Many students pride themselves on coming up with unique, interesting topic ideas. That's wonderful. Instructors and fellow students alike enjoy reading fresh subject matter filled with another person's ideas and viewpoint on the topic. Other students know they have a strong opinion on a certain topic and would love to express their point of view.
That said, however, there are many topics that are best left off the table when it comes to writing class. Many instructors will specifically tell students what topics to avoid, but some will not. Here are some topics that students should avoid writing about for an argumentative or persuasive essay, whether or not their instructor has explicitly said it.
Avoid Overdone Argumentative Topics
Some students don't like to hear this; they'll protest, saying, "Yes, but no one has heard my ideas about the topic of abortion." It doesn't matter. There are some topics that have been "done to death," and if a topic falls in that category, it's best to avoid it. Yes, every student has his own unique point of view, but it is highly probable that someone else has made that student's exact same argument some time in the past. A controversial, debatable topic that is overdone is one that has been written about for decades.
So why should students avoid writing about overdone topics? There are several reasons. The most important reason is that a student should try to choose a topic where she still has an honest chance of persuading someone else to consider her point of view. With overdone topics, it's difficult to do so. And, honestly, some instructors grow weary reading the same arguments on the same topics. Students want instructors to enjoy reading their papers and would feel disheartened to know an instructor has hated reading something they've written.
Some topics that fall into the overdone category are as follows:
Abortion
Creationism versus evolution
Gun control
Euthanasia
Freedom of speech
Capital punishment
Stem cell research
These topics are good in theory, but doesn't a student at least want a chance of persuading someone else to understand or see his point of view? Doesn't he want to be convincing when arguing for his side? He really doesn't have a chance if he chooses one of these topics; usually by the time students are in college, they already have well-formed opinions on subjects like these that aren't likely to change, no matter how well-written a peer's essay is.
Avoid Conspiracy-Theory Tabloid Topics
Yes, an essay about the reality of alien abduction would likely be fascinating for both an instructor and students to read, but because a "fringe" topic is doubted by many people, it's difficult - if not impossible - to find sources and data to back up one's claim. If a student can't back up his claim, his argumentative essay is not complete. So while conspiracy-theory topics are interesting, they do not make good topics for argumentative or persuasive essays.
Here are just a few topics that fall under the realm of this category:
9/11 cover up
Alien abduction
Staged moon landings/space exploration
Who shot President Kennedy
As with any possible topic choice, if a student isn't sure if her topic would be acceptable to her instructor, she should ask.
Choose Topics With Care
Most instructors would agree that students who are interested in their topics tend to write better papers. They do so because they are invested in saying what they want to say. However, students should also make the effort to choose strong, acceptable topics. If an instructor has said he doesn't want to read a paper on gun control and a student turns in an essay on the topic anyway, isn't it likely the instructor will fail the student? Why take that chance? Fortunately, there are hundreds of perfectly acceptable topics that are still controversial, still arguable, and likely to earn a decent grade for a student.
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