Category: Essays on Controversial Topics
Browse our collection of essays on controversial topics. Each topic in this category represents a controversial issue and thus is a good choice if you are looking for argumentative or persuasive essay topics. When writing an argumentative essay or a persuasive essay you should focus on picking a topic that is current and relevant to society and can be argued logically.
While a strong interest in a topic is important, it’s not enough to be interested. You have to consider what position you can back up with reasoning and evidence. It’s one thing to have a strong belief, but when shaping an argument you’ll have to explain why your belief is reasonable and logical. As you explore the topics, make a mental list of points you could use as evidence for or against an issue.
Theoretically, as many proposals exist for tackling the origin of the phenomena of environmental degradation as do different views on how to define it. First, this plethora of theoretical approaches always begins with an interest in identifying certain variables suitable for strategic policies of intercession, that is, environmental …
An environmental hazard is a threat posed by the natural or built environment to humans and the things that are valued in human society. An environmental hazard becomes a disaster when the threat is realized and causes significant human loss. Death, injury, and psychological harm are judged to …
Environmental justice seeks to assess the fairness of the distribution of environmental risks and benefits. Of primary concern are the negative effects of nearby activities that generate pollution or risk in some form and that have health or nuisance impacts on people who live or work in the …
The environmental movement is a social movement dedicated to the management, protection, and restoration of the natural environment. Also referred to as the conservation movement, or more recently, the green movement, it is one of the more successful social movements of the 20th century, for it secured widespread …
Environmental racism refers to the disproportionate distribution of environmental hazards and toxic facilities resulting from governmental or corporate policies and regulations that deliberately target poor and minority communities. The seminal 1987 study, Toxic Waste and Race in the United States, conducted by the United Church of Christ’s Commission …
The standard biomedical definition of epidemic is the sudden spread of a disease among a number of people in excess of normal expectancy. Unlike most social problems, infectious disease epidemics are grave social problems not only because of the possible deadly nature of the disease but also because …
The concept of equal protection originates in the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. In part, it reads: “No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States, nor shall any State deprive any person of life, …
Erosion can refer to either the effects of human and natural processes or the human-natural interactive processes, the latter serving here as the focus in discussing soil erosion and biodiversity loss, particularly as a result of surface water runoffs in both urban and rural environments. When humans disrupt …
Ethnic cleansing refers to the act of purging a region or area of a particular group based on its ethnic or racial identity, through violence and intentional oppression against the targeted group. Activities associated with ethnic cleansing include forced migrations, population transfers, appropriation of property, establishment of resettlement …
An ethnic group is a large group of people that defines itself, or is delineated by outsiders, as separate or set apart socially and sometimes geographically. The separation of this group of people is due to differences in national or geographic origin, religion, or other cultural factors, and …
Ethnicity is a descriptive concept. One’s ethnicity is something like a residential address. When you reveal that you live at 1402 River Street, Philadelphia, Mississippi, in the United States, the listener knows more about you, can locate you in the geographic world, and perhaps from this address can …
The meaning of ethnocentrism is revealed by the smaller words that make up the larger one: ethnicity and center. Ethnocentrism means placing your ethnicity at the center. In this case center means “most important.” Ethnocentrism is the practice of judging other cultures and ethnic groups against your own …
Ethnomethodology is a sociological paradigm (perspective) that views the social world as a phenomenon that individuals must constantly construct and reconstruct in thought, process, and action. It is a micro-analytic perspective that focuses on breaking taken-for-granted rules. History and Definition In the United States in the 1960s, Harold …
Eugenics is a broad term for policies aimed at the genetic improvement of the human race. Whereas most people are familiar with the eugenic practices of the Nazi Party, fewer realize the widespread international use of such practices, both before and after World War II. Derived from the …
The Greek roots of the term euthanasia denote “good death.” Though it is common to think of death as unequivocally bad—it is, after all, our most severe punishment—one can easily distinguish between dying processes that are mercifully tolerable and others that are agonizing beyond endurance. During the events …
Evaluation research originally emerged in the education and human services arenas as a means for improving social programs, but it now focuses more on determining the overall effectiveness of programs. Both approaches are valuable in that they yield evidenced-based research to secure funding or develop and implement effective …
Extinction—the permanent disappearance of a species from the earth—can be thought of as the ultimate social problem. When our neighbors disappear from the planet forever, our potential social interactions are forever diminished. Extinction is not a new phenomenon. What is new, however, is the current rate of extinction, …
Extramarital sex refers to any sexual activity, but usually intercourse, that takes place outside of a legally sanctioned marriage. Even though general use of the term is with respect to heterosexual partnerships, it can also apply to homosexual relations when one of the individuals is in a heterosexual …
Faith-based social initiatives are forms of social and community support that religious institutions such as mosques, churches, and synagogues provide to help solve social problems. For some, religious institutions are a main source of support and guidance. This support can include building and funding elementary schools, providing health …
False consciousness is a complex cognitive-epistemological and socioeconomic political concept. First explored by the philosophers of the Scottish Enlightenment, notably Adam Smith and Adam Ferguson, its most common association is with the work of Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. Although false consciousness is one of the most central …
