Advanced American Literature
C. Hamilton, 2007-08
  

Advanced American Literature Class
Social Issues in America Project
2008 Schedule
Class Presenters
Tuesday, March 18 D Block 8:00-8:50

 

What is the price we pay, as individuals, for ignoring the epidemic of consumerism in America?
Marissa: The Ethics of What We Eat

Elizabeth: Not Buying It

    Michelle: Can't Buy My Love


Tuesday, March 18 E Block 8:55-9:40

 

How do influential groups in America justify behavior that others see as wrong?
Seth: The Fundamentals of Extremism

Dara: The Paradox of American Power

Tuesday, March 18 F Block 10:55-11:40

 

Do recent technological developments (in global warming and in internet capability) require a change in our standards for performance and compensation?
Charlie: Isaac's Storm

Nathaniel: The Nature and Future of Creativity



Wednesday, March 19 D block 1:35-3:10

 

Is our American perspective suitably global?

    Mimi: Devil in the White City

  Andrew: Colossus



Thursday, March 20 F block 8:05-9:50

 

Do we unfairly entice some classes to subsume their own interests to those of the larger society?

   Kelsey: Screwed: The Undeclared War
     against the Middle Class

     Andy: Acres of Skin
    
     Jack: Licensed to Kill


Thursday, March 20 E block 1:35-3:10

 

Is it time for a radical change in Americans' attitude toward media imaging?
    Caroline: The Beauty Myth

      Ross: Born to Buy
    
     Taylor: Female Chauvinist Pigs

Monday, March 24 D block 10:55-2:20

 

How can we resolve the religion question?
    David: God is Not Great


 
Monday, March 24 E block 11:45-12:30

 

What can be done to protect ourselves, our nation, and our world from progress "gone wrong"?

     Jon: The Beast in the Garden

     Will: The Singularity is Near


Monday, March 24 F block 1:35-2:20

 

Where is American society headed?
 
    Will: Looming Tower

    Mikie: Empire of Debt

    Kasey: Collapse 


Tuesday, March 25 D block 8:05-8:55

 

Are we facing a crisis in medical care?
  Emily: The Truth about Drug Companies

     Mary Beth: A Surgeon's Notes

     Abby: One Mind at a Time

Tuesday, March 25 E block 8:55-9:40

 

What can be done to protect ourselves, our nation, and our world from medical disasters?
  David: Brain Research

    Carson: How Doctors Think

    Bill: The Demon in the Freezer

Tuesday, March 25 F block 10:55-11:40

Is it time for a radical change in Americans' attitude toward consumption, animal rights, and food ethics?

    Josh: The Omnivore's Dilemma

   

Wednesday, March 26 D block 1:35-3:10

 

How can people choose to do the right thing despite societal pressures?
  Kirsten: Profiles in Courage

    Sonja: The Cheating Culture

    John: Practical Ethics

     Brian: The Cheating Culture

Thursday, March 27 F block 8:00-9:40

 

Is the government obligated to provide affordable healthcare and medicine?
  Graham: The Untold Story of America's
    healthcare crisis

    Ally: Why Our Drug Laws Have Failed Us

    Tyler: The Healthcare Mess

Thursday, March 27 E block 1:35-3:10

 

Is the American Dream out of reach for too many?
  Jacob: Opening Day-the Story of
    Jackie Robinson's First Season

    Nihad: Nickel and Dimed

    Michael: Ghetto Nation


Friday, March 28 E block 10:55-11:40

 

How can the media reclaim its dignity and integrity and still retain audiences?
  Ronnie: Fog Facts: Searching for Truth
     in the Land of Spin

     Brock: Bias: A CBS Insider Exposes
     How the Media Distorts the News
          
Friday, March 28 D block 11:45-12:30

 

In this age of information, do we really know what is happening--in the world, in the market, and with our personal data?
   Mark: No Place to Hide

     Ian: Brand Name Bullies


Friday, March 28 F block 1:35-2:20

 

Does it really matter if the US loses hegemonic ground?
  Lauren: Hegemony or Survival--America's
    Quest for Global Dominance

    Firoz: Uberpower--the Imperial Temptation
    of America
Wednesday, April 2 D block 1:35-3:10

 

Is it time for a radical change in Americans' attitude toward gender, ethnicity, and global responsibility?
  Kelly: Odd Girl Out

    Sara: The Feminine Mystique

    Misha: Lipstick Jihad

    Zach: What Liberal Media?