Topic area: Legalization of marijuana

Probably this would involve looking at various aspects of the issue, including medical and legal arguments.  Maybe something about the history of how marijuana came to be outlawed, or the sociology of marijuana use.

Strong interest    Moderate interest    No interest

Topic area: Legalization of hemp

Although related closely in the public mind to the legalization of marijuana, hemp legalization advocates argue that hemp and marijuana are very different, and that what they want is for farmers to be able to grow hemp for commercial purposes, such as the manufacture of textiles.  Law enforcement typically argues that legalizing hemp is a bad idea because of the relationship between hemp and marijuana.

Strong interest    Moderate interest    No interest

Topic area: hypnopaedia -- "sleep learning" -- and related topics

Some people have claimed that it is possible to learn things or figure things out while sleeping.  For example, can you learn a foreign language by playing foreign language instruction tapes while you sleep?  Or, more generally, what is the role of sleep in human learning?  There has been quite a bit of research coming out lately about sleep and learning.

Strong interest    Moderate interest    No interest

Topic area: sex education

Should there be sex education in school, or should it be left to the parents?  What kind of sex education is appropriate for schools?  Is "abstinence education" the only form of birth control that should be taught?  How do various different cultures around the world handle this topic today?  How was sex education handled by various ancient peoples?  Etc. Etc.

Strong interest    Moderate interest    No interest

Topic area: the theory of evolution

Some religiously-motivated people argue that the theory of evolution is not really science, but religion, and so should not be taught in public schools.  Others argue that public schools should give "equal time" to alternative ideas about the origins of life, such as the idea that God created life.  Biologists typically say that the theory is central to biological science as we currently understand it, and is well-established science that should not be messed with by nonbiologists with religious axes to grind. 

Strong interest    Moderate interest    No interest

Topic area: drug testing in sports

There is growing confusion over this topic in the sports world as different sports "enhancement" substances have come on the market.  Probably the fundamental question is What constitutes unfair use of substances?  After all, no one would say that it is wrong to eat a good diet in order to enhance performance.  A related issue is coming into play soon: what about genetic engineering to enhance the physical abilities or strength of a potential athlete?

Strong interest    Moderate interest    No interest

Topic area: homosexuality

As society confronts the question of gay rights, many questions have arisen regarding homosexuality.  There are issues concerning what homosexuality is, the role of society and culture in defining homosexuality, and whether a person becomes homosexual by choice.  There are obviously also social issues about the appropriate ways in which a society should relate to its homosexual members, with the "gay marriage" issue being only one example.

Strong interest    Moderate interest    No interest

Topic area: issues in the media

This topic area is obviously very broad, but it could be narrowed down to focus on things like whether there is a particular sort of bias that is common in the media, or whether the media are undermining democracy or morals.  Alternatively, one could explore what might be done to promote greater creativity in the media.  Or, what is a reasonable way to handle the huge legal and financial problems about digital copying of music and movies?

Strong interest    Moderate interest    No interest

Topic area: comparative religion

People sometimes claim that all religions are fundamentally alike, while other people claim that there are really significant differences between religions.  There certainly are both superficial similarities and differences between different religious traditions, but what happens if we think about these more deeply?  This topic will need to be narrowed down.  One way might be to look as specific examples of seeming similarities or differences.

Strong interest    Moderate interest    No interest

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