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?