Generate a list of common beliefs you hold and share with people you know. Are there statements people make regularly that stick out to you as possibly unfounded? Any areas of great tension or subjects about which folks tend hold their convictions very strongly, and yet contradict themselves or each other?
For this paper, you will be developing an argument that corrects or challenges beliefs and assumptions that are widely held within a society on the basis of inadequate info. For example: Parents of babies and young children tend to have very strong beliefs about raising children, including whether exposing young children to screens is harmful, what type of early childhood education sets kids up for success later on, etc. If you’re not sure where to start, consider commonly held beliefs about the following topics:
- Age discrimination
- Artificial Intelligence / Generative AI
- Child soldiers
- Climate change
- Corporal punishment
- Data centers (server farms) and carbon footprint
- Data privacy when using websites
- Diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives (DEI)
- Drinking age
- Educational equity
- Gender-affirming care for youth
- Immigration reform
- Media Ethics and accountability
- Military use of drones
- Nuclear power
- Pornography
- Poverty
- Racial Profiling
- Solar Power
- Sustainable agriculture
- Tax reform
- Urban Legends
- Urban sprawl
- Video Games
- Violence in the NFL
- Voting integrity in the United States
- Whistleblowing
- Zoos