Local governments should be able to use video surveillance as a tool to help deter crime.

14. Overuse, and improper use of antibiotic drugs has caused a crisis in treating bacterial diseases.

15. Parents in the US should be held financially and legally responsible for the crimes of their minor children. 16. Pregnant women who use illicit drugs should be held criminally responsible. 17. Public and school libraries that offer internet access should be required to use web blocking software, to filter out offensive sites.

18. Racial profiling unfairly discriminates against people of color in America, and should be stopped.

19. Raising chickens and other animals in factory farms is cruel and should be abolished.

20. Random drug testing of student athletes reduces drug use among teenagers.

21. Rock and rap music and videos are too violent and explicit, and should be censored.

22. Setting daytime curfews for teenagers is a reasonable way to keep students in school.

23. Smoking in public places endangers the lives of non-smokers and should be prohibited.

24. The federal government should make more laws designed to conserve endangered species. Name______Block ______Fossum English 10 Topic Selection 25. The fluid of concern in the 21st century will be water, not oil. 26. The Virginia driver’s license restrictions for teenage drivers will help to prevent unnecessary injury and death caused by traffic accidents.

27. Tobacco companies should be prevented from using advertising tactics that target teenagers.

28. Umbilical cord blood banking is a reasonable way for ordinary citizens to cure disease.

29. Wiretapping US citizens should be one of many ways the US government keeps us safe from terrorists.

Are law enforcement cameras an invasion of privacy?

Are parents clueless about child predators on the

Internet?

Are test scores a good indication of a school’s competency?

Are there benefits to attending a single-sex school?

Are we too dependent on computers?

Do colleges put too much stock in standardized

test scores?

Do curfews keep teens out of trouble?

Do violent video games cause behavior problems?

Does age matter in relationships?

Does boredom lead to trouble?

Does participation in sports keep teens out of trouble?

Are actors and professional athletes paid too much? Does television have a positive influence on students?

Are cell phones dangerous? Is a lottery a good idea?

Are girls too mean to each other? Is beauty skin deep? Name______Block ______Fossum English 10 Topic Selection Is cheating out of control? Should cigarette smoking be banned?

Is child behavior better or worse than it was years ago? Should girls ask boys out?

Is college admission too competitive? Should hunting be made illegal?

Is dieting harmful? Should men get paternity leave from work?

Is fashion important? Should mothers stay at home?

Should sex education be given in school? Is homework harmful or helpful? Should students’ lockers be checked? Is internet dating harmful? Should teachers be paid on the basis of Is the cost of college too high? performance?

Should the alcoholic drinking age be increased or

decreased?

Should the government have a say in our diets? Is The World Going To End In 2012? Should the military be allowed to recruit at high schools? Is there an alternative for prison?

Should the minimum wage be changed for adolescents Is torture ever acceptable? or teenagers?

Is global climate change man-made? Should the racing industry be forced to use biofuels?

Should all citizens be covered by health insurance? Should there be a censor board for the internet?

Should animals be used for research? Should wearing helmets be made compulsory?

Should working women be given special privileges? Should capital punishment be abolished?

What age is appropriate for dating? Name______Block ______Fossum English 10 Topic Selection

Abstinence Do they work? programs

Advertising Should certain kinds of ads be banned in the interest of health/morality/annoyance – alcohol, cigarettes, prescription meds, etc…?

Alcohol In Sweden, alcohol can be bought only in bars. Should the U.S. have the same law?

Animal rights Should it be illegal to use animals for sports and entertainment?

Athletes in high Should shoe companies be able to give away free shoes and equipment to high school schools athletes?

Beauty contests Do they serve any purpose in society?

Cell phones How have they changed us socially?

Censorship Should parents censor textbooks and other literature for children in schools?

Child soldiers Why and how children are used for war

Climate change Is global warming a hoax? Is it being exaggerated?

Credit cards Why are so many Americans in credit card debt?

Cyber crime What are the latest ways to steal identity and money?

Divorce Should we reform laws to make it harder to get a divorce?

Do Not Call list Is it Constitutional to prevent companies from calling potential customers?

Exams Exams often do little more than measure a person’s ability to take exams. Should exams be outlawed in favor of another form of assessment?

Are we taking it too far by blaming fast food restaurants for obesity? When is it Fast food individual responsibility and when is it appropriate to place blame? Name______Block ______Fossum English 10 Topic Selection Feminism Is feminism still relevant? How do young women view feminism?

Fitness programs Should companies allow employees to exercise on work time?

Flag Should children be required to say the Pledge of Allegiance in schools?

Food Steroids. Antibiotics. Sprays. Are food manufacturers killing us?

Gap year Should teens in the U.S. adopt the British custom of taking a “gap year” between high school and college?

Grades In some European schools, fewer than 10% of students get As. Is there grade inflation in the U.S.? Why so many As for Americans?

Honors classes Good for honors students… bad for mainstream students? Why are schools eliminating honors programs?

Internet and Are children smarter (or more socialized) because of the Internet? children

Juvenile offenders Should juvenile offenders be tried and punished as adults?

Lead poisoning Should the U.S. stop importing Chinese-manufactured toys?

Literacy Are Americans “literate?”

Marriage Are arranged marriages unethical?

Military Should the U.S. have mandatory military conscriptions? For whom?

Models Should there be a minimum weight limit?

Moms Should stay-at-home moms get a salary from the government?

Muslim Americans What is life for them like in the U.S. after September 11, 2001?

No Child Left Is it working? Behind Act

Noise pollution How much is too much noise? What, if anything, should we do to curb it?

Nonverbal How do men and women communicate differently using body language, and why does communication it matter (in dating, the workplace, social circles)?

Obesity and weight Should thin people have to pay Medicare and other health costs for the health problems loss of obese people? Should obese people have higher premiums? Name______Block ______Fossum English 10 Topic Selection Overpopulation What would happen globally if the demand for natural resources is greater than the supply?

Paparazzi What, if any, limitations should be applied to the paparazzi?

Parents Should parents be held responsible when their children break laws?

Privacy Should the government be allowed to wire tap without permission?

Privacy What medical information should be confidential? Who, if anybody, should have access to medical records?

Public figures Does the public have a right to know about a public figure’s private life?

Racial bias in Does news coverage favor whites? media

Road Rage Why do normally patient people become impatient behind the wheel?

School lunches Should government impose restrictions on what kinds of foods can be served in school cafeterias?

School uniforms Pros and cons of school uniforms.

Single sex schools Do children learn better in boys-only and girls-only schools?

Social anxiety How is it different from shyness? And, are we a society of anxiety?

Spanking Should it be outlawed?

Sports parents What are the effects on children whose parents push them in sports?

Steroids Should they be legalized?

Title IX Has it helped women’s sports? Has it harmed men’s sports?

Tough love Does parental “tough love” really work?

Toys Do certain children’s toys create social or emotional problems?

Wages There’s a minimum wage, but should there also be a maximum wage/salary a person can earn?

Workaholics Do Americans work too hard? Does working more actually reduce productivity? Is a 40- hour work week too much? Should there be a mandatory cap on the number of hours a person can work? Should there be changes in employment laws to give Americans more relaxation time? Name______Block ______Fossum English 10 Topic Selection