Sample Exercise Questions by Disciplines
- Anthropology – Was the discovery of the Philippine Tasady tribe in 1971 an elaborate hoax, or were they the most primitive tribe on earth with relics from the Stone Age?
- Art – Are art exhibits such as photographs by Robert Mapplethorpe pornographic, and should they be supported by taxpayers' money?
- Biology – Should stem cell research be legalized?
- Communication – How can skills of argument, advocacy and awareness of citizenry be taught in a non-partisan manner?
- Criminal Justice – Should the death penalty be used for minors or persons with mental disabilities?
- Earth Science – Are both evolution and creation science scientifically valid?
- Economics – Should new laws be enacted to limit foreign countries from buying U.S. properties?
- Education – Do AIDS-infected children have the right to attend public school?
- Environmental Science – Is the greenhouse effect fact or science fiction?
- Geography – Should South American countries like Brazil cut down their rain forests to fuel their fledgling economies?
- Genetics – Should scientists be allowed to release genetically altered organisms like "ice-nucleating bacteria" into the environment?
- Literature – Should classic works like Shakespeare's Twelfth Night and The Merchant of Venice, Hemingway's The Old Man and the Sea, and Mark Twain's Huckleberry Finn be banned from libraries and booklists because the ideas contained in these works may be offensive to some students and suggestive to others?
- Political Science – Should the U.S. continue the embargo against Cuba now that Fidel Castro is no longer in power?
- Psychology – Should mental health be automatically included in health care insurance policies?
- Religious Studies – Does religion belong in our public schools?
- Sociology — Should legal mercy killing be allowed for terminally ill persons like Janet Adkins, who, with a doctor's help, killed herself because she had Alzheimer's disease?
(sample questions adapted from Bredehoft, 1991 & Hilvert, 1996)
