LibGuides: COMS 225: Argumentation: Finding Pro/Con Arguments

Pro/Con Argument Library Resources

Selected pro/con resources

Reference Databases

Opposing Viewpoints in Context
Online resource covering today's hottest social issues. Features viewpoint articles.
CQ Researcher
Explores a single hot issue in the news in depth each week. Covers topics in health, social trends, criminal justice, international affairs, education, the environment, technology and the economy.

Newspaper Databases

ProQuest Global NewsStream
Full text access to a large selection of national and international newspapers, news wires and news sources.
Ethnic NewsWatch + Ethnic NewsWatch: A History
Provides a full-text collection of ethnic and minority press content from the U.S. and Canada offering additional viewpoints from those proffered by the mainstream press. Includes scholarly journals and working papers, trade journals, magazines, newspapers, newsletters, dissertations, and grass-roots publications primarily from minority presses. The companion database (Ethnic NewsWatch: A History) provides the historical foreground to the ethnic, minority, and native press content in Ethnic NewsWatch.

Speeches

Great Speeches Video Series This link opens in a new window
Streaming video collection of famous speeches in their entirety by some of the greatest speakers of the 20th and 21st centuries. Includes introduction detailing historical context, significance and the rhetorical devices found in each speech.

Vital Speeches of the Day
A great source for the text of speeches about social issues by experts and celebrities. Browse by date or search by keyword using the Academic Search Premier database.

Websites

ProCon.org - An independent 501(c)(3) non-profit public charity with no government affiliations of any kind. Their mission statement is: "Promoting critical thinking, education, and informed citizenship by presenting controversial issues in a straightforward, nonpartisan, primarily pro-con format."
Public Agenda Online - Founded in 1975, this non-profit organization provides non-partisan research reports and pubic engagement on divisive issues.

Public Opinion Polls and Surveys

Pew Research Center - A nonpartisan think tank that conducts public opinion polling, demographic research, content analysis and other other data-driven social science research. Their mission is to enrich the public dialogue and support sound decision-making.
Roper Center for Public Opinion Research - Located at Cornell University, the center holds archives of public opinion surveys dating back to the 1930s. To search their holdings, click on the 'Search iPoll' link. This site has video tutorials as well; hover over 'Support', then choose 'Video Tutorials'.

GovInfo - Select 'Browse by A to Z'. Next click on the letter 'C' to find "Congressional Hearings, 104th Congress (1995-1996) to Present" in the list.
OneSearch - Search the library's resources by entering relevant keywords, such as 'congress and hearing and immigration.' Results will include both recent and older hearings. Limit results by date on the left side of the webpage.