Ideas for Topics:

 Check out this link from Santa Ana College for controversial issues!

·       Cigarettes legal (harmful substances, Prohibition comparison, power of the Federal Government)

·       Dance in PE or Cheerleading (what is a “sport”?)

·       Abortion (Women’s Rights, history of Feminist Movement, 19th century to now)

·       Sodas/Junk Food in school (obesity and its effects on our country—huge epidemic, Fast Food Nation, Supersize Me)

·       Stem Cell Research (human rights issues, privacy issues, Fed. Govt.)

·       War in Iraq (America’s role in preserving/promoting democracy….how has that changed over time? Timeline from WWII to now)

·       IPods in School (effect of music on learning, Mozart Effect…Baroque music, lots of research about this)

·       Need for the Arts in schools (studies of students w/ and w/out)

·       Work Age Limit (Work Houses of the 19th century, writing of Charles Dickens)

·       Slavery Today (National Geographic article, exploitation of children, women, poor, America’s factories in other countries—how do we have such cheap clothes?)

·       Drivers License Issue –dead end issue unless you choose to expand to ageism in our culture.  What about elderly losing power over their personal lives?  Child emancipation from parents?

·       Gangs—history, why people join, how to get out, help for those stuck, what we can do about them, how they affect communities

·       Domestic Spying—Patriot Act (gets into 4th Amendment, how far do we go to protect ourselves from terrorism?  1984—George Orwell’s Big Brother)

·       Eminent Domain—5th Amendment…taking over private land to develop for “the greater good of the common welfare”

·       Teen Dating violence—article this past Sunday (2/5/2006 in the Union Tribune

·       Extreme Sports (safety issues, culture surrounding, how far is too far?)

·       Olympic Sports—who chooses what sports get in?  Corruption in how venues are chosen.  Should pros be allowed to participate?

·       Video Games/Gaming—controversies surrounding

·       Sports—various such as controversies about testing, steroids, corruption, gambling

·       Famous People--positive and negative influences on youth, what it means to be a "celebrity" and how it affects cult

·       Global Warming & Energy consumption--what it is, how it affects us, moral obligations to change how we use ENERGY