Topics: Society & Politics

Society | History | Science & Tech | Surveys | Exhibits | Specialized

Abortion Should a woman have the right to abort (end) an unwanted pregnancy?

Affirmative Action Are government programs to help minorities and women get better education and jobs a way to justice or a form of discrimination?

AIDS/HIV Perhaps the most serious public health problem of our times.

Bilingual Education Should schoolchildren who are learning English as a second language have their other classes in their native language?

The Death Penalty Does the execution (killing) of violent criminals reduce crime? Is it fair?

Euthanasia Should people be allowed (encouraged? forced?) to die with dignity?

Evolution & Creationism What should schoolchildren be taught about the origins of life?

Development Aid Is overseas economic development assistance helpful or harmful?

Free Speech Should society restrict some forms of expression in order to protect children, women, etc. from sex, violence, and hate?

Gun Control Should the purchase and ownership of firearms be limited by law?

Nuclear Weapons The only use of nuclear weapons took place when the United States bombed the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

School vouchers If public schools are not performing well, should government money be used to support private education?

Tobacco Use Should tobacco (cigars, cigarettes, etc) be restricted?

Other sites

Academic Integrity What values are important to students, faculty, and researchers in universities and institutes in today's world?

America's Global Role How should the United States act as a superpower?

Animal Rights Is it ethical to use animals in scientific experiments, to hunt them, or to eat them.

Bioethics (including cloning and reproductive technologies) What are the proper limits of medical and biological research and of available treatments?

Campaign Finance Reform Should spending on US elections be limited?

Crime How can the rate of crime be reduced?

Drugs Are drugs a danger that must be eliminated, or is drug control (The War on Drugs) a threat to individual freedom?

The Gilded Age: Documenting Industrialization in America A WebQuest in which participants are assigned the task of producing a documentary presentation on the social and technological changes in the US during the second half of the 19th century.

Human Rights What are Human Rights and how important are they?

Immigration Should new immigrants to the USA be limited in order to protect American culture?

Medicare Should the US government provide health care assistance for older people?

Minimum Wage Does increasing the base pay for all jobs reduce poverty by increasing the standard of living of those with society's lowest paying jobs, or does it increase poverty by forcing business to hire fewer entry-level workers.

Poverty and Welfare What should be government's role in eliminating poverty or reducing its negative effects?

Race What are relations like among groups in the USA?

Right to Die The central issue has been whether terminally ill individuals should have the right to ask a doctor to hasten their own deaths, a larger issue has also been raised as well: about dying with dignity and what constitutes a "good death."

The Family After four decades of social change, there is a great unease about American family life and what will become of the next generation.