WMU Research Guides: PHIL 1100 Inquiry, Argument, and Debate: Creating and Selecting a Topic

Pro Con Encyclopedia

Opposing Viewpoints in Context This link opens in a new window
More than 14,000 pro/con viewpoint essays, 5,000+ topic overviews, 300+ primary source documents, 300+ biographies of social activists and reformers, more than 775 court-case overviews, 5 million periodical articles, nearly 6,000 statistical tables, charts and graphs, nearly 70,000 images and a link to Google Image Search, thousands of podcasts, including weekly presidential addresses, premier NPR programs and more.
CQ Researcher Plus Archive This link opens in a new window
CQ Researcher is often the first source that librarians recommend when researchers are seeking original, comprehensive reporting and analysis on issues in the news. Founded in 1923 as Editorial Research Reports, CQ Researcher is noted for its award-winning in-depth, unbiased coverage of health, social trends, criminal justice, international affairs, education, the environment, technology and the economy. Reports are published online 44 times a year by CQ Press, an imprint of Sage Publications.

You will deliver an argumentative presentation which means you take a position or view on a topic and offer an argument for that position.

A political position (e.g., arguing for or against a particular policy like Universal Basic Income).
Critically evaluating pieces of media (e.g., arguing that The Office is better than Parks and Recreation).
A debate within a particular subculture (e.g., arguing that the College Football Playoff Committee should have put Florida State in the 2023 playoffs instead of Alabama).
Trying to objectively justify one of your opinions (e.g., dogs are better than cats).

Once you have a few possible topics, answer the following questions for each of them:

Be specific. What is your position and why.
A level of complexity that would lead to a full presentation.
It is open enough to interpretation that rational people could agree or disagree with you.