Education is a good topic for an argumentative research paper. For example, children in kindergarten through grade 12 spend a third of each weekday in school, where teachers and school administrators educate, discipline and supervise them. Your paper might explore whether you think the school system has the right/responsibility to make the kinds of decisions otherwise reserved for a child's parents. Do schools overstep their boundaries? To what extent does a K-12 school have the right to act "in loco parentis" (in place of the parents)?
Alternatively, argue for or against all-women's/all-men's colleges. Do you think they are outdated or do they create a beneficial learning environment with fewer distractions than coeducational colleges?
Another education topic: What is the relationship between collegiate sports and academics, and is it appropriate? Do universities that earn large amounts of revenue from collegiate sports owe anything to college athletes--for example, a salary or lower GPA requirements? Do you think the amount of money spent on collegiate athletics is justified?
Plenty of entertainment topics make good argumentative papers. Here are three:
Do cable companies constitute a monopoly? If so, what do you think can/should be done about it?
Is there any kind of double standard in the ratings/censorship of movies, TV or music? Do you think that one medium is held to higher scrutiny than another? Do you think that the ratings system judges different offenses fairly? Or do you think some types of content get judged more harshly than they should while others that are potentially more harmful slip through?
Do production companies have the right to shut down websites that facilitate free downloads of audio or movie clips? Why or why not?
The media and other topics in society are worth exploring. Here are some choices:
Take a stand on whether violence in the media influences violence in society. If so, to what extent and what can/should be done to reverse the effects. Or argue that the media cannot actually influence people's behavior so strongly.
Do you think 24-hour news coverage has affected or changed society? In a positive manner or a negative manner? Does it make us more informed, responsible citizens or does it foster paranoia?
Our society is increasingly dependent on computers and automated systems, to a degree scarcely even imagined a few generations ago. To what extent has automation influenced American culture? Is this a negative or positive influence?
Government policies are always worth exploring.
Consider the increased prevalence of genetically engineered food and the worries surrounding it. Should genetically engineered food be clearly labeled as such? Should the government regulate genetic engineering of food stuffs?
Argue for a change on the statute of limitations on a particular crime. It can be any crime of your choosing, and you can argue to extend or shorten it.
Should English be declared the official language of the United States? Some people say it should--many other countries have officially declared languages, and they argue it would protect the nation's heritage. Other people say no--they argue that English has always been and always will be the primary language of the U.S., so making it official is redundant. Or they argue for the merits of a bilingual society. What do you think?