Debate Topics

General Topics

  • Should high school athletes be subjected to random drug testing?
  • Is spanking an appropriate mode of punishment?

Science and Technology Topics

  • Should governments be involved in stem cell research?
  • Is it morally acceptable to experiment on animals?
  • Is man-made global warming a hoax?
  • Should performance enhancing drugs be banned in sports?
  • Should the genetic engineering (cloning) of animals be disallowed?
  • Does the Internet cause more harm than good?

Social Studies Topics

  • Should weapons of mass destruction be eliminated voluntarily?
  • Should the death penalty be abolished?
  • Should citizens of the United States that have declared war on the United States forfeit their Constitutional rights?

Research on the Teenage Brain

  • Does video violence effects the teenage brain?
  • Does the internet influence young people to engage in risky behavior?
  • Once bad in math, a person will always be bad at math.
  • Intelligence depends on environmental factors, not genetic factors.
  • Starting school later is beneficial to teenage brain development.

Physical Education and Sports

  • Should physical education be mandatory for all students every day of the school week?
  • Should students on sports teams be required to carry a certain grade point average [GPA] in order to play?
  • Are sports athletes role models?
  • Is mandatory drug testing of all athletes on a secondary, collegiate, and professional level necessary?
  • Are spectator sports overemphasized in America today?
  • Should professional athletes who break the law (via drug use, illegal gambling, domestic abuse, etc.) be banned from their professional sport in addition to doing jail time?
  • Should athletes who have taken performance enhancing drugs be admitted into the Hall of Fame?
  • Should parent-spectators be required to sign a “Spectator Expectation Code of Conduct,” which includes prohibitions against verbal abuse and obnoxious behavior (“Respect all athletes, coaches, officials and fans.”) if their child plays a school sport. Thus, if a parent-spectator is found disrespecting a player, coach or opposing team they should be banned from attending their child’s athletic games.

Chewon This: The Obesity Epidemic

  • The McLawsuit: Is the Fast-Food Industry Legally Accountable for Obesity?
  • Do School Cafeterias Contribute to the Rise in Childhood Obesity?
  • Can the growing problem of obesity in the US be reversed?
  • Should Sodas and Sugary Snacks be Sold in Vending Machines at Schools and Bake Sales be Banned?
  • Who is Responsible for Controlling Obesity? The Government or the Individual?

National Security and Civil Liberties

  • Should all foreigners entering the US be required to leave 2 finger prints and digital photographs of themselves?
  • Is domestic wiretapping and surveillance acceptable without a court order?
  • Should a wall be built between Canada and the US and Mexico and the US to keep out all suspected terrorists entering the US illegally?

The First Amendment

  • Posting Videos Online – Is This a Right & Your Freedom of Speech?–Does anyone have the right and freedom to post videos online even if the person taking the video does not have permission and the videos are of people in personal or compromising actions – a school fight, personal encounter?

School & Educational Issues

  • School cafeterias should be transformed into food courts with fast food companies supplying meals.
  • Schools should shift from a nine month school year to year-round schooling.
  • Video cameras should be put into all classrooms to record student and teacher interactions at all times.
  • Foreign Language should not be mandatory.
  • Armed police guards and metal detectors should be installed in every school.