ISSUE AND ARGUEMENT TOPICS

1. Laws should not be rigid or fixed. Instead, they should be flexible enough to take account of various circumstances, times, and places.
2. Success, whether academic or professional, involves an ability to survive in a new environment and, eventually, to change it.
3. The purpose of many advertisements is to make consumers want to buy a product so thatthey will ‘be like’ the person in the ad. This practice is effective because it not only sellsproducts but also helps people feel better about themselves.
4. Money spent on research is almost always a good investment, even when the results of that research are controversial
5.The most effective way to communicate an idea or value to large groups of people is through the use of images, not language.
6. The primary goal of technological advancement should be to increase people’s efficiency so that everyone has more leisure time
7. The study of an academic discipline alters the way we perceive the world. After studying the discipline, we see the same world as before, but with different eyes
8. The most essential quality of an effective leader is the ability to remain consistently committed to particular principles and objectives. Any leader who is quickly and easily influenced by shifts in popular opinion will accomplish little
9. The surest indicator of a great nation is not the achievements of its rulers, artists, or scientists, but the general welfare of all its people
10. With the growth of global networks in such areas as economics and communication, there is no doubt that every aspect of society—including education, politics, the arts, and the sciences—will benefit greatly from international influences
11. Scholars and researchers should not be concerned with whether their work makes acontribution to the larger society. It is more important that they pursue their individual interests,however unusual or idiosyncratic those interests may seem
12. The arts (painting, music, literature, etc.) reveal the otherwise hidden ideas and impulses of a society
13. In many countries it is now possible to turn on the television and view government at work.Watching these proceedings can help people understand the issues that affect their lives. Themore kinds of government proceedings—trials, debates, meetings, etc.—that are televised,the more society will benefit
14. One can best understand the most important characteristics of a society by studying its major cities
15. The best way to understand the character of a society is to examine the character of the men and women that the society chooses as its heroes or its heroines
16. It is a grave mistake to theorize before one has data
17. While some leaders in government, sports, industry, and other areas attribute their success toa well-developed sense of competition, a society can better prepare its young people forleadership by instilling in them a sense of cooperation
18. The video camera provides such an accurate and convincing record of contemporary life that it has become a more important form of documentation than written records
19. The greatness of individuals can be decided only by those who live after them, not by their contemporaries
20. Government should place-few,if any restrictions on science research and development