Top 50 Argumentative Essay Topics for High School and College Students

In high school and college, an argumentative essay is a real joy for those students who adore defending various ideas and proving the validity of their statement. However, this academic writing can become a real stumbling block on the way to getting a high grade. As a responsible student, you should cope with that challenge and prepare a winning argumentative essay. But what to begin with? We believe that the primary goal here is to approach this issue diligently and start with a subject matter. Frequently, it is difficult to choose a relevant idea that you would like to investigate and discuss in the assignment. Hence, in our guide, we will dwell on top argumentative essay prompts and topics that you can use to prepare your own paper of this type. But, before we proceed with our lists, let's recall the basics. There are certain criteria that help us formulate the best argumentative statements and that you should keep in mind to come up with good essay ideas.

• Intrigue
  An argumentative essay is used to shed light on a certain point of view. So, it would be better for your topic to draw the audience's attention from the very beginning. The intrigue of your subject matter supports the fact that the essay is going to be interesting for the reader. Hence, try to choose a topic that isn't obvious. It will also help you with searching for interesting facts.
• Preciseness
  Don't show your hand from the first sentence, and at the same time, don't make the topic too mysterious. Your main idea should be clear but leave enough room for further discussion. In any case, the questions regarding your subject matter can be answered in the essay.
• Debate
  Your essay implies argument, so focus on those areas that provoke diverse opinions in people's minds and make your reader want to know more about your point of view. The purpose of a good argument essay is to show that your idea has a place to be and is valid. So, make sure it is pertinent for your target audience and discussable enough nowadays.

In this guide, we are going to be your navigators in a wide variety of argumentative essay topic ideas. We will focus on areas where you can get a lot of interesting phenomena, events, and theories to consider and discuss in your essays with argument.

Where to Find an Argumentative Topic?

In you need your own piece of writing, it's better for the topic to resonate with your personal interests and beliefs. This way, the probability of more profound research and extensive discussion becomes higher. When you are competent in the matter studied, you know where to look for the information and evidence needed for supporting your statements. That can be in-text citations, facts, and reports from such areas as science and math, etc.

Here, we would like to turn your attention to those issues that are perpetually discussed nowadays. You don't need to go far to find a good theme for your argumentative paper. Just pick the question that interests you the most and explore it in different perspectives. We are going to divide our 50 topics into five main groups:

• Sports and athletics
• Health and nutrition
• Arts and social media
• Politics and the legal system
• Personal traits and moral

These subjects have always been immortal, and using related topics for the argument is a good strategy to get a paper you need.

Sports and Athletics Topics

Sport is a constant movement and the force that develops our life. Do you believe that without sport, we cannot live our lives to the fullest? If you dig deeper, you may find a bunch of relevant issues that can be a great focus of your argumentative writing.

1. Females in sport are frequently subjected to discrimination.
2. Team sports are good for the development of your personality.
3. "Sports celebrity" phenomena is for entertainment only.
4. Achievements in sports can lead to unhealthy consequences.
5. The involvement of money in sports affects the true game spirit.
6. Sports leads to problems that teenagers have with time-management.
7. Sports celebrities' involvement in unhealthy food advertising is a manifestation of hypocrisy.
8. Advancements in science may be interdependent with sports achievements.
9. Well-shaped bodies from the advertising are frequently nothing but photoshopped images.
10. Sport and activities aren't the guarantees of your absolute health.

Keep in mind that those statements don't refute the existence of opposite opinions. But, if you want to prove the relevance of a certain idea, be ready to provide enough evidence. In terms of sport, that can be reports, interviews, records, etc.

Health and Nutrition Topics

Frequently, we do not even think about how and what we eat. Many people eat willy-nilly, and that can lead to various changes in psychology, behavior, and life as a whole. Let's look at some good argumentative topics that can be drawn from this aspect of life.

1. Carbohydrates in food are one of the obesity root causes.
2. Well-balanced nutrition is key to well-being.
3. Articles in newspapers like the New York Times shouldn't discriminate obese people.
4. Schools need to implement significant changes concerning canteen food.
5. The government should manage the production and shipment of unhealthy food.
6. Healthy nutrition is a necessary course to be included in the school curriculum.
7. Vitamins and supplements cannot replace nutritious food.
8. Lack of nourishment makes people more aggressive and moody.
9. Information about the nutritional value should be included in the restaurant menus.
10. Children suffer from obesity because of their parents being incompetent in a healthy diet issue.

These statements may be true, but if you decide to use one for your argumentative essay, make sure to gather enough relevant information that will support your ideas. Even though you don't need to convince the audience, they should believe that your thoughts are worth attention.

Arts and Media Topics

Art, as well as (social) media platforms, can become a way of self-expression for your individuality and realization of the most exciting ideas. That is an endless field for various activities and a good basis for your argumentative essay.

1. The image of a woman is destroyed by social media
2. The plots for modern movies are made of cardboard.
3. Today, you don't have to be a scientist for offering "professional" services via Instagram.
4. Media should stop talking about celebrities.
5. "Teen Mom" TV-show is glorifying teen pregnancy.
6. Gothic art pieces tell how strong the mystique of the human mind is.
7. Nowadays, music encourages teens to neglect moral principles.
8. K-pop culture has the most valuable contribution to music.
9. The explicitness of modern rap lyrics affects teenagers' behavior.
10. People don't notice how social media dictates what to wear and how to behave.

Today, social media, as well as art, are the areas that develop rapidly and unpredictably. There, you can find a wide range of theories and ideas to argue on. But don't forget that opinions on media and arts may be absolutely different - back your statements with evidence that can prevent any "what if's."

Politics and Judgment Ideas

Today, the variety of political strategies and judicial decisions can provoke quite different social opinions. But, arguing on politics is like skating on thin ice. When writing essays on these topics, don't make it personal - remember that the purpose is not to persuade the reader but turn their attention to your idea. So, what are the phenomena that you can use for argumentative discussion?

1. The use of military force shouldn't be justified.
2. Why don't people trust their governments?
3. Government officials should pay the same taxes as citizens do.
4. The candidacy of Donald Trump has led to extraordinary changes in the United States' political commitment.
5. An ID should be obligatory shown for voting.
6. Usage of cell phones by drivers being at the wheel should be prohibited.
7. The government loses to churches in overcoming poverty.
8. Marijuana legalization is a way to prevent crimes and increase tax revenues.
9. Domestic terrorism is the issue of great importance that the government should deal with.
10. Juvenile criminals who are charged with serious offenses should be judged as adults.

If a politics-related topic resonates with today's social issues, it builds a solid ground for your writing. In this case, you need to have a reasonable stance that can be supported by real facts, examples, and even real-life experience.

Personal Character and Moral Topics

It can be difficult to judge the personality of others or even analyze our own behavior because many things that we do can become an issue of morality. However, with appropriate analysis and approach, these argumentative essay topics can be used as a good basis for a top-notch assignment.

1. People should buy products that weren't tested on animals.
2. Cameras in public locations should be prohibited as a violation of privacy.
3. Heinous crimes shouldn't be considered a way to the death penalty.
4. Plastic surgery should become available to teenagers.
5. We know nothing about the danger of child beauty pageants.
6. Preferring ethically-produced goods is the first step toward conscious consumption.
7. Freedom of speech doesn't allow people to insult others.
8. Doctors are allowed to break medical confidentiality in emergency cases.
9. Enterprises and schools should encourage people to volunteer more frequently.
10. Imposing any beliefs on children affects human behavior and life.

We don't know what topic you will have to write an essay on but hope that our variants will boost your creativity and help to decide on subject matter easier. Now, you have 50 different ideas, and there can be many more of those! Our objectives were to show that you can find interesting and relevant argumentative issues almost in every area and use them as a focus of your writing. If there are questions remained unanswered, you can always contact our support and get any academic assistance 24/7!