Picking a Topic
You have been provided with a list of topics related to poverty/income equality (which can be found below). It is not an exhaustive list and you can choose a different topic but you must check in with your professor first.
Remember that this assignment requires you to research a topic related to income inequality that you don't know about and then take a position by writing an argumentative essay related to that topic. It is recommended that you start by finding and reading general information stories/articles about the topic you think you might be interested in to see if it piques your curiosity.
To learn about your topics in enough depth and detail, you will need to read- a lot. You need to understand what your topic is, whether you can find enough information to write your essay and find a variety of sources to use when you start to write the paper.
Once you have learned enough about the topic to understand it and have a general opinion about what your think and to create your research question, start the writing process.
Ok, so your class is focusing on Poverty in America and you have the list of some more specific topics in front of you that are "under the umbrella" of your main topic, poverty. You can just pick one and write, right? Ehhhh, I mean you can buuuuut you'll find things to be much easier if you do a bit of pre-search first, not to mention you'll have much more fun!
Your professor has covered the broad topic (the "umbrella topic") of poverty in America throughout your course. This topic is too broad to use for your research paper but it is your guide to narrow down to a smaller topic. Umbrella topics have many different aspects to them, whereas a good topic for a shorter research paper should only have 1 or 2 aspects for you to cover.
Narrowing your topic down to something more specific can be the most difficult part of the process, but your professor has made it much easier on you! Your professor has provided an amazing list of narrowed down topics and even provided articles for you to conduct your pre-search with (this list and the accompanying articles an be found below).
Pre-search is the process of gathering background information on the topic, and is the first real step in the research process
when writing a paper such as this. Your class covers the "umbrella topic" of poverty in America, and focuses in on the more specific topics. If you get to know the umbrella topic well (poverty in America), you'll find what part of it piques your curiosity (perhaps how law enforcement treats poor people v. rich people), making the actual research and writing process over the next few weeks much more interesting for you.
Read a couple of the articles and find out what you want to learn more about. Maybe you've never heard of the terms "food desert" or "period poverty" and would like to know what's going on with the concept. This is your time to explore that and choose. If you find a topic doesn't interest you, that's okay, move on to try another. Don't forget, you can always get creative with your topic too! If you think of something that resonates with you regarding poverty in America, talk to your professor and find our his thoughts. He'd love to hear from you!
Possible Topics
Children
- Children and poverty
- How are they affected by poverty, in childhood and later in life
- hunger malnutrition, education/learning, lack of medical care, psychological harm, self-esteem, etc.
- How are they affected by poverty, in childhood and later in life
- Why Rich Kids Are So Good at the Marshmallow Test
Education
- Poverty in education
- college, K-12, effects, resources, under-education, rich vs. poor in educational opportunities, etc.
- Educational Outcomes (K-12) of poor students vs. wealthy/rich students
- College acceptance and /or opportunities of poor vs. rich
- Lack of job training/vocational options?
- Student Loan Debt
- Who has to take out loans for education?
- Who has to pay them back?
- I've Spent more than $60,000 to Pay Back Student Loans and Owe More than When I Began
Justice System and Income Inequality
- Law enforcement treatment of poor vs. rich
- Legal representation of poor vs. rich
- Crime as it relates to poverty
- Is poverty the reason for crime?
- Are those raised in poverty more likely to commit crimes?
- Do lower socio-economic areas experience more crime than other neighborhoods?
- Punishments/sentencing of poor vs. rich/famous
- Examples:
- License suspension for unpaid debt
- Cash Bail
- Wealthy sentenced less harshly because of wealth or better legal representation?
- How are corporate of white-collar criminals treated and/or sentenced vs. others?
- Sobbing Lindsay Lohan Sentenced to 90 Days in Jail
- Examples:
Corporate Issues
- Corporate Welfare (Amazon/Walmart/McDonalds/etc.)
- Subsidies, Corporate tax rates, etc.
- Sports fans- see NFL/MLB for how citizens are on the hook for the costs of new stadiums
- Taxes- Corporate tax rates and/or capital gains tax rates vs. middle-class tax rates
- Corporations paying for environmental violations vs. fixing the problem
- Working Conditions
- Examples:
- Amazon employees urinating in bottles to keep up with production
- Kroger grocery stores firing employees instead of paying hazard pay
- Examples:
- CEO pay vs. employee pay
- Automation and its effects on job market/wages/poverty
Housing Issues in Different Socio-Economic Groups
- $2 a Day
- Transportation Issues
Childcare Issues for Working Parents in America
- Cost, Availability, etc.
- How is this issue addressed in other countries?
Government
- Government responses/policies related to poverty
- Loss of manufacturing jobs to foreign countries due to government legislation
- NAFTA/CAFTA/TPP/etc.
- Raising state/federal minimum wage
- Military expenditures of tax dollars
Healthcare
- Poverty in Healthcare
- Going into debt to receive healthcare
- Effects of no healthcare due to poverty
- Exorbitant cost of medication (i.e. insulin)
- Treatments/Healthcare for rich vs. poor
- Treatments for certain illnesses that insurance won't cover
- i.e. COVID, AIDS, Macular Degeneration, etc.
Gender Issues
- Gender Wage Gap
- Women earning less than men for doing the same job
- Maternity and Paternity Leave
- Paid? Unpaid?
- Social issues related to parents unable to bond with newborns
Food Issues
- Food Desserts
- Access to healthy food in poor communities
- Food Insecurity for Children
- Food Insecurity for College Students
Funeral Costs
- The High Cost of Dying
- Listen to the show for significant details about the cost and issues related to death in low-income households
Period Poverty