Andover High School

Course Syllabus

 

 

 Research Paper

 

 

 

Example Outline 

 

 

 

Social Media and Smartphones

3.  Will Social Media Help or Hurt Your College and Career Goals?
7.  Should What You Say on Facebook Be Grounds for Getting Fired?
8.  Would You Be Willing to Pay for Facebook or Google in Exchange for Your Privacy?
10. Should People Be Allowed to Obscure Their Identities Online?
11. Is Our Culture of Online Shaming Out of Control?
13. Do Apps Help You or Just Waste Your Time?
14. Do You Spend Too Much Time on Smartphones Playing ‘Stupid Games’?
15. Is Pokémon Go a Positive Cultural Force? Or Is it Just Another Excuse for People to Stare at Their Phones?
16. Are Digital Photographs Too Plentiful to Be Meaningful?
17. Do You Worry We Are Filming Too Much?
18. How Many Text Messages Are Too Many?

Technology in Schools and the Future

21. Are the Web Filters at Your School Too Restrictive?
22. Does Technology in the Classroom Ever Get in the Way of Learning?
23. Should Tablet Computers Become the Primary Way Students Learn in Class?
24. Can Cellphones Be Educational Tools?
25. Should There Be More Educational Video Games in School?
26. Is Online Learning as Good as Face-to-Face Learning?
27. How Would You Feel About a Computer Grading Your Essays?
28. Do Machines Represent a Threat to Humans?
29. Are Self-Driving Vehicles the Wave of the Future?
30. Do You Think Recreational Drones Are Safe?
31. What Role Will Robots Play in Our Future?
32. Will Wearable Technology Ever Really Catch On?

 Gender Issues

33. Do Parents Have Different Hopes and Standards for Their Sons Than for Their Daughters?
34. Is School Designed More for Girls Than Boys?
39. Do We Need to Teach Boys and Men to Be More Emotionally Honest?
41. What Should We Do to Fight Sexual Violence Against Young Women?
42. Why Aren’t There More Girls in Leadership Roles?
44. Why Aren’t More Girls Choosing to Pursue Careers in Math and Science?
45. Why Aren’t More Girls Pursuing Careers in Computing and Tech Fields?
47. Now That Women Can Serve in All Combat Roles in the U.S. Military, Should They Also Be Required to Register for the Draft?
48. Do Female Athletes Get Short Shrift?
52. Do We Need New Ways to Identify Gender and Sexuality?
53. Should Toys Be More Gender-Neutral?
55. Should Transgender People Be Allowed to Use the Bathroom of Their Choice?
56. What Rules Should Apply to Transgender Athletes When They Compete?
58. Are Women Better at Compromising and Collaborating?
59. Do Boys Have Less Intense Friendships Than Girls?

 Sports

72. Should High Schools Drop Football Because Too Many Players Are Getting Injured?
75. Are Some Youth Sports Too Intense?
76. Should There Be Stricter Rules About How Coaches Treat Their Players?
77. Is Cheerleading a Sport?
79. Has Baseball Lost Its Cool?
80. Do Sports Teams Have a Responsibility to Hold Players to a Standard for Their Personal Conduct?
81. Should Athletes Who Dope Have to Forfeit Their Titles and Medals?
82. How Big a Deal Is It That an N.B.A. Player Came Out as Gay?
83. Should Women’s Basketball Lower the Rims?
84. Should College Football Players Get Paid?
85. Is ‘Redskins’ an Offensive Name for a Team?
88. How Much Should Fans Be Allowed to Distract Opposing Teams?
92. How Young Is Too Young to Climb Mount Everest?
93. Should Colleges Fund Wellness Programs Instead of Sports?

TV, Movies and Video Games

 95. Does Reality TV Promote Dangerous Stereotypes?

101. Does Live Theater Offer Something You Just Can’t Get Watching Movies or TV?
102. What — if Anything — Does the Current Hollywood Film Industry Lack?
104. Why Did a Cheerios Ad Attract So Many Angry Comments Online?
105. Should Video Games Be Considered a Sport?
106. Should Stores Sell Violent Video Games to Minors?
108. When Should You Feel Guilty for Killing Zombies?
109. Can a Video Game Be a Work of Art?
111. How Sexist Is the Gaming World?

Music, Literature and Art

116. How Much Can an Artist Borrow From Earlier Musicians Before It Becomes Stealing?
119. Will Musical Training Make You More Successful?
121. Does Reading a Book Count More Than Listening to One?
124. Are Shortened Versions of Classic Adult Literature Right for Young Children?
125. Do You Prefer Your Children’s Book Characters Obedient or Contrary?
126. Do We Still Need Libraries?
127. Do We Need More Diverse Superheroes?
129. Can Graffiti Ever Be Considered Art?
132. Should Society Support Artists and Others Pursuing Creative Works?
133. Should Displays of Art Be Welcome in All Public Spaces?
134. Does Pop Culture Deserve Serious Study?

 

Being a Teenager

157. If Teenagers Are Such Bad Drivers, Should They Be Allowed to Drive?
159. Does Your Generation Have Too Much Self-Esteem?
160. Is Your Generation More Self-Centered Than Earlier Generations?
161. Is Your Generation Really ‘Postracial’?
164. Do You Think Teenagers Can Make a Difference in the World?
165. Is Teenage ‘Voluntourism’ Wrong?
166. Is Prom Worth It?

School

172. Does Class Size Matter?
174. Should Schools Strive for Racial Diversity Among Teachers?
175. Do We Need a Better Way to Teach Math?
176. Does Gym Help Students Perform Better in All Their Classes?
180. What Is the Right Amount of Group Work in School?
184. Should Schools Teach Children How to Cook?
185. Do Schools Provide Students With Enough Opportunities to Be Creative?
192. Should Home-Schoolers Be Allowed to Play Public School Sports?
193. Does the Way Your Classroom Is Decorated Affect Your Learning?
194. Should All Children Be Able to Go to Preschool?
196. Should School Newspapers Be Subject to Prior Review?

 School Rules, Discipline and Bullying

199. What Role Should the Police Have in Schools?
202. Is Cheating Getting Worse?
203. Should Schools Put Tracking Devices in Students’ ID Cards?
209. What Should the Punishment Be for Acts of Cyberbullying?
211. How Should Schools Respond to Hazing Incidents?

 Time in School

226. Should Schools Cancel Summer Vacation?
227. Do Kids Need Recess?
231. Should the Dropout Age Be Raised?
235. Class Time + Substitute = Waste?

 Health and Nutrition

 275. Is School Lunch Really All That Bad?

276. Do You Think a Healthier School Lunch Program Is a Lost Cause?
277. Should French Fries and Pizza Sauce Count as Vegetables?
278. How Concerned Are You About Where Your Food Comes From?
279. Is It Ethical to Eat Meat?
280. Is Breakfast Really the Most Important Meal of the Day?
281. Do You Prefer Your Tacos ‘Authentic’ or ‘Appropriated’?
283. Should the Government Limit the Size of Sugary Drinks?
284. Should Teenagers Think Twice Before Downing Energy Drinks?
286. Are Models Too Skinny?
289. Doctored Photos: O.K. or Not?
290. Should You Care About the Health and Safety of Those Making Your Clothing?

 Animals and Science

291. Should Farm Animals Have More Legal Protections?
292. Is It Ethical to Genetically Engineer Animals?
293. When Is Animal Testing Justified?
295. Do Gorillas Belong in Zoos?
298. Should You Go to Jail for Kicking a Cat?
300. Should Emotional Support Animals Be Allowed on College Campuses?
301. How Concerned Are You About Climate Change?
304. Should Developers Be Allowed to Build in and Near the Grand Canyon?
310. Do You Think Life Exists — or Has Ever Existed — Somewhere Besides Earth?
311. Do You Believe in Intelligent Alien Life?
312. Will Humans Live on Mars Someday?

 

Personal Character and Morality

316. Does Buying and Accumulating More and More Stuff Make Us Happier?
317. Which Is More Important: Talent or Hard Work?
323. How Important Is Keeping a Clean House?
324. Does Keeping a Messy Desk Make People More Creative?
330. Do Bystanders Have a Responsibility to Intervene When There is Trouble?
331. When Is Looting Morally O.K.?
332. Can Kindness Become Cool?
333. Are Manners Important?

Government and Leadership

349. Should the U.S. Be Spying on Its Friends?
350. What Responsibility Do We Have to Take In Refugees From Global Humanitarian Crises?
353. Are Children of Illegal Immigrants Entitled to a Public Education?
354. Do We Need a Higher Minimum Wage?
355. What Do We Owe Our Veterans?
356. Do Leaders Have Moral Obligations?
357. Do Great Leaders Have to Be Outgoing?

Guns, Prisons and the Justice System

359. How Should We Prevent Future Mass Shootings?
360. Would You Feel Safer With Armed Guards Patrolling Your School?
366. Should Prisoners Be Given the Opportunity to Get an Education?
369. What Do You Think of the Police Tactic of Stop-and-Frisk?
370. When Should Juvenile Offenders Receive Life Sentences?
371. Do Rich People Get Off Easier When They Break the Law?
372. Should All Police Officers Wear Body Cameras?

Other Questions

376. Do You Think Child Stars Have It Rough?
378. Should Charities Focus More on America?
381. Is Amazon Becoming Too Powerful?
384. Would You Want a Bike Share Program for Your Community?
386. Should Companies Collect Information About You?
389. Should Restaurants Do Away With Tipping?
390. Should Single-Use Plastic Shopping Bags Be Banned?
391. Do We Crank Up the A.C. Too High?
392. Should Everyone Learn at Least One Other Language?
394. Dressing Up Like Creepy Clowns: Freedom of Expression or Public Nuisance?
395. Would Life Be Better Without Time Zones?
 

 

Sites to Explore for Credibility Issues

All About Explorers: http://allaboutexplorers.com/

Dihodrygen Dioxide Research Division: http://www.dhmo.org/

Save the Guniea Worm: http://www.deadlysins.com/guinea-worm/

Pacific Northwest Tree Octopus: http://zapatopi.net/treeoctopus/

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