Contemporary Issues: A Research Guide
Many times students are asked to write position papers that refute or support particular
viewpoints about issues relevant in today’s society. Not only students, but others interested in
contemporary issues and the various complex policies surrounding them will find the resources
below to be helpful. Issues like abortion, cloning, death penalty, euthanasia, and full-day
kindergarten pose challenges to people who want to fully understand the major issues at hand.
The materials below will help beginning researchers as well as those looking for more
comprehensive coverage. The terms and phrases listed in the subject headings below can be
used to search for more materials in the library’s catalog and research databases. If you need
further assistance, please ask a librarian.
Books and Magazines
CQ Researcher. Washington, DC: Congressional Quarterly, 1991. Weekly. ISSN: 10562036.
Weekly reports on wide range of current events and issues; each report on one topic and gives
both sides of an argument.
Opposing Viewpoints Series. San Diego: Greenhaven Press.
Over hundreds of topics are included in this series. Each title explores a specific issue by placing
expert opinions in a unique pro/con format.
Sample Titles:
• Abortion. 2001. ISBN: 0737707771.
• American Values. 2002. ISBN: 0737703431.
• Death Penalty. 2001. ISBN: 0737707917.
• Extremist Groups. 2001. ISBN: 0737706554.
• Global Warming. 2001. ISBN: 073770909X.
Web Sites
Debatabase, International Debate Education Association
www.debatabase.org
Includes arguments for and against hundreds of debating topics. Written by expert debaters,
judges, and coaches. Also included are background summaries, links to Web sites of interest,
and recommended books, example motions, and user comments. Sponsored by the International
Debate Education Association.
Justice Talking
www.justicetalking.org
Tackles current hot topics with reports from the field, polling analysis, and compelling debate
between the nation’s leading advocates and political opposites. Sponsored by National Public
Radio.
Public Agenda
www.publicagenda.org
Explains and clarifies public attitudes about complex policy issues. Provides research studies and
issue guides on topics like the right to die, illegal drugs, America’s global role, and more.
Organizations
International Debate Education Association (IDEA)
www.idebate.org
IDEA is an independent membership organization of national debate programs and associations
and other organizations and individuals that support debate. IDEA provides assistance to national
debate associations and organizes an annual international summer camp.
Topics to Explore
The topics listed below include some of the most highly debated topics in contemporary times.
Students can search the library catalog, informational databases, and search engines using the
terms listed below with keywords like position papers, pro and con with the topic name. (For
example: abortion and “position paper”).
Abortion
Gambling
Poverty
Adoption
Gangs
Prisons
Affirmative action
Gay marriages
Prohibition of school
prayer
AIDS (disease)
Gays in the military
Public assistance
Alcoholism
Genocide
Race relations
Animal rights
Global warming
Racism
Arranged marriages
Gun control
Rape
Health care reform
Assisted suicide
(euthanasia)
Religion
Homelessness
Renewable energy
Banning of Confederate
Homeschooling
flag
Right of privacy
Homosexuality
Beauty contests
School violence
Human cloning
Bioethics
Sex education
Identity cards
Biological weapons
Sexual behavior
Internet censorship
Birth control
Single-sex schools
Invasion of Iraq
Cameras in courtrooms
Smoking
Islamic fundamentalism
Capital punishment
Stem cell research
Juvenile alcoholism
Censorship
Suicide
Juvenile drug abuse
Chemical weapons
Sunday entertainment
Juvenile offenders
Child abuse
Teenage pregnancy
Legalization of marijuana
Child curfews
Teenage sexual behavior
Mandatory retirement
Church and state
Terrorism
Media violence
Compulsory voting
United States foreign
Medical care
Condoms in schools
relations
Medical ethics
Conservation
Use of mobile telephones
Mental disorders
in cars
Creationism vs. evolution
Mental health
Violence
Divorce
Middle East
War crimes
Drinking (alcoholic
Minimum wage
beverages)
Water pollution
Narcotics control
Driving while intoxicated
Welfare reform
Narcotics legalization
Drugs and athletes
Women’s rights
National security
Election of judges
Working women
Nuclear weapons
Youth
Emigration and
Nutrition
immigration
Zero tolerance
Oceans
Endangered species
Zoos
Political corruption
Environmentalism
Pollution
Faith schools
Population growth
Feminism
Pornography
Flag burning