Research Project Ideas

1. Research Project Ideas

2. Airport Security Supporting the Status QuoAirport searches are necessary to protect the American public from terrorism. Against the Status Quo.      Airport searches invade personal privacy and do little to protect the American public from terrorism. Key words: TSA, Fourth Amendment

3. Alien Life Supporting the Status QuoIntelligent life probably exists on many planets throughout the universe. Against the Status Quo.      Intelligent life is probably rare in the universe, if it exists anywhere else at all. Key words: The Drake Equation, The Rare Earth Hypothesis, The Fermi Paradox , SETI

4. Ancient UFOs Supporting the Status QuoThere is no evidence suggesting aliens ever visited the Earth. Against the Status QuoSome evidence suggests that aliens visited the Earth in ancient times. Key words: ancient astronauts, Eric von Daniken, paleocontact

5. Atlantis Supporting the Status QuoAtlantis must be considered mythical.    Against the Status Quo.      Atlantis once existed as a historical place. Key words: Thera, Bimini Wall

6. Supporting the Status QuoEvidence supporting Bigfoot is flawed or faked. Bigfoot Against the Status Quo.      Evidence shows that Bigfoot is a living creature in North America.  6 Key words: sasquatch, cripplefoot, Patterson film, Memorial Day Film, Freeman Film, Minnesota Iceman

7. Boxing Supporting the Status QuoBoxing should remain a legal sport. Against the Status QuoBoxing should be outlawed with other gladiatorial events.

8. Dr-Assisted Suicide Supporting the Status QuoDoctors should not kill their patients. Against the Status QuoDoctors should be able to help patients end their lives. Key words: Physician-Assisted Suicide, Dr. Kevorkian

9. Dropouts, legalizing Supporting the Status QuoHigh school students should not be allowed to drop out. Against the Status QuoHigh school students should be allowed to drop out.

10. Electronic Voice Phenomena Supporting the Status QuoThe dead do not haunt the living; voices heard in recordings are figments of people’s imaginations.  Against the Status Quo.      The dead sometimes haunt the living and their voices can be recorded.  Key words: Electronic Voice Phenomenon, EVP

11. Extreme Sport Rescue Supporting the Status QuoPeople that engage in extreme sports should be rescued at the taxpayers’ expense.  Against the Status QuoPeople that engage in extreme sports should pay for their own rescues. 

12. Flight 19 of the Bermuda Triangle Supporting the Status QuoFlight 19disappeared through pilot error or natural causes. Against the Status QuoFlight 19 disappeared due to the mysterious powers of the Bermuda Triangle.

13. Genetically Modified Foods Supporting the Status QuoGenetically modified foods are a good thing and should be legal.  Against the Status Quo.  Genetically modified foods are a bad thing and should not be legal.  Essential Questions: Should a corporation be able to put a patent on a living thing? How otherwise can a company protect years of expensive laboratory research? Should a corporation be able to control the farms that use its genetically modified seeds? What happens when drifting pollen carries genetically modified DNA into the neighbor’s farm? Does the corporation have any control over that farm? Can a genetically modified crop drive out native species? Are genetically modified crops susceptible to the problems of monoculture? Key words: Monsanto

14. Global Warming Supporting the Status QuoGlobal warming is caused by human behavior and threatens our survival as a species.  Against the Status Quo.      Global warming is caused by sunspot cycles, not human behavior, and is part of a natural cycle. Key words: An Inconvenient Truth, The Great Global Warming Swindle

15. Gun Control Supporting the Status QuoCitizens without convictions should continue to be able to own guns. Against the Status QuoThe government should outlaw gun ownership.  Key words: 2nd Amendment, gun control, Brady Act, right to bear arms

16. Supporting the Status QuoNASA successfully landed men on the moon. Against the Status QuoThe Moon landing was a hoax... a television trick. Key words: moon-landing

17. Supporting the Status QuoOur government should be able to arrest American citizens and detain them indefinitely without charging them or bringing them to trial. Indefinite Detention Against the Status QuoCitizens of the United States are guaranteed a trial by the Constitution. Key words: NDAA, or National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2012 17

18. Insanity Defense Supporting the Status QuoMentally ill people should be cured, not punished. Against the Status QuoThe insanity defense should be abolished.

19. Intelligence, Origin of Supporting the Status QuoA person’s intelligence-level is developed by academic work. Against the Status QuoA person’s intelligence-level is determined by genetics.

20. Kennedy Assassination Supporting the Status QuoLee Harvey Oswald, acting alone, assassinated President Kennedy.   • Against the Status QuoOpponents to the status quo may choose ONE of the following possible killers of Kennedy, such as: • The Mob • Castro / The Cubans • Khrushchev / The Soviets / the KGB • The FBI • The CIA • Vice President Johnson • The New Orleans Conspiracy • Oswald, agent of the CIA • The Secret Service • Howard Hunt • The Federal Reserve • The Israelis • The Cuban Exiles • The American Fact-Finding Committee • OR an opponent of the status quo may focus on one facet or detail of the assassination, such as: • Alterations to Kennedy’s wounds • The Zapruder film • The Three Tramps • Grassy Knoll shooter • The “Magic Bullet”

21. Lake Monsters Supporting the Status Quo There is no scientific evidence to support the existence of large, unknown lake creatures. Against the Status QuoSome lakes contain large, unknown creatures. Key words: Loch Ness, Nessie, Lake Champlain

22. Net Neutrality Supporting the Status QuoFreedom on the Internet would disappear if the government controlled the content. Against the Status QuoThe Internet would be faster and better if the government controlled the content. Key words: Net Neutrality, Julius Genachowski, SOPA

23. Supporting the Status Quo Nostradamus made predictions so vague that they can be interpreted to fit current events. Nostradamus Against the Status QuoNostradamus made predictions that correctly forecasted some current events. Key words: 23

24. Supporting the Status QuoThe government should not allow Americans to drill off-shore. Against the Status QuoThe government should allow Americans to drill off-shore.

25. Patriot Act Supporting the Status QuoWiretapping, closed circuit cameras, and heightened airport security are necessary to keep Americans safe. Against the Status QuoAllowing the government to spy on citizens is unconstitutional and destroys our liberties and rights.   Key words: Patriot Act

26. Supporting the Status QuoThe American prison system works. Prison Reform Against the Status QuoThe American prison system doesn’t work. It should be replaced with…. 26

27. Psychic Powers Supporting the Status QuoScience does not show that any human being has psychic abilities. Against the Status QuoSome scientific investigations confirm psychic abilities in humans. Key words: ESP, extra-sensory perception, precognition, remote sensing

28. Roswell Crash Supporting the Status QuoThe Roswell UFO crash never happened. People are confused or creating a hoax. Against the Status Quo.      An alien craft crashed in Roswell, New Mexico in 1949. Alien bodies were recovered and studied by our government. 

29. Space Exploration, cost Supporting the Status QuoManned space exploration is important for our future. Against the Status QuoManned space exploration is a waste of time, money, and lives.

30. Supporting the Status QuoOur state should continue to treat violent teens as teens, not as adults.  Teens Tried as Adult Against the Status QuoOur state should treat violent teens like adults.  30

31. TV, Psychological Effects Supporting the Status QuoTelevision is not seriously harmful for children.  Watching television has few harmful effects on a person's thinking abilities.  Against the Status Quo.      Television is harmful for children.  Watching television early in life limits a person's thinking abilities.  This topic could be modified for video-gaming instead of TV watching.

32. Vegetarianism Supporting the Status QuoVegetarianism is not healthier than a diet that includes meat. Against the Status QuoVegetarianism is healthier than a diet that includes meat.

33. Violence on TV & Games Supporting the Status QuoExperiencing media violence not only encourages a few unstable people to become violent, it also contributes to the increase of violent behavior in the society as a whole. Against the Status QuoWhile experiencing media violence may encourage a few unstable people to become violent, it does not contribute to the increase of violent behavior in the society as a whole.

34. Women in Combat Supporting the Status QuoWomen should not serve in combat.  Against the Status QuoWomenshould serve in combat.

35. View 1 Why players should be fined/suspended for hard hits View 2 Why players shouldn’t be fined/suspended for hard hits

36. View Points: View 1: Individuals 15 and up should be allowed to get tattoos and piercings without parental permission. View 2: Individuals under the age of 18 should not be allowed to get tattoos and piercings without parental permission.

37. View 1 View 2 Biology and genetic makeup are greater risk factors for developing anorexia than society. • Society’s promotion of a thin body causes women to develop a distorted body image which can lead to anorexia.

38. Status Quo:

39. Other Topics Any other topic must be presented to the teacher before starting. The presentation must include both a status quo and non-status quo position. Do oil companies make big bucks while the rest of us pay too much? What, if any, limitations should be applied to the paparazzi? Should denial of the Holocaust be illegal? Domestic Violence Gangs Genetic Engineering Homelessness Michael Moore Nuclear Weapons Outsourcing Jobs Pork-Barrel Spending Prescription Drug Prices Prison Reform Rainforest Problems School Violence Sexual Harassment Steroids Sweatshops Free college Mainstreaming disabled children Retention of students due to failing grades Homosexuals in the military Helmet laws Can women’s eating disorders be linked to the fashion industry? Was there anything unusual in Hanger 19 in Area 51? Should the American Taxpayer have to cover the losses of people who chose build in flood areas? Is a high population a danger to the environment or a benefit to humankind? Should porn be banned? Can we ever get rid of nuclear weapons? Do individuals have the right to suicide? Should government impose restrictions on what kinds of foods can be served in school cafeterias? Does parental “tough love” really work? Should the use of coal be subjected to stricter environmental regulations than other fuels? Should we reform laws to make it harder to get a divorce?Should DDT be re-approved for use in the wake of recent bedbug outbreaks across the country? Do beauty contests serve any purpose in society? Should taxpayers fund more AIDS research? Should grain be used for liquor and beer? Are animal’s rights ever worth more than human rights? Should our government be this big? Are biological weapons a real threat? Are boycotts effective or not? Does censorship really exist? How do we balance the rights of crime victims against the rights of the accused? Are mass extinction events a serious threat to the human race? Is the Endangered Species List manipulated for political purposes? Does nature show signs of Intelligent Design or is Evolution completely controlled by random mutation? Do the rich already pay more than their fair share of taxes? Should the taxpayer subsidize farms? Should gambling be legal? Should Native American tribal members have more rights than the general population?