week9

Hi,
Here are the research questions we began discussing today. The page numbers refer to pages in the textbook where more information pertaining to each question is available.

p. 376, question 1 under “Writing” (also see pp. 329-334)
What cultural assumptions does androgyny challenge? (Research the reaction to unconventional examples of gender identity in the U.S.)

p. 435, question 2 under “Writing”
Agree or disagree with Gish Jen's claim that we have multiple selves which we perform in different social contexts. (Research theories of performance as a model for personal identity in the work of the sociologist Erving Goffman, for example, or the feminist philosopher Judith Butler.)

p. 389, question 2 under “Writing”
Use specific contemporary or historical evidence to argue for or against the thesis that America is about reinvention and its history is a series of make-overs. (Research specific contemporary or historical evidence which supports your case.)

p. 436, question 1 under “Writing”
Agree or disagree with Gish Jen's statement that "between freedom in theory and freedom in practice" in America "gapes a grand canyon". (Identify and research examples from the struggle for American civil rights such as "the Freedom Riders" or research different opinions about the success or failure of school desegregation in the U.S.)

or for a variation on the last question
Take a position on the extent to which Gish Jen's above statement applies to countries other than the U.S. (Research a specific freedom demonstration and assess its impact in another part of the world in which you are interested, such as the Velvet revolution in Prague, the Solidarity movement in Gdansk Poland, the 1989 candlelight prayer and peace vigils in Leipzig, the 1968 student massacre in Mexico City or the 1968 student protests in Paris.)

p. 429, question 2 under “Writing”
Choose a quality prized by our culture (money, celebrity, natural beauty) and explain why you consider its effects to be generally positive or negative. (With respect to money, for example, research the arguments for and against restricting campaign contributions in national politics in the U.S., in Britain, or in other countries...or research arguments for or against restricting CEO salaries...or conduct research on opinions about whether the salaries of sports, music and movie stars are too high or are justified? What makes them justified? Are there offsetting burdens to celebrity?

pp. 499-506
Argue for a specific image or product that you identify as "an American icon". (Research various definitions of what makes an American icon along with arguments about what constitutes the definitive American icon—the automobile, for example.)

p. 554, question 1 under “Writing”
How does wearing a uniform change behavior? Discuss the nature of uniforms and their impact on those who wear them. (Research the history and rationale for uniforms in, for example, the NYC fire, police, U.S. military services or in case studies of schools that have required uniforms.)

How does one define children's right to privacy? (Search "right to privacy children" and examine the various views.)

pp. 558-563
Explain the nature and appeal of superheroes. (Trace changes in the popularity of one or more superheroes and research possible explanations for those changes.)