Hey Gals and Guys! Someone posted this interesting billboard (and the reaction to it) on Facebook today, and it made me want to remind you that there are certainly compelling ways to discuss a familiar topic like abortion. But you want to be sure that you are giving that same ole' discourse some kind of "spin" or edge, adding life and (perhaps literally) color to an old debate:
So while you should avoid paper topics that are simply listing the pros and cons of abortion or gay marriage, consider shifting your stance a bit so that the question has more to do with: what ethnicities are most impacted by abortion legislation; how are heterosexual relationships defined in Country Music videos; how do Hispanic or Black culture deal with gay, bisexual or transgendered populations. In fact, adding "race" or "ethnicity" to a familiar topic could give it the sense of refinement that a compelling research paper needs. Some mix and match with keywords could be a fun way to start your weekend research, especially if you're not sold on your topic yet... like, oh, say:
"global warming" + "fashion"
"abortion" + "Zen Buddhism"
"Kanye West" + "dental hygiene"
"polar bears" + "Coca Cola"
Play a bit. It will ensure your sanity and my own.
Just a thought! Have a nice, sunny weekend.
After reading the handout "Lauryn in Love," please take a moment to reflect on the way in which this article may echo some of bell hooks' ideas as expressed in the introduction to Salvation that we read in class, and in the quotes from the book in your handout. Consider that all celebrities, through their publicists, their clothes, their photo shoots, their political activism, their responses to interview questions, and their general image, are constructed. What is the underlying message of Lauryn Hill as an icon? How do we articulate her meaning as a symbol in the world of music? As a prominent figure in the history of black female celebrities? Use one quote from the article "Lauryn in Love" and one quote from the bell hooks' quotes handout in your response.
Both Eula Biss and Emily Raboteau discuss blended families in their essays. And yet, the tones they use to discuss such familial structures, and the sociological perspective each has on the experience of living in these kinds of households, are quite distinct.
1. Please find three quotes from each essay that demonstrate the difference in tone that the authors use to discuss mixed/interracial/blended families. Pay very close attention to word choice, looking at adjectives and adverbs in addition to verbs and nouns that may be communicating tone or stance on a subtle level.
2. Then, integrating these quotes into your own words, explain what you think the major difference is between each author's ideology when it comes to the notion of growing up in a blended family household.
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EXTRA CREDIT:
3. If you are in the noon class, please post the brief in-class writing you wrote Wednesday in class, comparing the rhetoric of Emily Raboteau and Das Racist. I want the other class to see what you came up with.
OR
If you are in the 11AM class, take a look at what the other class wrote. It turns out that the way we went about analyzing the video was all wrong. In the noon class, we analyzed the lyrics first, as Philip had suggested, and it did make a major difference in the kind of cultural analysis we were able to make. We also looked at a different video, "Chicken and Meat" and wrote solo instead of in groups. If you want extra credit, take a look at this article that Das Racist wrote on their genre and discuss, in a few sentences, why they choose the somewhat ridiculous expression of music videos and hip hop when, as this article suggests, they have the ability to use a more straightforward form of articulation instead.
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| James Baldwin |
There they are. One dead, one alive. One black, one white. One male, one female. One straight, or at least married, one gay. Both have written extensively about race. Both are, let's say, bored by this super bowl party they came to as a favor for a friend. Combining the casual and theoretical, the deep and superficial, please write a dialogue between Eula Biss and James Baldwin on the occasion of their boredom during this sporty American tradition. What would they be talking about? What has happened of late in the news that they might discuss? Feel free to describe their body language, facial expressions, pauses etc.
Try to have fun with this one while simultaneously, honestly getting into some heavy commentary about race. 300 words.
