Visual Data

Whether it's the racial representativeness of police departments or the accuracy of weather predicting, graphs have the ability to present complicated data in a visually sensible way.  Choose one (or more) of the graphs from this eclectic collection from fivethirtyeight.com and write about it.  What do you find interesting or telling about the graph?  How does the graph communicate information in a way that numbers (tables) can't?

Guns in America

With reports of horrific mass shootings dominating the news lately, the call for greater restrictions on guns gets louder and louder.  While the majority of Americans seem to favor stricter controls, the NRA and many gun advocates see such controls as a violation of their Second Amendment rights.  Does the Second Amendment prevent us from taking important steps in reducing gun violence?  What steps would actually work?  To hear two opposing viewpoints on this issue, listen to President Obama here, and NRA President Wayne LaPierre here.

Fast Food Frenzy

Morgan Spurlock's extreme diet demonstrates the hazards of consuming too much fast food. Since so much of the American diet contains processed, fatty items, obesity has become a significant, widespread epidemic. Does Spurlock's documentary effectively identify the problem and offer a solution? Is his experiment a valid one, and does he treat the issue fairly? How do his film-making techniques compare to Michael Moore's? Which part of Supersize Me did you find most effective?

Unconscious Advertising

In The Persuaders, Clotaire Rapaille claims that consumers respond to unconscious cues that push "reptilian hot buttons" in our brain and bypass rational decision-making. Select an ad (from TV, print, radio, or the internet) and analyze its subrational content. What does the ad tell you about American culture in general and the target consumers in particular? What "reptilian hot buttons" does the ad push? Share your insights with your blog group in a well-developed discussion thread. You can find clips to many television commercials at advertisementave.com.  Additionally, political strategist Frank Luntz argues that his wordsmithing of political issues ("inheritiance tax" to "death tax") actually provides clarity rather than manipulates.  Do you agree?  Here is his interview on Fresh Air with Terry Gross.

Buy! Buy! Buy!

Advertising pervades our daily lives to a increasingly stifling degree.  With so much time, effort, and money invested in aggressively bombarding us with ads, we often feel at the mercy of marketers, unable to critically analyze the messages aimed at our conscious and unconscious brains.  What are the various ways advertisers appeal to us to get us to buy (or vote for) their products? What (if any) ethical considerations should limit the lengths to which advertisers are able to go?  In his article from The Atlantic, Michael Sandel laments the dangers of a market society.  Do you agree with his concerns?

A History of Segregation

As you watch the documentary Deforce and consider the factors that have led to Detroit's current state, speculate about what steps we need to take to improve economic and social factors in the Detroit Metro Area.  Like many urban centers, Detroit suffers from a pervasive, systematic segregation along racial lines.  How does this segregation influence the local economy and shape Detroit's future?

The Illusion of Race

Most scientists agree that while genetic differences exist among human populations, the concept of "race" is an illusory social construct.  The PBS series Race: The Power of an Illusion explores the dark history of biological determinism in America.  Ta-Nehisi Coates delves into the topic in "What We Mean When We Say 'Race is a Social Construct,'"  as does Robert Sussman in this Newsweek Magazine piece.  With so many contemporary controversies centered around race and ethnicity, what are the implications of the knowledge that "race" (as we have historically conceived of it) isn't real? How does an artificial barrier like "race" limit our personal growth and our ability to relate to others? How have geographic racial divides (illustrated in this "segregation map") contributed to racial tensions in the country?

The Racial Prism

With the election of Barack Obama in 2008, many pundits declared America's racial problems over.  Still, as the recent protests in Ferguson, MO indicate, many of the old biases and mistrusts remain. Are we still suffering from the wounds of slavery, or have they healed over (or, as Langston Hughes observed, are they "fester(ing) like a sore" below the surface)?  To what extent do racial biases play a role in daily life here at Groves High School?  Does the self-segregation that we can observe in the cafeteria, in the hallways, in the classrooms indicate a pervasive problem, or does it indicate a natural (and harmless) urge of people to hang out with people like themselves?  Also, this Detroit News Special Report chronicles a history of Detroit that might seem different to people of different backgrounds.  To what extent do people filter their life experiences through a prism of cultural bias? To what extent do you agree or disagree with Mike Posner's observations about race?

Gender Issues and Humor

As you reflect on the gender stereotypes that pervade our culture, consider their implications: are they dangerous pigeonholes that limit understanding and personal growth (as many strident writers have noted), or are they less insidious charicatures, more deserving of playful mocking and armchair speculation (Dave Barry and The Onion) than passionate rebuke (Sut Jahlly and Jackson Katz in Tough Guise)? Additionally, what gender issues does screenwriter Tina Fey explore (and lampoon) in Mean Girls?

Dolls and Body Image

Many writers and filmmakers who address gender issues cite dolls, specifically Barbie, as a significant influence on female body image.  In Tough Guise, Jackson Katz implies that the increased musculature of action figures leads boys to feel inadequate and overcompensate with violent behavior.  But how much of an influence on gender-related body image can a toy really exert?  The Onion mocks such concerns with its piece about Bratz dolls with enormous heads.  The Simpsons playfully grapples with the issue in "Lisa vs. Malibu Stacy."  To what extent has your body image been influenced by dolls and action figures?

What Influences Gender Identity?

Do the gender stereotypes reflected (and exploited) in popular culture define and codify gender identity, or do they derive from fundamental, innate gender differences? To what extent do the messages about what it means to be male and female that we see in television, film, print, and web media influence our gender identities?

Fahrenheit 9/11: Persuasion or Propaganda?

Moore's controversial film attacks and ridicules President Bush and his administration for the failure to anticipate and respond effectively to the events of 9/11/01. Consider the message and methods of the film. Does it amount to a valid piece of rational discourse, mere ad hominem (argumentation through personal attack) propaganda, or something in between? How accurate is the evidence Moore presents in the film?

In his scathing critique of the film, the late writer Christopher Hitchens challenges Moore's film for its misrepresentation of facts and the manipulative way it presents information. After viewing the film and reading Hitchens' essay, begin a blog group discussion about the controversy. Brendan Nyhan's Spinsanity website also analyzes the film for factual distortions (and provides links to others who do as well). Giberto Perez examines Moore's rhetoric and techniques in an interesting essay from 2004. How can you determine who's right here?

Impact of 9/11

Once you have sent Mr. Inloes the link to your blog, start a discussion thread among your group members concerning the impact that the events of 9/11/01 have had on popular culture. Was Teresa Wiltz right in discounting the dramatic pronouncements of pundits immediately following the event, or will daily American life be forever altered in a fundamental way? You may also want to respond to Sontag’s concerns about the “infantilization” of public discourse.
Has viewing the disturbing images from On Native Soil changed your perspective on the impact of 9/11 on our culture? The film’s stark editing and dramatic soundtrack evoke a visceral response to the documented events. I found myself watching with a lump in my throat, a factor of both the memories of the day and the style of the film.

Welcome to the Senior Writing Blog

As you set up your group blog, establish norms (ground rules for how to interact with each other) and work to develop an active, cooperative approach to writing and responding to each other.  Group members should take turns creating posts while other group members comment on those posts.  The end result should be a series of online discussions (posts and subsequent comments) about the various topics we cover in class.  As you develop your blogging skills, incorporate images, hyperlinks, widgets, and videos to add depth and texture to your discussions.