College Persuasive Speech Topics

I always enjoy seeing what my Public Speaking class students select for their persuasive speech topics. It reveals, at least for a small (possibly regionally representative) group of college students, what topics are important to them and what positions they take on those issues. Here is the list of topics for the first persuasive speech of one of my classes:

For animal rights
For prayer in schools
Against gay marriage
For gay marriage
Against the legalization of marijuana
For the legalization of marijuana
Against outlawing talking on cell phones while driving
For total smoking ban on campus
Mac is better than PC
Violent video games lead to violent behavior
For removing certain chemicals from diet
Religion as a cause of war
Against abortion
For teaching creative design in school
Against the manipulation of images in media
Drinking milk is not healthy
Global warming is not caused by humans
Against capital punishment
Some military jobs are only for menPer