Saying Goodbye to Issues

In order to finish out the year, you have two tasks to complete:

1. Complete this EVALUATION for the Marketplace of Ideas and the class overall.
2. Do a final blog post that says good bye to your readers and followers (or describes how you will be continuing to blog on your Issues blog or a new one you create).  Consider the state of "issues in America" (actual issues, not the class).  What issues continue to be important today?  What do you want your readers to continue to pay attention to, do, or watch out for?  Are you optimistic about the world today or not?  Why?  

We'll say our goodbyes in class on Monday, where it is ask Kramer anything day...

Issues Making News

A couple of issues for your consideration today:

Climate Change

Prayer at Govt. Meetings

The Marketplace of Ideas is Here!

Marketplace of Ideas Instructions
Topic Proposal Form

BRAINSTORMING LINKS

• Browse the topics at any of the "issues" based subscription databases:
• CQ Researcher
• Opposing Viewpoints
• Issues: Understanding Controversy and Society
• Check out the documentaries at:
• Frontline
• Sixty Minutes
• Read the news:
• CNN
• FOX
• NYTimes
• Chicago Tribune
• Read Blogs:
• Huffington
• Newsmax

Affirmative Action in College Admissions

Your tasks:

1. Read the last two articles in your packet-The Price of Being Black and Bright in 2014 and Affirmative Action Fading From the College Scene. 
2. Then write a short (1-2 pages, single spaced) essay in which you respond to the question-Should race be a factor used in college admissions?  In other words, how should the Supreme Court rule in the case of Schuette v. Coalition to Defend Affirmative Action? The first sentence of your essay should a specific assertion that answers one of these questions. (Colleges should/should not use race in their admissions decisions because ____________; or The Supreme Court should decide that the State of Michigan's ban on using race in college admissions is/is not Constitutional because________________.)
3. Be sure to use specific evidence from what we've discussed in class including the Bakke case, the admissions policies of Harvard and Michigan, the Grutter and Gratz cases, Whites Swim in Racial Preference, If I Were a Poor Black Kid and the responses to it, and the two articles cited in #1 above.  You must use at least three of these sources in your essay.  Essay should be carefully proofread and free of all errors.  You should not use 1st person.
4. You have today and tomorrow to work on this in class.  It is due to be submitted to turnitin.com by 11:59 PM on Tuesday, April 22.

Agenda, 3/21

Greetings Issues Scholars,
Two tasks for today:

1) Gather additional information about issues related to Haze the Movie.  I've shared some links that I found to be interesting or relevant below.  Feel free to search around and find additional links to consider.  Think about how you might use this  information to make change personally or within our community.  Feel free to share  links with others, or consider a potential blog post on the film or any of the issues raised.

• Main web page for "Gordies Call"-organization started after Gordie Bailey's Death
• Alcohol Education Resources
• College Drinking-Changing the Culture
• Safe Spring Break
• Alcohol Poisoning Info from the Mayo Clinic
• Blood Alcohol Content Calculator
• Less Than You Think campaign
• Aware Awake Alive
• Harvard School of Public Health Studies on College Alcohol Us
• Medical Amnesty Initiative
• Amethyst Initiative (Drinking Age)
• In defense of 21

2) Next week, we are going to have a series of mini-discussions led by YOU on a topic of your choice.  Each discussion will be approximately 8-10 minutes long.  You must sign up on the respective Google Doc for your class (Per. 3 Sign Up Sheet or Per. 8 Sign Up Sheet) for a time slot and discussion topic.  By Monday, you need to have selected a topic, have at least one article or source about your topic that can easily be summarized or explained (quickly) and 3-5 open ended discussion questions about your topic.

Live Blogging Sexual Harassment Per. 8

 

Live Blogging Sexual Harassment

 

Sexual Assault

As we heard in class, the issue of sexual violence towards women unfortunately remains a significant issue in our society. In a study by the U.S. Centers for Disease control of 5,000 college students at over 100 colleges, 20% of women answered "yes" to the question "In your lifetime have you been forced to submit to sexual intercourse against your will?" Thus, one in five college women has been raped at some point in her lifetime (oneinfourusa.org).  Clearly, this is an issue that requires further study and thought.  Take some time today to continue to gather information about its prevalence, the issues surrounding it, its causes, effects, and solutions.  To do so, please follow these instructions:

1. Use the links below to browse and gather information.  For each, make sure that you don't just read the main article but also explore where some of the hyperlinks take you.
2. For every story that you read that's interesting, please copy and paste the link in a comment to this post along with a sentence or two describing the article and what's interesting about it.
3. Once you've read a few articles, do a blog post on the issues raised by our class discussion and in the articles that you read. There should be specific references to at least two articles in your post.  This may count as your weekly blog post (provided that you also follow the instructions in # 4 below).
4. After writing your post, return to the comment section for this one and scroll through the list of articles to see what people are thinking and writing about.  For one that sounds interesting, go to that student's blog, read their post and write a comment back to them.

LINKS

• Soraya Chemaly is a self described "Writer, Feminist, Satirist...not necessarily in that order" who writes and blogs extensively on sexual assault and violence towards women.  Here are a few of her articles(make sure you explore the hyperlinks she posts as well).

                    Notre Dame, Manti Te'o, and Institutional Rape Tolerance
                    5 Ways Sexual Assault is Really About Entitlement
                    Why Naked Pictures Aren't Harmless

• The Huffington Post has an entire section devoted to "Breaking the Silence: Addressing Sexual Assault on Campus".  Scroll through and browse the latest stories and columns about this issue.

• After the Steubenville case, information came to light about a similar incident that happened to two young women in Maryville, Mo.  Here is the original article that details the situation although a lot has happened since.  If you're interested, read the article and then go here to see additional updates.

Hazing

To follow up on the Rolling Stone "Hazing" article, please do this week's blog post on that issue.  Each blog post should reference THREE additional articles that you will read on the topic. You must choose at least one from the Huffington Post and then you may use any other link below.  Please browse through them before selecting the articles that you will include in your post.
Also, please print out one of the articles from the Huffington Post to use as part of our discussion in class next week.

Links
The Huffington Post's section on Fraternity and Sorority Hazing
If you want something closer to home, here is an article about Northwestern or this one about Northern Illinois
If you want to read about sorority hazing specifically check out this article (the hyperlinks within the article are also helpful).
If you are interested, here is a link to "Pro-Hazing" arguments.  The website that posts these also has a lot of intriguing resources.  Go to Stophazing.org

Bullying

"Mini-Essay" #3: Please use the subscription databases to formulate a one page single spaced argument in response to the following questions-Is there a bullying problem in the United States?  What should the government or school administrations do about it if anything?
Make sure your argument is backed up by evidence. You should use Chicago style to cite information from at least three reputable sources from the subscription databases.  Arguments should be well proofread and avoid the use of first person.  Assignment is to be submitted to turnitin.com by class time on Monday, 2/10.

Abortion Questions

Greetings all!  Welcome back!  Sorry I'm not there today to welcome you back in person.
Today, you will continue to consider the issue of abortion ultimately leading to a one page position paper on a question that you identify.  Here are your tasks:
1) Read this article that summarizes the state of the abortion debates today.
2) If you are interested, there are other films with different points of view than "Unborn in the USA".  This one and this one provide alternate perspectives and raise additional questions to consider.
3) Identify a question arising from either the film, Unborn in the USA or the article.  Some examples of potential questions are:

• Are young people today for or against abortion?  Why?  (See this article referenced in the film)
• What kind of role should the government play in abortion?
• Should a man have any rights in regards to his partner’s decision to have an abortion or not?
• Should parents be notified if their minor child wishes to have an abortion?
• What requirements, if any, should abortion clinics and those attending them have placed on them in order to do the procedure (consider ultrasounds and waiting periods)?
• What are the risks associated with making abortions severely restricted or illegal?
• Should individual states be allowed to have differing abortion laws?
• Should people have the right to protest outside abortion clinics or on University campuses?  Should there be any limitations on those protests?
• Should the ban on partial birth or late-term abortion be upheld?
• Should contraceptives be given to teenagers in schools?
• What is the relationship between abstinence only education and abortions?

4) Once you have identified a question (please note-those above are not an exhaustive list-both the article and film raised many additional issues), research the varying responses to it.  You should use the library subscription databases (CQ Researcher, Issues: Understanding Controversy in Society, or Gale Opposing Viewpoints, JSTOR).  You may do additional research on the web but be SURE that sites that you use are reputable, appropriate, and valid.You should keep track of the sources you use as well as how they answer the question.

5) Then, when ready, write a 1-2 page single spaced response to your chosen question.  Your response should begin with an assertion that answers your question and includes a "why" or "because" clause.  You should not use first person.  If you have multiple paragraphs, each should begin with a topic sentence.  You should cite your information using Chicago footnote style (just like the gun control essay).  Your essay should include at least three reputable sources. You should not have any grammar or spelling mistakes.  Essays are due to turnitin.com on Monday, 1/13.