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.
The term white flight refers to the phenomenon of whites, usually upper and middle class, rapidly moving out of cities and into suburbs as blacks and other minorities move in. The result is residential segregation that leaves cities poorer and minority residents stranded in the city center. This …
White supremacy has two different overlapping meanings, resulting in somewhat distinct literatures. The more all-encompassing literature deals with “cultural studies” and “critical race theory” and views white supremacy as an endemic part of Western culture and society. The other, more traditional approach narrowly focuses on white supremacy as …
Widowhood is the common term for the loss of a spouse, either male or female. This altered marital status requires life adjustments by the surviving partner to maintain a meaningful and fulfilled life after the loss. According to the 2000 U.S. Census, 11.3 million widows overshadow the 2.6 …
The women’s rights movement (WRM) seeks women’s equality with men in all aspects of society, with full access to the same rights and opportunities that men enjoy. Mary Wollstonecraft’s A Vindication of the Rights of Woman of 1792 first introduced the concept of rights for women. Previously focused …
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the categories most associated with the working poor are (a) people who work, but who nevertheless fall under the official definition of poverty; (b) people who are in poverty and have at least one working family member; or (c) people who may …
The world-systems perspective is a strategy for explaining social change that focuses on whole inter-societal systems rather than single societies. The main insight is that important interaction networks (trade, information flows, alliances, and fighting) have woven polities and cultures together since the beginning of human social evolution. Thus …
The term xenophobia derives from the Greek words xenos (“foreign”) and phobos (“fear”), literally meaning a fear of foreigners. This origin is reflected in dictionary definitions, which almost inevitably describe it as a fear or hatred of strangers or foreigners. Despite a clear parallel between xenophobia and prejudice, …
The concept of zero population growth (ZPG), first used by Kingsley Davis (1908-97), is a condition in which the number of children born, combined with the number of people who immigrate, is equivalent to the number of people who die, combined with the number of people who emigrate. …
The term zero tolerance refers to a government or private employer’s nondiscretionary enforcement policy that requires fixed penalties to be imposed on any violators regardless of extenuating circumstances. Zero-tolerance policies emerged from several federal- and state-level drug enforcement initiatives in the 1980s and 1990s. They have been applied …
