Term Paper Topics
GOVT 2305
Fall 2013
Current Events
President Obama’s Healthcare Law
President Obama’s healthcare law, entitled “the Affordable Care Act or ACA,” is rolling
out this fall and early next year. The part of the law requiring that everyone have health
care coverage begins in January of 2014. The healthcare exchanges or websites where
citizens can go and find affordable insurance opened up for enrollment in October of this
fall, 2013. However, the websites have had many problems and difficulties in getting
them to work with so many potential citizens logging into the sites at the same time. In
addition, some persons who had coverage before the exchanges opened are now finding
that their policies have been canceled because of the new, stricter requirements of the
Obama healthcare law. Also, some states, especially those run by Republican governors
such as Texas, have refused to go along with the healthcare legislation and have refused
to accept needed funds from the federal government to expand Medicaid eligibilities and
make it possible for poor people to afford the health insurance. For this paper topic,
consider the pros and cons of the healthcare legislation, especially as it is being applied in
the states. Why are the Republicans so opposed to it and what, if anything can they really
do to stop it? What can the Democrats do, on the other hand, to promote the initiative and
help it to be successful? What should we do to resolve our healthcare problems,
especially if the Obama healthcare initiative fails? Consider Texas, for example, the state
with the highest percentage (25%) of persons who are uninsured here. What should we do
to solve our healthcare problems?
The mess in Syria
If you have been watching the news, you have probably seen pictures of the violence and
bloodshed that has been going on in Syria. President Assad is systematically killing his
own people who have been protesting against his rulership. Recently, the Assad
government used chemical weapons (against the rules of the Genieve convention) to kill
innocent women, children and families of his own people. President Obama threatened to
send troops into Syria, but his action was stopped by the Russian President Putin who
offered to help remove the weapons of mass warfare from Syria to a neutral place where
they could be dismantled. Since then civil war and violence has continued in Syria. For
this paper, consider the situation in Syria. What should the United States do to stop the
war and bloodshed in Syria? Should we provide arms to the rebel groups that are trying to
fight the Syrian government under Assad, or would that possibly result in giving arms to
terrorist groups linked to Al Queda? What is the position of the secretary of the state,
John Kerry on the subject? What strategy does President Obama want to take, and why?
Should the United Nations be involved in any decision that we make with regard to Syria,
or should we act on our own? What likely solution do you see coming out of this terrible
conflict and destruction?
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U.S. and Iran
The relationship between Iran and the United States has been very tense lately over the
possibility that Iran may be developing nuclear weapons. We have no way to know if this
is really true. They claim to be developing nuclear technology as an energy source. But
our intelligence sources suggest that Iran has the potential to develop nuclear weapons
within the next 1 to 3 years. As a consequence, the President and our European allies
(especially Israel) have been pressuring Iran with economic sanctions to stop the further
development of its nuclear program. Israel, however, a close neighbor to Iran and within
missile range if a nuclear weapon were to be fired, is quite concerned over these
developments. Israel’s Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has threatened to make a
“pre-emptive” strike on Iran to wipe out any possible nuclear weapon locations. If that
were to happen, we might be pulled into a war against Iran since Israel is our ally. What
do you make of this situation? Is it inevitable that we will have to confront Iran some
time in the future about their nuclear capabilities, or is there a peaceful solution to this
problem? What role do the religious clerics in Iran play in how these events are likely to
play out? Will Russia become involved? If so, could this possibly escalate into another
world war? Should Americans support such an effort, if it comes to this?
Domestic Issues
The American Economy
Lately, we have heard from media commentators that the economy is finally beginning to
recover. Unemployment has finally gone down, the Dow Jones market is going back up,
the housing crisis has come to an end and people are beginning to buy again, consumer
confidence is strong and people are buying for the Holidays. Now that the economy is
back on the right track, what do we need to do to make sure that it continues to grow and
does not fall back into another recession. How do we keep our economy strong and
healthy? What are the jobs of the future that will keep people employed and working and
being productive consumers? Are they are any continuing problems with gaps between
the very wealthy and the very poor? What can we do and should we do to close (or at
least narrow) the gap between the rich and the poor in America? Do you think that
Obama has been successful in the way that he has regulated the economy? What lessons
can we learn from his successes and his failures in this regard?
Environmental Concerns
Today, it is popular to hear people talking about “going green” or finding ways to change
habits and methods in our lives to help promote environmental consciousness and
responsibility. What does “going green” mean for individuals in their daily lives and
habits? What does it mean for larger corporations and businesses that might take
measures to help promote greater environmental responsibility? To what extent is a
growing awareness of environmental issues and consciousness essential to the well being
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of future generations and the promotion of sustainability? For this paper topic, study the
environmental issues involved in “going green” and take a position on the necessity of
this approach for the future.
Homosexual Rights/Gay Marriage
In what manner and to what extent should homosexual couples be recognized as
legitimate couples by society and be given basic rights to equal participation and the due
process of law that heterosexual married couples are given? First, consider what are the
issues involved in this debate? Who would be positively affected by the legalization of
homosexual marriages, who would be negatively affected by it and why? What
distinctions, if any, should be made between homosexual and heterosexual marriages?
What would be the positive benefits to society of legalizing gay marriages across the
country, what would be the draw backs? For this paper, take a position on this issue and
consider both sides of the argument. How do you see this controversial issue playing out
in the courts?
Women’s Rights/Feminist Issues
The women’s rights movement emerged at about the same time as the civil rights
movement during the 1960’s. Like any social movement, there were diverse perspectives
within the larger group of women who were pushing for change in the status of women in
society. Following the model developed by the NAACP, some women wanted to work
within the legal system to bring about change through legislative and court battles. Other
women were extremely pessimistic about the prospects for real, lasting change in a
system they viewed as unalterably patriarchal. Some women rejected the dominance of
male society so greatly they chose to adopt homosexual lifestyles and values. Thus,
“feminism” in the domestic setting has taken on various meanings and interpretations. It
is not one monothilic concept or single idea that fits all women. Egalitarian feminists put
their emphasis on belief in the equality of men and women; they believe it is possible to
work through the political system through legal changes to bring about lasting and
meaningful changes in society. Radical feminists, however, are very cynical about the
real prospects for overturning the patriarchal system that they view as deeply entrenched.
Thus, they take little action to bring about real change. Finally, some women become
lesbian feminists in order to fully reject the male dominated political system. Given these
differences, what is the status of feminism today? What has happened to the women’s
movement of the 1960s and what issues are women most concerned with today? What
successes did we make during the women’s movement and what obstacles and setbacks
did we confront as a result of these efforts? Where are we today?
Abortion Rights/Pro-Life
How one views abortion rights and pro-life issues has become a “litmus test” for whether
one is truly liberal or conservative in American politics. This speaks to how controversial
and polarizing this issue is for the general public and for government officials. Since the
Supreme Court ruled on Roe v. Wade in 1973, there have been many protests and
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controversies by pro-life groups that want more restrictions on abortion clinics and would
like to see this ruling overturned. We have seen the killing of abortion doctors and
parents who refuse to allow their children to learn about sex education or birth control in
the public schools. Now that President Bush has appointed two new justices to the
Supreme Court, there is growing concern among feminist and liberal advocates that the
court may become too conservative on this issue and that Roe v. Wade may be
successfully challenged. What are the most important issues involved in this controversy?
What exactly is the Roe v. Wade ruling, and how could it be successfully challenged in
the courts? Should it be successfully changed in the courts, why or why not? For this
paper, take a position on this most controversial issue, and try to present both sides of the
issue as fairly as possible.
Gun Control/Right to bear arms
This issue of gun control has become increasingly an important topic as we have seen
more and more cases of people with mental instabilities that somehow get access to guns
and go on shooting rampages, killing a lot of innocent people before killing themselves.
The most recent case involves Jared Loughner who shot U.S. Representative Gabrielle
Giffords in the head, and shot and killed several other victims at a “meet and greet”
outside a grocery store in Tucson, Arizona. In other fairly recent examples we have seen
the Virginia Tech incident, the shooting in the shopping Mall in Minnesota, the
Columbine High School killings, the killings in the Amish community, and so forth. I
suppose it might also be fair to include the terrorist activities on September 11th, 2001 as
guns allowed the terrorists to gain control over the airplanes that were flown into the twin
towers in New York. What should be done to address this issue? In what manner and to
what extent do we need greater gun control legislation? How should we handle the
problem of how to detect when someone is so mentally ill that they pose a danger either
to themselves or others? What actions should be taken in such a case? For this paper,
address the main issues surrounding the gun control versus the right to bear arms debate.
Take a position and try to consider both sides of the issue as fairly as possible.
Capital Punishment
Texas has the highest number of executions of all the states in the United States. What
are some of the reasons why we have more executions here than in any other state in the
country? For your essay consider such factors as the levels of poverty, education and the
political culture in Texas. Do you believe that capital punishment is a form of “cruel and
unusual punishment” and therefore it should be outlawed as based on the 8th
Amendment of the Constitution, or not? What about the Innocence Project? What is that
about and how does the influence arguments against the use of capital punishment? For
this paper, consider the arguments both for and against capital punishment. Take a
position on the issue and consider the benefits and the disadvantages to society if capital
punishment were to be eliminated.
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Foreign Issues
Political Unrest in the Middle East and the Arab Spring
So far this year we have seen an outbreak of political protests and revolts in various
countries across the middle east such as Tunisia, Egypt, Bahrain, Yemen, Libya and
Syria. For this paper, consider the factors that are stimulating all this political unrest and
revolution across these various countries. Why are they happening all at once in this
way? What does the role of technology, computers and cell phones for example, play in
furthering and sustaining these protests? Do you believe these countries will eventually
become more democratic or will they remain under autocratic leadership? For example,
consider what has happened more recently in Egypt with the ouster of President Morsi
and the release of the former President, Mubarak. What does this say about the fragility
of democracy in these areas?
War in Afghanistan
What is your assessment of the closing of the war in Afghanistan? What are the reasons
why we entered into this conflict and what have we accomplished there since it began?
Should we continue to maintain troops in Afghanistan now that Osama Bin Laden has
been located and killed? Do we have a commitment to the Afghani people to help them to
transition to their own form of democracy and independence? If so, what should that
involve and how should it be accomplished? Recently, there have been several
unfortunate incidents in Afghanistan that have strained our relationship with them. Some
soldiers mistakenly burned a copy of the Koran, some pictures emerged on the Internet of
soldiers urinating on dead Afghanistan fighters, and then an American soldier went on a
rampage and massacred several innocent Afghan women and children. These events have
caused widespread protests against the Americans there and have threatened our mission.
What do you make of these events? Currently, President Obama has promised that he will
withdraw troops from Afghanistan by 2014. Do you agree with this policy or should we
withdraw troops sooner to avoid further conflicts? Explain your position.
North Korea
One of the most economically depressed areas in the world is North Korea. Because they
are still following a communistic regime established under President Kim, North Korea
has not been able to participate in foreign markets where more democratic economic
principals are beginning to take hold. This has left them somewhat isolated from the rest
of the world, even from their own neighbors and kinsmen in South Korea. In fact, the
artificial division between North and South Korea has divided up families and loved ones
from each other. This has led to some extreme attempts to escape from North Korea. At
the same time their President spent a great deal of the country’s resources in developing
the army and military. President Kim was also attempting to develop nuclear weapons to
strengthen the country’s position as a world power. Of course, now that President Kim
has passed away, his younger son has taken over as the leader of North Korea. For this
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paper, consider the situation in North Korea. What changes do you think will happen
there now that President Kim’s son has taken over? What kind of diplomatic stance
should the United States take toward North Korea? What can be done to help the people
of North Korea that may be suffering from poor economic conditions?
Africa/Aids, Poverty and Disease
Several countries in Africa, especially in the southern regions, are suffering from extreme
levels of poverty, disease and from aids. In some cases the types of diseases that people
are suffering from are curable all but for the lack of money and resources to inoculate
children with vaccines to combat them. For this paper, consider the worst areas in Africa
that are suffering from extreme levels of poverty and disease. What can and should be
done to address these poor human conditions? To what extent does the human
community have a responsibility to address the needs of these people and bring them to a
higher level of living? What solutions do you propose for helping these communities?
Global Feminism
Global feminists are people who are most concerned about the status of women around
the world, and who strongly believe that the condition of humanity would improve
tremendously if women could be lifted up and improved. In the Subjection of Women
John S. Mill makes the argument that since women represent slightly more than half of
the human population, the improvement of their status around the world globe would
greatly enhance the progress of all humans. Although women in western nations are fairly
advanced in their feminist status, the status of women in third world and lesser developed
nations is still quite low. In some places, such as under the Taliban rule in Afghanistan,
women are kept out of educational and occupational opportunities. In such areas women
are highly controlled. In other areas religious beliefs and customs keep women enslaved
to practices such as genital mutilation and dowries. For this paper, consider what are the
major obstacles to the progress of women around the globe? What are the key areas of
education and health care that are essential to making this progress happen? What are the
worst areas of the world where the suppression of women is the greatest and that we need
to be the most concerned about?
Human Rights/Humanitarian Relief
To what extent should we be concerned with the development of human rights concepts?
Should the United States be dedicated to the defense of human rights even in situations
where there is no direct economic benefit to us in commiting troops or defense? What are
the basic human rights that every nation should reasonably be expected to respect
regardless of gender, race, culture, religion or ethnicity? To what extent is there or should
there be a belief in justice that transcends the rights and powers of individual nations? For
this paper, consider these questions on both theoretical and practical grounds.
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Global Warming/Global Environmental Issues
Scientists around the world have observed a trend toward greater global warming due to
increased human activities that lead to more emissions and pollution. They are afraid that
the rising temperatures of the Earth’s atmosphere might lead to the warming of the seas
and the potential melting of the polar ice caps. To what extent should government
officials and politicians be concerned with global environmental issues such as global
warming? Should they heed the warnings and concerns of such scientists or should they
dismiss them as not important to the current economic conditions?
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