Ryan Singel - Facebook's Gone Rogue: It's Time for an Open Alternative

1. Singel maintains that Facebook has violated its promise of privacy for its members by using members’ private information. Do you agree with Singel’s accusation? Why or why not?
2. Should people worry that the private information they post on their Facebook account (or similar social networking site) could become public? Why or why not?
3. Do you think it is acceptable for professionals (i.e., job recruiters, managers, university admissions officers, etc.) to check on peoples’ online activities on sites like Facebook? Why or why not?

John Lemuel - Why I Joined Facebook

1. Does Facebook promote fears of unpopularity and social exposure?

2. Are Facebook friends as "real" as friends made offline?

3.What is your opinion of faculty and students "friending" each other on Facebook?

4. Have any of your friends or relatives "overshared" on Facebook or another social networking site?

5. Have you ever "friended" a company or product as part of a promotion to win a prize?

Katha Pollitt - Why Boys Don't Play with Dolls

1. This article is almost 20 years old; do you think the generalizations that Pollitt describes are still in place in American society today?
2. Do boys play with dolls today? What is the difference between a "doll" and an "action figure"? 
3. Why do Americans still assign genders to professions? Fore example, we have to say "lady doctor" and "male nurse" to make sure that the listener understands the sex of the professional.
4. If gender is still so important that we have to identify the sex in the job title, why are we moving away from specialized terms such as "actor vs. actress", and "waiter vs. waitress", "steward vs. stewardess"?
5. Do we "program" children through media and advertising to play a certain way, with specific toys?

1. What do you think of American girls wanting to play American football and other sports that have traditionally been sports reserved for men?
2. Do you think have separate leagues for men and women in sports (basketball, softball, soccer, etc.) is discriminatory?

Deborah Tannen - Mom's Unforgiving Mirror

In "Mom's Unforgiving Mirror," Deborah Tannen examines the topic of criticism as a form of concern, of caring. She uses the example of her relationship with her own mother as an example. She describes how mothers examine their daughters' appearances as a reflection of their own views of themselves. She continues the topic by noting that daughters do the same thing so their mothers, especially when they are teenagers.

1. Have you ever experienced parental criticism of your appearance? Do you think that your parent(s) were expressing their concern for you, or reflecting on themselves?

2. Although this article was written from a daughter/mother position, do you think the same relationship/concern exist between fathers and their sons?

3. How does Tannen's conclusion repeat the themes of the article while introducing new information?

Mother Tongue - By Amy Tan

In "Mother Tongue," author Amy Tan describes the version of English her mother speaks, which she describes as being very different from her written and reading abilities. Later in the article, she suggests that family language can affect student choices in university. She gives the example of many Chinese students majoring in engineering.

1. Do you agree with Ms. Tan that family language affects student choices in education? Why or why not?
2. Does your family have its own personal language, that other people do not understand? If yes, do you know how the language was created?

Globalization, Then

Diamond makes an interesting case that the spread of genetically altered crops aided in creating centers of power. He makes an important observation that globalization has happened in an east-west pattern, because of similar climate and easier movement of people and culture.

What he does not point out is that the centers of power focused on areas where the climate was variable. In the temperate climate of Europe and China, changes in the seasons forced man to develop solutions, such as seasonal clothing and better housing as responses.

Diamond describes agriculture as a means to free people from food production to become "inventors and bureaucrats." While this is true, agriculture also forced people to settle in one place (which might change periodically). People couldn't go on long hunting trips anymore since agriculture requires daily effort.

I do agree with Diamond that the solution of this planet's problems, economic, social, and ecological, is not to have the Third World attain the (wasteful) material comforts of the First World. He is the first I have read that identifies what the impact on the planet would be if everyone drove SUVs and ate at McDonald's every day.

1. Does agriculture support sedentary societies, or does it enforce them?
2. How can we protect the environment and still provide an equal standard of living for all human beings?

Turning the Page: The future of reading is backlit and bright.

My Thoughts:

I have a Kindle. It is on my desk as I write this post. It is covered in dust and the battery needs to be charged. It was a gift; I never would have bought one for myself. I spend many hours each week reading on a computer screen; for me, reading a book is still a pleasure (one I do not have much time for now).

I think I have had a common problem with a lot of the "services" offered over the past 15 years. Movies, television, music, and books, all delivered to my computer or other electronic device--for a price. In my mind, I paid for the device, now why do I have to pay for the product? To me, it's like buying a book, then having to pay again to read it.

Key Observations:

"The book is dead, I keep hearing as I sit writing yet another in a room lined with them. Technology has killed it."

"Reading is not simply an intellectual pursuit but an emotional and spiritual one."

Vocabulary:

1. affluent
2. antediluvian
3. byline
4. disconcerting
5. eulogy
6. siblings

Questions:

1. Do you think that Quindlen is basically optimistic about the future of reading? Why or why not?

2.Quindlen writes: "Americans tend to bring an either-or mentality to most things, from politics to prose." Do you agree or disagree with this statement? Why does she make this generalization, and what is its relevance to the essay?

3. Do you think that Quindlen captures the essence of reading today? How can you support your response.