Discouraged/Forbidden Topics for the ENGL 1120 Research Paper The following is a list of subjects that are either strongly discouraged or completely forbidden. These topic restrictions apply to the Research Paper ONLY. The following list contains topics that, while not forbidden, are discouraged, as they typically resort to standard, predictable arguments. This portion of the list also includes topics that have become dull simply from being written on too much. You may write on them, but high scores in some areas of Content and Critical thinking will be difficult to achieve. Please note that controversial topics do not always make the best debatable topics - controversy tends to limit the effectiveness of a debate because emotions run high on one or more sides. There are more than enough things that are debatable without having to be controversial. DISCOURAGED ·

• Eating disorders (anorexia/bulimia) • Censorship • Corrupt Polit icians • Immigration • “ -Isms” - Racism, sexism, ageism, etc • “Pampered” prisoners and “resort” prisons • Television/video game violence and children • School uniforms/School violence • Smoking • The Economy and how it got there • Abuse (Domestic, Substance, Child, etc.) • Topics where the main source of information is only on the Internet • Binge Drinking, College Drinking, The Legal Drinking Age, Alcoholism, etc. • Cancer (specif ic treatments may be acceptable) • Abstinence/Safe Sex/Teenage Pregnancy • “Don't Hurt the Furry Animals” • Sports (racing, steroid issues, cheating, etc. )

For the forbidden topics, your chances of successfully persuading the opposite side to believe as you do are practically zero or require you to prove things for which there is no substantiated evidence. Unless an astounding advance has been made, or a wealth of new information has been uncovered, there isn’t going to be anything new you can say about any of these topics that hasn’t already been said. Exceptions are rarely granted for these: FORBIDDEN

• Abortion (or other controversial methods of birth or population control) • Adoption as an alternative to abortion • Autism/vaccination l ink • Dropping the Atomic Bomb and other Decisions of Mass Destruction • Capital Punishment • Drug Legalization • Euthanasia/Assisted Suicide • The War on Terror or 9/11 • Topics where the main evidence is opinion-based • Gun Control • Creationism or Darwinism (or teaching Intel l igent Design vs. evolution in the classroom) • Topics that rely on a rel igious belief or defense • UFOs • Government Conspiracy Theories • Elvis • Monsters of questionable existence • JFK assassination/Suspicious deaths of famous people

These lists are subject to change at my discretion. You MUST have topic approval from me before starting the Research Paper. If you don’t receive approval, your paper will not be accepted.