Covid-19 Reserach Topics

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Covid-19 Reserach Topics

Choose one of the following topics to research:

Should social media companies (e.g. Facebook) be held accountable for spreading disinformation and misinformation about COVID-19?

Do the benefits of using a tracking app for COVID-19 outweigh the drawbacks?

Is contact tracing an effective method of limiting the spread of COVID-19?

Should employers make the COVID-19 vaccination mandatory for employees?

Is herd immunity an effective way of combatting COVID-19?

Is hygiene “theatre” distracting people from more effective methods of battling COVID-19?

Can you get COVID-19 more than once?

A traditional argumentative essay normally has a thesis statement and you provide arguments trying to prove your point of view is correct. While there is value in this kind of assignment, the problem is that if you spend all of your time focusing on one side of a debate, you are unlikely to examine arguments that go against your own ideas.

This COVID-19 controversy paper will allow you to explore a current scientific or technological controversy from different points of view. The reason it is called “controversial” is because your topic is one currently being debated by people who can’t agree on anything.

Your responsibility will be to figure out and describe the various arguments on either side of the debate!

This assignment requires you to select a minimum of three (3) popular sources and three (3) academic sources. You can choose to examine more sources if you wish, but the maximum number of sources you can use in total is ten (10).

CURRENCY: Make sure the sources you select have been published between 2019 and 2021 (this should not be a problem given the topics!). If you do want to use older sources for background/history, then two (2) of your six (6) total sources can have been published before 2019.

Try and aim for about three arguments for each side of your debate

While you don’t need to have the same number of arguments for either side (e.g. 3 for vs. 3 against), make sure there is some balance (e.g. 4 vs. 3, not 4 vs. 1)

You don’t need to separate your academic and popular sources when looking at debate positions as they may present similar arguments

This paper will be divided into different sections….remember, you are not writing a traditional essay! Use the exact section headings I have included in the next few slides (minus the number of suggested paragraphs)

First, you will be providing me with a description of the arguments you collect on either side of your debate

Second, you will analyze the similarities and differences between scholarly and popular sources and connect your controversy topic to one of our course theories or themes