All semester you’ve known you’d have to write an argumentative essay. You figured you had it made because you had what you thought was a surefire plan to rework last semester’s paper about gun control.
Then your prof dropped a bombshell. Along with the assignment guidelines, she included a list of banned topics. All the old standbys—such as abortion, marijuana legalization, and of course, gun control—were on that list.
So there you are, desperately searching to find a new and original topic. Lucky for you, here *I* am, to the rescue!
I can’t guarantee that any one of the topic ideas in this post will be the perfect topic for your paper. But I’ve listed 30 argumentative essay ideas that may inspire you.
A Quick Note About Argument Essay Topics
The key to writing an effective argumentative essay is choosing a debatable topic.
Be careful when selecting a topic. You don’t want to choose a topic that sounds like a debate but really isn’t.
Here’s a quick example. Don’t choose child abuse as your topic and then try to argue that “child abuse is bad.”
While this topic initially sounds argumentative, it really isn’t. Would anyone really argue that child abuse is good? I certainly hope not.
It’s important to find a topic that your readers can either agree or disagree with. If you wanted to write an argumentative essay about child abuse, you might argue that a specific law regarding abuse is ineffective or that not enough is being done to keep children safe.
And while I’m offering topic advice, here’s one more tip. Choose a topic that you can work with.
You’re going to have to do a fair amount of research to write a strong argument essay, so try to pick a topic that you’re at least somewhat interested in. It will make your life a heck of a lot easier!
With that said, here is a list of argumentative essay ideas to get you started.
30 Argumentative Essay Ideas That Will Pick a Good Fight
I’ve organized the list of essay ideas into seven basic categories, including miscellaneous, just in case nothing in the other categories appeals to you.
I’ve also included links to example papers for some of the topics to spark your creativity.
Social media argumentative essay ideas
I’ve used the broad term “social media” in these examples. But if you want to narrow the topic further, you might focus on one specific form of social media, such as Twitter, Instagram, or Snapchat. You might also narrow the topic by focusing on a specific age group, such as tweens, teens, or older adults.
- Has social media caused people to lose empathy for others?
- Do social media users give up privacy in order to stay connected?
- Does social media encourage bullying among children and teens?
- Do teens struggle with person-to-person contact due to excessive use of social media?
Parenting/family life argumentative essay ideas
Most people have grown up with parents or parental figures. So if you’re allowed to use first person and personal experiences in your argument paper, consider sharing any first-hand knowledge you may have about the topic.
- Are children harmed by parents who push their children too hard to succeed?
- Does helicopter parenting help or harm children?
- Are children who suffer domestic abuse more likely to become abusers as adults?
K-12 education argumentative essay ideas
If you’re researching education-related topics, try ERIC. ERIC is an online database devoted exclusively to educational resources. (Not all information is available free online. You may need to log in through your school’s library to access all of ERIC’s resources.)
- Should recess be required in elementary schools?
- Will tablets replace textbooks?
- Should K-12 schools have later start times?
- Do schools give out too many trophies to kids?
Higher education argumentative essay ideas
Remember that professors are superb resources (and usually willing to talk about education). If your argument paper is about an issue involving higher education, why not interview one of your professors?
- Is a degree from a more prestigious university worth more than a degree from a lesser-known college?
- Do fraternities promote misogyny?
- Is a university degree necessary in order to achieve the American Dream?
- Is an online degree as good as a traditional degree?
Health & medicine argumentative essay ideas
Information about health and medicine changes quickly. So if you choose to argue any issue related to health and medicine, make sure to use current resources. (Not sure if your sources are worthy? Check out How to Apply the CRAAP Test to Your Essay Sources.)
- Is a gluten-free diet healthy for those without gluten allergies?
- Is unnecessary medical spending causing an increase in insurance premiums?
- Should bariatric surgery be used as a form of weight loss?
- Does a vegetarian or vegan diet help the environment?
- Should children be vaccinated before being allowed to enroll in public schools?
Miscellaneous argumentative essay ideas
In case you don’t particularly care for any of the topics I’ve listed above, here are a few random ideas that may do the trick.
- Has feminism negatively impacted the lives of women?
- Does reality television promote stereotypes?
- Should employers require employees to cover all visible tattoos?
- Does individual recycling help the environment?
Don’t Give Up the Fight
If, by chance, you’re not really into any of the topics I’ve listed here, read 70 Argumentative Essay Topics That Will Put Up a Good Fight for even more topic ideas.
For help turning your ideas into an argument essay, check out these resources:
- How to Write a Winning Argument Essay
- 12 Argumentative Thesis Statement Examples to Help Your Next Essay
- How to Create a Powerful Argument Essay Outline
If you’re not sure what a finished argument essay might look like (and didn’t take advantage of all those links in the topic ideas!), take a look at these example argument essays.
And if there’s absolutely no fight left in you and you don’t know whether your paper can stand on its own, Kibin editors are ready to help you make sure your paper packs a punch!
