Comprising essays on a variety of topics such as immigration, gun control, abortion, race relations, the environment, and gender, and curated by a veteran scholar, this collection gives readers a go-to resource on multiple contemporary world issues.
This collection of perspective essays explores a variety of controversial topics, specifically current events and issues such as free speech, school violence, green energy, substance abuse, abortion, gun control, immigration, and more. A general introduction contextualizes the book in contemporary American discourse and shows why the essays that follow are important. Each chapter provides readers with a selection of persuasive and expository essays that they can cite in papers. Each chapter also has individual introductions, explaining how and why the essays were collected together and curated.
Readers of this volume will come away with an understanding of the key points of a variety of important perspectives. In a time when the country is so thoroughly polarized, it is vital to give voice to stakeholders on both sides of the proverbial aisle. This book will be a solid resource for libraries, as readers can explore one or more topics in one easy-to-understand volume.
Table of Contents:
Introduction
How to Use This Book
Chapter 1
Politics and Government
Introduction
Should the United States Enact Tougher Laws to Stem Illegal Immigration?
Resolving the Issue of Illegal Immigration: A Question of Balance
Homeland Insecurity, Personal Security, and Constitutional Safeguards
Structural Barriers or Impediments to Third-Party Candidates
Party Identification and Core Political Principles
The Roots of Roe: Not Liberty, but Privacy
Going beyond "Flying While Arab": Islamophobic Profiling in the Era of Homeland Security
Why Mixing Religion and Political Activity Leads to a Poisoned Chalice: Ending Compelled Taxpayer Support for Religious Political Activity
Chapter 2
Gender and Sexuality
Introduction
Gender Equality in Sport: (Un)Awareness, Education, and Resolve
Breaking the Gender Binary in Sport: Female-to-Male Recreational Athlete
Feminisms Coming and Going
Intersex: Beyond the Sex Binary
Living with Gender Dysphoria
Substance Abuse and Transgender Youth
Exploring Victimization in the Digital Age: Perspectives on Social Media and Sexual Assault
Chapter 3
Environment and Science
Introduction
The Politics of Human Embryonic Stem Cells
The U.S. Government Should Not Require GM Food Labels
A Growing World Demands New Food Technology
Desalination and Reuse: Facing a Global Water Crisis with Alternative Technologies
Why Fracking Is Beneficial
Fracking and the Future of Fresh Water
Dams, Rivers, and Fish: A Continuing Conundrum
The Moral Dilemma of Animal Research
Chapter 4
Technology and Industry
Introduction
Why Wind Energy Is Good for the United States and the World
Wind Turbine Syndrome: Health Effects of Noise from Large Wind Turbines
Current Limitations in Solar Energy and Solutions for the Future
Safety, Human Fallibility, and Nuclear Power
A Brave New World for CRISPR/Cas9: Scientific Limitations and Ethical Considerations
The Relationship between Space and Cyber Assets
Waging E-Jihad
Chapter 5
Law and Crime
Introduction
Is There More School Violence Today? A Veteran Educator Says No
Criminal Behavioral Profiling: A Critical Perspective
Media Influence on Perceived Offender-Victim Relationship
Mass Injustice: The War on Drugs, Institutional Discrimination, and the Impact on U.S. Prisons
Community Restorative Justice Hub: A Model of Hospitality and Accompaniment
Punish Crime, Not Thought Crime
The Law vs. Violent Bigotry: The Case for Strong Hate-Crime Laws in the United States
Campus Victim Advocacy and Its Role in Supporting Survivors of Interpersonal Violence
Chapter 6
Health and Wellness
Introduction
Stigma and STIs
Universal Health Coverage: The How and the Why
Why U.S.-Style Health Reform Does Not Work and What to Do about It
Vaccines Are the Key to Preventing Global Disease Pandemics
HPV Vaccine for All
How Fishy Is It? Risk Communication and Perceptions of Genetically Engineered Salmon
Pros and Cons of Dietary Supplements for Weight Management
Chapter 7
Economics and Finance
Introduction
Student Debt: How Did We Get Here and Why Should We Worry?
Minimum Wages and Living Wages
Policymakers Should Exercise Maximum Caution on the Minimum Wage
Raising the Minimum Wage Would Help, Not Hurt, Our Economy
Consumers as Data Profiles: What Companies See in the Social You
The Impact of the Affordable Care Act on Youth Unemployment
Chapter 8
Drugs and Alcohol
Introduction
Marijuana Use and Intelligence
Psychiatric Disorders and Substance Abuse: Comorbidity, Correlation, and Causation
E-cigarette Vapor versus Cigarette Smoke: Is Vapor Really Safer?
The Myth of the Drug Habit: Defining Addiction as a Disease
Drug Testing High School Athletes and Fitness Trainers
A Perfect Storm for Prescription Drug Misuse
Rationale for Cannabis-Based Interventions in the Opioid Overdose Crisis
Marijuana Is Not Safe and Is Not Medicine
Chapter 9
Life and Death
Introduction
Who Should or Should Not Be Born? The Collision between Reproductive Rights and Disability Rights
Religious Choice in Medicine: When Cancer Patients Have Religious Objections to Life-Saving Blood Transfusions
Is There a Right to Die?
Why Disability Rights Advocates Oppose Assisted Suicide
The Death Penalty Should Be Abolished—for Very Practical Reasons
Capital Punishment Should Not Be Abolished in the United States
Gender and Capital Punishment
What Should We Do with Juvenile Murderers?
Index
About the Author :
David E. Newton holds a BA in chemistry, an MA in education from the University of Michigan, and an EdD in science education from Harvard University.
