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SOCIAL ISSUES

Social issues are topics or subjects that impact many people. They often reflect current events but also represent longstanding problems or disagreements that are difficult to solve. Beliefs, opinions, and viewpoints can be strong, and debate on these topics is a natural outcome of public discourse. In the United States, topics including gun control and immigration are important social issues. Globally, subjects including climate change, drug abuse, and women’s rights impact people around the world. Social issues are important research topics because they help people understand that there are many ways to think about and approach the same problem, and they teach essential critical thinking skills. The social issues represented here are consistently among the most searched topics in our library research databases. Explore the articles below to read overviews, examine statistics, and consider opinions on these important issues.

Featured Social Issues

Global Warming

The predominance and causes of rising global temperatures continue to be debated. Access Gale resources to gain a balanced understanding of the issues and explore previews of opinion articles that highlight many perspectives on the response to global warming and climate change.

Immigration

The global movement of people from one country to another introduces complex questions for governments, citizens, and immigrants. Access Gale resources to gain a balanced understanding of the issue and explore the previews of opinion articles that highlight many perspectives on immigration.

Women's Rights

The rights and roles of women in society continue to evolve and vary considerably across the globe. Access Gale resources to gain a balanced understanding of the issue and explore the previews of opinion articles that highlight many perspectives on feminism.

Additional Topics

Embedded Style Sheet

Abortion

Animal Experimentation

Poverty

Social Media

Universal Healthcare

Vaccination

Vaping

Women's Rights

LITERATURE

The study of literature is important across subjects and disciplines. Novels, short stories, poems, and nonfiction are essential ways people express themselves and understand the world around them. There are many authors and works that are studied by students, like William Shakespeare or To Kill a Mockingbird. The authors and works represented here are among those most commonly studied and searched for by students. Explore the articles below to read biographies and overviews, learn more about themes and essay topics, and consider criticism and analysis of authors and works.

Featured Literature Topics

Edgar Allan Poe

Edgar Allan Poe was an American writer of primarily poetry and short stories that explored themes of death, regret, and lost love. Access Gale's overview essay to gain an understanding of the author and his work and explore the previews of analysis and criticism that invite further interpretation.

Great Gatsby

The Great Gatsby, by American author F. Scott Fitzgerald, is a novel set on Long Island in the 1920s that uses its characters to explore themes of materialism and the American Dream. Access Gale's overview essay to gain an understanding of the work and explore analysis and criticism that invite further interpretation.

Hamlet

Hamlet, written by William Shakespeare, is a tragedy that explores themes of friendship, madness, and revenge. Access Gale's overview essay to gain an understanding of the work and explore the previews of analysis and criticism that invite further interpretation.