1. global climate change caused by humans?

2. Is the death penalty effective?

3. Is our election process fair?
4. Is torture ever acceptable?
5. Should men get paternity leave from work?
6. Are school uniforms beneficial?
7. Do we have a fair tax system?
8. Do curfews keep teens out of trouble?
9. Is cheating out of control?
10. Are we too dependent on computers?
11. Should animals be used for research?
12. Should cigarette smoking be banned?
13. Are cell phones dangerous?
14. Are law enforcement cameras an invasion of privacy?
15. Do we have a throw-away society?
16. Is child behavior better or worse than it was years ago?
17. Should companies market to children?
18. Should the government have a say in our diets?
19. Does access to condoms prevent teen pregnancy?
20. Should members of Congress have term limits?
21. Are actors and professional athletes paid too much?
22. Should athletes be held to high moral standards?
23.Are CEOs paid too much?
24. Do violent video games cause behavior problems?

1. Should creationism be taught in public schools?

2. Are beauty pageants exploitative?
3. Should English be the official language in the United States?
4. Should the racing industry be forced to use biofuels?
5. Should the alcohol drinking age be increased or decreased?
6. Should everyone be required to recycle?
7. Is it okay for prisoners to vote?
8. Should gay couples be able to marry?
9. Are there benefits to attending a single-sex school?
10. Does boredom lead to trouble?
11. Should schools be in session year-round?
12. Does religion cause war?
13. Should the government provide health care?
14. Should abortion be illegal?
15. Are girls too mean to each other?
16. Is homework harmful or helpful?
17. Is the cost of college too high?
18. Is college admission too competitive?
 19. Should euthanasia be illegal?
20. Should marijuana be legal?
21. Do rich people need to pay more taxes?

1. Should schools require foreign language or physical education?

2. Is affirmative action fair or not?
3. Is public prayer okay in schools?
4. Are schools and teachers responsible for low test scores?
5. Is greater gun control a good idea?

College Debate Topic #1: Is Torture Justified

When Used for National Security?
Resolution: Torture is necessary for national
security.
Proposition:



 The proposition side believes that torture is one of the only
ways to prevent future terrorist attempts and enforce the
security for our people.
 Torture is the same as justifying an act of self-defense.
 Torture is worth the temporary pain to the victim to save
lives. (DeBre, Sanders)

Opposition:



 Torture is not necessary for national security.
 Torture is not necessary because information from the
United States Military states that information obtained by
torture is generally not reliable.
 Torture, as well as being ineffective, draws negative
attention to the United States. (DeBre, Sanders)
 Example of Supporting Evidence: An essay examining torture as being
morally mandatory.

College Debate Topic #2: Are Security

Cameras an Invasion of Our Privacy?
Resolution: Security cameras are an invasion of our
privacy.
Proposition:



 Security cameras cause irritation and discomfort since we
know that somebody is watching us. (Prezi)
 Security cameras make people feel like they are untrusted
because someone is monitoring them. (Prezi)

Opposition:



 Security cameras deter crime from happening. (Prezi)
 Security cameras provide a method of removal from
reaction to prevention in regards to violence. (Dershowitz)

Example of Supporting Evidence: A critical essay depicting security

camera footage being used against its owner.

College Debate Topic #3: Should the Death

Penalty Be Eradicated?
Resolution: The death penalty should be eradicated.
Proposition:



 It is a barbaric way to deal with criminals.
  It is against moral and religious principles.
 To kill a killer for killing does not make sense. (Debate.org)

Opposition:



 Killers should be put to death.
 It offers a safer environment.
 Prevents criminals from repeating the same crimes over
and over again. (Debate.org)

Example of Supporting Evidence: A research paper with sources

debating the death penalty.

College Debate Topic #4: Are Single Sex

Schools more effective than co-ed schools?
Resolution: Single sex schools are more effective
than co-ed schools.
Proposition:



 Single-sex classrooms can make it easier for teachers to
match their instructional style to behavioral characteristics
of the students.
 Students will have greater concentration based on not being
concerned with their appearance.
 Offering single-sex classrooms in public schools is the
cheapest, most effective, and simplest “innovation”
available to improve achievement, particularly in math and
science. (Kirschenbaum, Boyd)

Opposition:



  Same sex classrooms offer diversity in perspectives,
opinions, and ideas.
 Same sex classrooms offer encouragement to unmotivated
students.
 Same sex classrooms encourage respect and acceptance
of the opposite sex. (Kirschenbaum, Boyd)

Example of Supporting Evidence: A comparative essay that weighs

the differences of requiring students to wear uniforms at same-sex and
co-ed schools.

College Debate Topic #5: Is It Important for all

schools to conduct mandatory drug testing on
their students?
Resolution: It is important for all schools to conduct
mandatory drug testing on their students.
Proposition:



 Drug testing in schools would deter drug use.
 Drug testing athletes and other student role models would
send a powerful message to the entire student body.
 Drug education is not enough. (Debatepedia)

Opposition:



 Drug testing in schools is an invasion of privacy.
 Drug testing does not deter drug use.
 Mandatory drug testing in schools would be expensive.
(Morgan)

Example of Supporting Evidence: Research addressing workplace

privacy and drug testing.
Conclusion
Structured debates have always been a healthy way of bringing hot,
controversial, and taboo subjects to light. They take their own special place in
history that no other form of public rhetoric has been able touch. Collegiate
debates have brought together students, faculty, and community members
from a variety of ethnic, gender, and socioeconomic backgrounds. With a
variety of different formats, venues, and institutes of higher learning
participating, the world is surely a more intellectual and understanding place.
The James Farmer Jrs and Tolsons of the world probably smile down on how
far the collegiate debate circuit has become.

Collegiate debate topics are vast in number and rich in possibilities for
discussion. Just as in choosing a research paper topic, debate topics should
mean someting to the debaters and be something they feel passionately
about. Research and debate topics often coincide with debates that are
currently circulating in legal, educational, and governmental circles as well.
These student debaters that are found in colleges around the world may rise
to positions of power, including presidencies. Debates among college
students should be encouraged, facilitated, and treated with the utmost
respect. Atifete Jahjaga summed it up best when he said:

Democracy must be built through open societies that share information.

When there is information, there is enlightenment. When there is debate,
there are solutions. When there is no sharing of power, no rule of law, no
accountability, there is abuse, corruption, subjugation and indignation.
SCHOOL VIOLENCE – A
SOCIAL PROBLEM

Violence is increasing drastically everywhere. Today, people resort to violence even for a small issue. Every day we

hear about war and violence in the news. This has a tremendous negative impact on the present day younger

generation who not only resort to violence in the streets but also in their schools. School violence is the use of

physical or verbal force on any person within the school premises. It can also mean bullying or ragging where the

victim is left mentally disturbed with the element of fear for attending school. This has become more regular these

days and affected the youth of today’s world where children are scared to attend school. Schools nowadays has

witnessed in the increase in the amount of degree of violence. In a place where children bring their books, pens, color

pens, we find they also bring along dangerous weapons like guns, knives and other weapons to school. With

incidents such as shootings in public schools and bomb threats elsewhere, how can we resolve such incidents of

school violence?

A number of factors lead to school violence. Children are influenced by both socio and interpersonal factors. First of

all, parents play a key role in the child’s life. Children look upon to their parents as a role model. So, parents should

provide a moral guidance to their children and teach them the good etiquettes of life. The second most reason for

school violence is mass media and newspaper. Violence is shown through many forms on television, radio and

newspaper and even in the internet.

Education is the key to awareness for the welfare of the nation. Schools should follow a strict policy of discipline and

have a standard procedure to ensure a positive environment within the premises. In many schools, there is disparity

within the management and staff. Even though such disparity is present, it should be resolve in a dignified manner.

The management, principal, staff and most important parents play a good role model to the students. It is the duty of

the principal and teachers to impart knowledge to students in such a way that solves any kind of issues without the

use of any form of violence. Mass media is an effective way to reach out to children as children are addicted to

electronics. So, instead of showing aggressive behavior, they can discuss ways to eliminate violence completely.
Hence, I would like to conclude that school violence is a social problem and steps should be undertaken to wipe out

any form of radical, violent behavior in the school premises.

 Should cell phones be banned in schools

n a society where almost everyone over the age of thirteen carries a cell phone, pager, or
both, many school systems have banned these items from school grounds. Why? Many say
it’s due to the ‘potential problems’, such as texting during classes. Others say it is because
they interrupt the learning environment. Whatever the reason the school boards give,
should cell phones really be banned from school premises?

In a day and age where everyone relies heavily upon modern technology for
communication, cell phones are a good thing to have, especially for high school students.
Many students have after-school activities, such as a sport or a club that they participate in
after school hours, when most people, including the office staff, have already gone home for
the day. The students need a way to contact their parents during and after these activities,
and vice versa. If cell phones were banned from school grounds, even just during school
hours, how would the kids contact their parents afterwards? With only one or two phones in
the office or on a coach, having thirty or more students per activity coming in to use the
phone one after the other is just ridiculous. It would take hours, something that would take
minutes overall if the kids each had their own cell phone.

Many adults are worried that during a crisis, students having cell phones is a safety hazard.
How? If the board is worried that all of the students would be calling 911 at the same time
and clogging up the line, what is the difference between a thousand kids and two thousand
hysterical parents? If they are worrying about rumors getting out of control by way of
texting or calling, why not just tell the kids what’s going on rather than leave them in the
dark to come up with their ridiculous theories? In my opinion, it actually provides a certain
amount of safety. Parents may call their children and can know where they are, instead of
them worrying whether the teen is at a friends house or out walking the streets with a gang
after school.

The board, principals, and teachers alike are concerned that if cell phones are allowed in
school, there will be problems with texting in class. My solution to this is to make a rule that
says cell phones have to be off and put away during school hours. If a student is caught
texting in class, have the teacher take up the phone for the rest of the day, or maybe even
until the next day. This seems like a reasonable compromise, because that way the kids are
still able to contact whoever they need to after school, but are free from distractions during
the day.

As with the rule that bans the students from chewing gum in school, how is the school really
supposed to enforce the banning of cell phones? Students will continue to bring phones to
school regardless of whether or not it’s against the rules. Honestly, I think at least a few
students bring their phones because it’s against the rules. The recent search at West High
School, where over six hundred phones were taken up plus an unidentified number of iPods
and the like despite the fact that electronic devices are banned from the grounds, only
proves my point. Six hundred phones is over half the school!

Cell phones, while they might seem like nothing but a distraction and a safety hazard for
school across the country, are in actuality quite the opposite. Banning cell phones from the
school premises will only ever have detrimental effects. As long as there is a sensible rule in
place, such as ‘Students are required to leave cell phones off and out of sight during school
hours’, there is no chance of distractions or of safety hazards because of them. After all,
there’s probably more of a chance a kid will trip and fall than the chance or a cell phone
being a distraction when it’s turned off, isn’t there?

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