Supplemental Communities in Conversation
Web-Hosted Articles and Essays:
“What Killed Aiyana Stanley-Jones?” by Charlie LedDuff in Mother Jones: http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2010/11/aiyana-stanley-jones-detroit
(Poverty, social services, crime and the spectacle of a little girl’s death in Detroit).
“In the Dead Zone of Capitalism” by Henry A. Giroux in Truth-Out: http://truth-out.org/opinion/item/16738-in-the-dead-zone-of-capitalism-lessons-on-the-violence-of-inequality-from-chicago
(Inequality, race and the murder rate in Chicago).
“What Broke My Father’s Heart” by Katy Butler in The New York Times Magazine: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/20/magazine/20pacemaker-t.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0
(Butler reflects on her father’s death and the medical system which kept him alive far too long).
“Is Facebook Making Us Lonely?” by Stephen Marche in The Atlantic: http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2012/05/is-facebook-making-us-lonely/308930/
Response piece to Marche by Eric Klinenberg in Slate: http://www.slate.com/articles/life/culturebox/2012/04/is_facebook_making_us_lonely_no_the_atlantic_cover_story_is_wrong_.html
(Does social networking encourage broader interactions but shallower relationships? Are we lonelier now than in the past?).
“The Order of Things” by Malcolm Gladwell in The New Yorker: http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2011/02/14/110214fa_fact_gladwell
(On the absurdity of college ranking lists).
“Wonder Dog” by Melissa Fay Greene in The New York Times Magazine: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/05/magazine/wonder-dog.html?pagewanted=all
(How a service dog helped a family with a severely developmentally disabled child).
“Why NBA Center Jason Collins is Coming Out Now” by Jason Collins in Sports Illustrated: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/magazine/news/20130429/jason-collins-gay-nba-player/
(Jason Collins’ moving personal essay in which he reveals his sexual orientation, making him the first active and openly gay player in the NBA).
“Cocaine Incorporated” by Patrick Radden Keefe in The New York Times Magazine: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/17/magazine/how-a-mexican-drug-cartel-makes-its-billions.html?pagewanted=all
(How Mexico’s Sinaloa drug cartel operates like a Fortune 500 Company, only with more efficiency and shocking brutality).
“The Truck Stop Killer” by Vanessa Veselka in GQ: http://www.gq.com/news-politics/newsmakers/201211/truck-stop-killer-gq-november-2012?printable=true
(A teenage runaway reflects on the time she was nearly murdered while hitch-hiking in the 1980s, and connects it to larger concerns about misogynistic violence and the social facelessness of female victims).
“War Is a Force That Gives Us Meaning” by Christopher Hedges: http://www.coldtype.net/Assets/pdfs/Hedgesbook.pdf
(Excerpted introduction to Hedges book of the same name, covering the social allure and meaning of war from the perspective of a New York Times war correspondent).
“Fun Toy Banned Because of Three Stupid Dead Kids” by The Onion: http://www.theonion.com/articles/fun-toy-banned-because-of-three-stupid-dead-kids,290/
(Satirical news, great for teaching satire & voice).
“Fuck Everything, Nation Reports” by The Onion: http://www.theonion.com/articles/fuck-everything-nation-reports,30743/
(Satirical news; this in response to the Sandy Hook Elementary Shootings).
“How to Think About Drones” by Mark Bowden in The Atlantic: http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2013/09/the-killing-machines-how-to-think-about-drones/309434/?single_page=true
(A comprehensive look at the morality, efficacy and technological infrastructure of our nation’s drone programs).
“The Stoner Arms Dealers” by Guy Lawson in Rolling Stone: http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/the-stoner-arms-dealers-20110316?print=true
(Two young Americans become weapons traders in Afghanistan, with Pentagon knowledge).
“Rolling Stone Cover an Act of Irresponsibility” by Ty Burr in The Boston Globe: http://www.bostonglobe.com/arts/2013/07/17/rolling-stone-tsarnaev-cover-legitimizes-glamour-shot-carried-his-head/YpNSDtiLxPFJNoEfQgkMdN/story.html
“Judging Rolling Stone by Its Cover” editorial in The New York Times: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/19/opinion/judging-rolling-stone-by-its-cover.html
(These two editorials respond to the controversy around the Rolling Stone cover featuring Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, one of the accused Boston Marathon bombers. Both are well-reasoned and written, and would be effective for an exercise examining conflicting -- but equally reasonable -- views).
“What Disturbs Us Most About the N.Y. Post Subway Death Cover” by J. Bryan Lowder in Slate: http://www.slate.com/blogs/behold/2012/12/04/ny_post_subway_death_photo_of_ki_suk_han_why_r_umar_abbasi_s_image_disturbs.html
(Responds to a 2012 New York Post front page showing a man seconds before he was struck and killed by an oncoming subway train. Lowder argues that the image is offensive and haunting because it taps into widespread cultural anticipation of death).
“Speaking in Tongues” by Zadie Smith in The New York Review of Books: http://www.nybooks.com/articles/archives/2009/feb/26/speaking-in-tongues-2/?pagination=false
(Smith tackles accusations of President Obama’s “code-switching”; or, speaking in a different manner to different groups).
“You Owe Me” by Miah Arnold in the Michigan Quarterly Review: http://quod.lib.umich.edu/cgi/t/text/text-idx?cc=mqr;c=mqr;c=mqrarchive;idno=act2080.0050.112;rgn=main;view=text;xc=1;g=mqrg
(Arnold reflects on her experience teaching creative writing to a ward of children with terminal cancer).
“Tense Present” by David Foster Wallace in Harper’s: http://instruct.westvalley.edu/lafave/DFW_present_tense.html
(Wallace explores race bias in academia and the evolution of English prose by examining dictionaries in this long, vivid essay).
“Fear of a Black President” by Ta-NNehisi Coates in The Atlantic: http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2012/09/fear-of-a-black-president/309064/?single_page=true
(On President Obama’s statement that “If I had a son, he would look like Trayvon Martin,” and the promise of a post-racial America some thought his presidency suggested).
“Anatomy of a Fake Quotation” by Megan Mcardle in The Atlantic: http://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2011/05/anatomy-of-a-fake-quotation/238257/
(Mcardle traces the cyber genesis of a fake quotation attributed to Martin Luther King Jr.).
“Battleground America” by Jill Lepore in The New Yorker: http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2012/04/23/120423fa_fact_lepore?currentPage=all
(The contentious, absurd and sad state of American gun laws).
“Consider the Lobster” by David Foster-Wallace in Gourmet:
http://www.gourmet.com/magazine/2000s/2004/08/consider_the_lobster
(Foster-Wallace famously considers the social significance of a lobster festival.)
“Farther Away” by Jonathan Franzen in The New Yorker: http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2011/04/18/110418fa_fact_franzen
(Franzen reflects on his anger over David Foster Wallace’s suicide).
“The Shame of College Sports” by Tyler Branch in The Atlantic: http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2011/10/the-shame-of-college-sports/308643/
(Branch argues that the NCAA exploits and damages student-athletes).
“The Clan of the One-Breasted Women” by Terry Tempest Williams: http://www.brontaylor.com/courses/pdf/Williams--Clan.pdf
(Williams traces her family’s history through its struggles with breast cancer and connection to the beautiful, but possibly carcinogenic environments they’ve lived in).
“The Crayola-fication of Our World” by Aatash Bhatia in Empirical Zeal:
http://www.empiricalzeal.com/2012/06/05/the-crayola-fication-of-the-world-how-we-gave-colors-names-and-it-messed-with-our-brains-part-i/
(Bhatia argues that conceptions of color boundaries--what makes “blue” different from “green”--vary between cultures, and that our insistence on fixed boundaries “messes with our brains”).
Multimedia / Podcasts:
“The Fact of the Matter” by Radiolab (audio podcast): http://www.radiolab.org/2012/sep/24/
(How the “facts” of a situation are often dictated by perspective and circumstance. The program is a little over an hour, but we specifically recommend the “Yellow Rain” segment if you do not want to cover the entire hour. “Yellow Rain” deals with accusations of chemical warfare in Laos after the Vietnam War. Listen for the discussion between hosts Jad and Robert over whether they were “fair” in their interviewing of a survivor).
“Adoptive Couple vs. Baby Girl” by Radiolab (audio podcast): http://www.radiolab.org/blogs/radiolab-blog/2013/may/30/adoptive-couple-v-baby-girl/
(Presenting a challenging story that is sure to inspire debate amongst students, this podcast shares the personal stories and legal intricacies surrounding the recent Supreme Court case known as “Adoptive Couple vs. Baby Girl,” which raises questions about adoption, parental rights, and Native American history).
To follow-up, here is the official SCOTUS ruling on this case: http://www.scotusblog.com/case-files/cases/adoptive-couple-v-baby-girl/
And a layman’s description of the ruling can be found here: http://www.slate.com/blogs/the_slatest/2013/07/17/adoptive_couple_vs_baby_girl_south_carolina_court_sends_baby_veronica_back.html
“23 Weeks and 6 Days” by Radiolab (audio podcast):
http://www.radiolab.org/2013/apr/30/
(Parents must decide whether to fight or let their micro-premie baby go. Scientists, parents, and doctors weigh in on we should do everything we can to save an extremely young and fragile life).
“Little War on the Prairie” by John Biewen in This American Life (audio podcast): http://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/episode/479/little-war-on-the-prairie
(Growing up in Mankato, MN, Biewan examines how he never learned about the 1862 execution of thirty-eight South Dakota Native Americans, the largest mass execution in U.S History).
“Harper High School, Pts 1 & 2”: by This American Life (audio podcast): http://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/episode/487/harper-high-school-part-one
(This American Life spent five months at Harper High School in Chicago’s Englewood neighborhood, where last year alone 29 students and staff members were shot).
“A Stroke of Insight” by Jill Bolte Taylor in TED Talks: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UyyjU8fzEYU
(Neuroanatomist Jill Bolte Taylor uses a TED forum to discuss her own experience of having a stroke, all while holding a real human brain onstage).
“30 Is Not the New 20” by Meg Jay in TED Talks: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vhhgI4tSMwc
(Jay tries to argue that a person’s twenties are an important, formative part of their life and career).
“Who Controls the World?” by James B. Glattfelder in TED Talks: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NgbqXsA62Qs
(Glattfelder discusses the complex web of authority and influence that is woven through the global economy).
“The Clues to a Great Story” by Andrew Stanton in TED Talks: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KxDwieKpawg
(Stanton, director of Pixar films like Wall-E and Finding Nemo, discusses the components of a great story).
Loyola Digital Library / Database-Hosted Articles:
“Letting Go” by Atul Gawande in The New Yorker
Source: New Yorker. 8/2/2010, Vol. 86 Issue 22, p36-49. 14p.
Abstract: The article discusses terminally ill patients, end-of-life care, and the U.S. medical system. The case of Sara Thomas Monopoli, who was diagnosed with lung cancer while she was pregnant, is discussed, particularly the treatment that she received. The financial costs of treating cancer, dying and death, and hospice care are also discussed.
Database: Academic Search Premier
“Big Med” by Atul Gawande in The New Yorker
Source: New Yorker. 8/13/2012, Vol. 88 Issue 24, p52-63. 11p.
Abstract: The article looks at how the U.S. health care industry could follow chain restaurants' model of quality control, cost efficiency, and innovation. According to the author, hospitals and clinics are becoming increasingly more like conglomerates, forcing physicians to join in response to demands for lower costs, adoption of information technology, and performance accountability.
Database: Academic Search Premier
“Is Google Making Us Stupid?” by Nicholas Carr in The Atlantic
Source: Atlantic Monthly (10727825). Jul/Aug2008, Vol. 302 Issue 1, p56-63. 6p.
Abstract: The article examines the effect of Internet use on the ways people read and process information. The ability of technology to shape the process of thought is explored. Distinctions are made between decoding text and deep reading. The effect of technological innovations on the writing style of Friedrich Nietsche and on industrial efficiency is discussed.
Database: Academic Search Premier
“The Streetlight Effect” by David. H. Freedman in Discover
Source: Discover. Jul/Aug2010, Vol. 31 Issue 6, p55-57. 3p.
Abstract: The article presents discussion regarding the "streetlight effect" in scientific research. Details are given identifying the term, referring to research methodologies which distort or misrepresent results due to preferential selection of data. The level of complexity involved in the scientific method is highlighted, noting that many scientists mistakenly opt for easier work rather than more accurate work.
Database: Academic Search Premier
“A Telling Difference” by Stephen R. Anderson in Natural History.
Source: Natural History. Nov2004, Vol. 113 Issue 9, p38-43. 6p.
Abstract: Investigates the uniqueness of the human language on the basis of the inability of animals to emulate it despite of their ability to communicate. Distinction between communication and language; Problems posed by the strategy of psychologists and others seeking to establish that an animal either has a language or a cognitive ability to acquire language; Capacities of the human language that gives power and centrality in human lives.
Database: Academic Search Premier
“The Tyranny of Choice” by Barry Schwartz in Scientific American Mind
Source: Scientific American Mind. 2004, Vol. 14 Issue 5, p44-49. 6p.
Abstract: The article discusses why people in wealthier societies are unhappy in spite of having abundant choices. According to social scientists, David G. Myers and Robert E. Lane, increased choice and increased affluence have led to decreased well-being in the U.S. and other wealthy societies. Factors explaining why more choices are not always favorable, regret over choosing an option, adaptation, disadvantages of high expectations and depression due to unlimited choice has been explained elaborately.
Database: Academic Search Premier
“Taming the Wild” by Evan Ratliff in National Geographic
Source: National Geographic. Mar2011, Vol. 219 Issue 3, p34-59. 26p.
Abstract: The article reports on research and breeding efforts which have been conducted at the Institute of Cytology and Genetics in Novosibirsk, Siberia, Russia since 1961 with wild foxes and which has resulted in the creation of domesticated, human-friendly foxes.
Database: Academic Search Complete
“What Is Science?” by Richard Feynman in Resonance
Source: Resonance: Journal of Science Education; Sep2011, Vol. 16 Issue 9, p860-873, 14p
Abstract: The article presents a reprint of the article "What is Science," by Richard Feynman, which appeared in the 1969 issue of "The Physics Teacher." It discusses on science, which teaches the importance of freedom of thought and the value of rational thought. It adds that science is an outcome of the discovery that is worthy of rechecking by new direct experience.
Database: Education Research Complete
“Why the World Is More Peaceful” by Steven Pinker in Current History
Source: Current History. Jan2012, Vol. 111 Issue 741, p34-39. 6p.
Abstract: The essay discusses factors responsible for the declining level of world-wide violence in the 21st century such as increasing respect for women in society, increased trade, and cosmopolitanism, adapted from the book "The Better Angels of Our Nature: Why Violence Has Declined," by Steven Pinker.
Database: Academic Search Premier
“Port-au-Prince: The Moment” by Mischa Berlinski in the New York Review of Books
Source: New York Review of Books. 2/25/2010, Vol. 57 Issue 3, p24-25. 2p.
Abstract: A personal narrative is presented which explores the author's experience during the earthquake that hit Haiti on January 18, 2010.
Database: Academic Search Premier
“The Coming Death Shortage” by Charles C. Mann in The Atlantic
Source: Atlantic Monthly (10727825). May2005, Vol. 295 Issue 4, p92-103. 9p.
Abstract: This article offers a look at the longevity boom in the U.S. and questions various psychological aspects of living longer into old age. The author mentions the case of celebrity Anna Nicole Smith, who married an elderly man. Reports that U.S. life expectancy has increased in the past century and an expected rise in the maximum possible age are highlighted.
Database: Academic Search Premier
“Small Change” by Malcolm Gladwell in The New Yorker
Source: New Yorker. 10/4/2010, Vol. 86 Issue 30, p42-49. 7p.
Abstract: The author's opinions on social revolutions and social media tools such as Facebook, Twitter, and email are presented. The author suggests that social media will not play a part in modern revolutions by pointing to an example of a civil rights sit-in in Greensboro, North Carolina in 1960.
Database: Academic Search Premier
“The Sixth Extinction?” by Elizabeth Kolbert in The New Yorker
Source: New Yorker. 5/25/2009, Vol. 85 Issue 15, p52-63. 12p.
Abstract: The article discusses extinction on the planet Earth and environmental conditions in Costa Rica and Panama that has led to a decline in the golden frog population. Naturalist George Cuvier began studying species extinction in the early 19th century and his ideas were adopted by naturalist Charles Darwin in his theory of natural selection. The Big Five great extinctions that have taken place on Earth are discussed.