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Perspectives on Contemporary Issues Readings Across the Disciplines (with InfoTrac)

by: Ackley, Katherine Anne

Perspectives on Contemporary Issues Readings Across the Disciplines (with InfoTrac)

by: Ackley, Katherine Anne

ISBN 13:
9781413010688
ISBN 10:
1413010687
Edition: 4th
Format: Paperback
Copyright: 06/30/2005
Publisher: Wadsworth Publishing
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Summary

This cross-disciplinary reader encourages critical thinking and academic writing by presenting students with a variety of perspectives on current issues from across the curriculum. Contemporary issues engage the student, while the thematically grouped readings provide rich material for both in-class discussion and writing topics.

Preface

xvii

PART ONE Writing Critically and Conducting Research

(198)

Chapter 1 Reading Critically

Reading Critically in Preparation for Writing Critically

(4)

Organizing and Developing Ideas

(4)

Illustration: Reading Critically

(1)

What's in a Name? More than You Think

Joe Saltzman

(19)

Criticizes U.S. television news for using slanted terms in reporting U.S. wars on foreign soil.

Discussion of "What's in a Name? More than You Think"

(2)

Rhetorical Analysis of Visuals

(5)

Rhetorical Analysis of Websites

(5)

Chapter 2 Writing a Summary

(10)

Writing a Summary

(4)

Illustration: Making Marginal Notes and Summarizing

(1)

Enter Right, Exit Left

Joshua Foer

(4)

Explains the effects of 9/11 and the Iraq war on the political views of today's generation of college graduates.

Illustration: Summary

(1)

Stern Belongs on the Radio Just as Much as Rush

Roger Ebert

(9)

Argues that Howard Stern's right to be on the radio is as valid as Rush Limbaugh's.

Chapter 3 Writing a Critique

(18)

The Connection between Reading Critically and Writing a Critique

(1)

Writing a Critique

(7)

The Hollow Curriculum

Robert N. Sollod

(8)

Argues that omitting courses on religion and spirituality in higher education weakens the curriculum and leaves students ill prepared for their professions.

Illustration: Critique

(5)

Who Needs College?

Linda Lee

(28)

Questions the value of a college education and asks if it is appropriate for everyone.

Chapter 4 Writing an Argument

(38)

Narrowing Your Focus and Discovering Your Position

(4)

Structuring an Argument

(1)

Strategies for Arguing Effectively

(8)

Sample Student Papers

(11)

Illustration: Opposing Arguments

(1)

Grade Inflation: It's Time to Face the Facts

Harvey C. Mansfield

(3)

Argues that grade inflation is widespread and explains its negative effects.

The Dangerous Myth of Grade Inflation

Alfie Kohn

(121)

Counters arguments of those who charge that teachers give unrealistically high grades for mediocre performances.

Chapter 5 Synthesizing Material and Documenting Sources Using MLA Style

(28)

Writing a Synthesis

(2)

Illustration: Synthesis

(5)

In-text Citations Using MLA Style

(1)

Paraphrasing

100

(3)

Quoting

103

(3)

Integrating Source Material into Your Paper

106

(2)

Using Ellipsis Points, Brackets, Single Quotation Marks, and "Qtd. in"

108

(4)

Documenting Sources in a Collection of Essays

112

(3)

Illustration: Synthesis with In-text Citations using MLA Style

115

(5)

Chapter 6 Writing a Research Paper using MLA Style

120

(79)

Defining Your Purpose

120

(1)

Asking Questions and Discovering a Topic

121

(4)

Forming a Preliminary Thesis

125

(1)

Developing a Working Bibliography

126

(1)

Using the Library

127

(1)

Using Electronic Sources

128

(3)

Creating a Preliminary Bibliography

131

(4)

Evaluating Print Sources

135

(2)

Evaluating Internet Sources

137

(1)

Illustration: Seeking Promising Websites

138

(2)

Taking Notes

140

(1)

Illustration: Summarizing, Paraphrasing, and Quoting

140

(2)

Avoiding Plagiarism

142

(2)

Illustration: Plagiarism, Inaccurate Documentation, and Correct Handling of Source Material

144

(1)

Handling Source Material

145

(1)

Documenting Sources

146

(2)

Citing Sources in the Text

148

(4)

Creating a Works Cited Page Using MLA Style

152

(13)

Writing a Research Paper

165

(1)

Illustration: Sample Pages from Student Research Papers

166

(10)

Student Research Paper Using MLA Style

176

(13)

Writing a Research Paper Using APA Style

189

(1)

Parenthetical Citations Using APA Style

190

(2)

Illustration: Sample Pages from Student Research Paper Using APA Style

192

(3)

APA Style References List

195

(4)

PART TWO The Arts, Media Studies, and Popular Culture

199

(120)

Chapter 7 Music and Video Games

201

(29)

Art Form for the Digital Age

Henry Jenkins

203

(4)

Argues that "computer games are art-a popular art, an emerging art, a largely unrecognized art, but art nevertheless."

Here Come the Alpha Pups

John Tierney

207

(9)

Explains the advertising tactic of "viral marketing" and comments on the popularity of video games among boys.

Rock Revolt

Isabelle Leymarie

216

(5)

Explores claims of a relationship between music and violence.

Rap, Rage and REDvolution

Cristina Verán

221

(5)

Notes that while hip-hop music is an empowering voice for Native Americans, many mainstream rappers are guilty of racism in their lyrics.

Perspectives on Music and Video Games

226

(2)

Suggested Writing Topics

226

(1)

Research Topics

227

(1)

Responding to Visuals

228

(2)

Chapter 8 Media Studies

230

(31)

Aggression: The Impact of Media Violence

Sissela Bok

232

(6)

Reviews arguments on both sides of the debate on whether media violence influences behavior.

The End of Admiration: The Media and the Loss of Heroes

Peter H. Gibbon

238

(5)

Contends that journalists bear a large part of the responsibility for Americans' inability to find heroes in public figures.

Advertising's Influence on Media Content

Jean Kilbourn

243

(7)

Argues that advertisers' power is so great that they often control media content.

Liberal Media? I'm Shocked!

John Leo

250

(2)

Expresses concern at the under-representation of conservatives in the news media.

I Agree with Me

P.J. O'Rourke

252

(3)

Takes a humorous look at conservatives' approach to argument.

Perspectives on Media Studies

255

(3)

Suggested Writing Topics

255

(1)

Research Topics

256

(2)

Responding to Visuals

258

(3)

Chapter 9 Film and Television

261

(29)

Up from Hip-Hop

John H. McWhorter

263

(6)

Argues that recent films and Broadway musicals, not hip-hop and Spoken Word, represent "the true soul of black America."

Cinderella: Saturday Afternoon at the Movies

Louise Bernikow

269

(8)

Examines the fairy tale "Cinderella' for the way it encourages female rivalry to gain the favor of males.

TV Violence: Does It Cause Real-Life Mayhem?

Susan R. Lamson

277

(3)

Argues that television depictions of violence powerfully influence children and bear large responsibility for the high U S. homicide rate.

Stop Blaming Kids and TV

Mike Males

280

(4)

Argues that poverty, abuse, and neglect are to blame for youth violence and other problems, not teens and television.

Perspectives on Film and Television

284

(4)

Suggested Writing Topics

284

(2)

Research Topics

286

(2)

Responding to Visuals

288

(2)

Chapter 10 The Arts

290

(23)

Solitude and the Fortresses of Youth

Michael Chabon

292

(3)

Argues that controlling the content of students' creative work is not only a violation of their civil liberties but also a denial of their humanity.

Behold the Stone Age

Robert Hughes

295

(4)

Raises questions about the purpose and nature of art not only for Cro-Magnons but for people today.

Don't Ignore the Arts

Harold M. Williams

299

(6)

Argues that the arts are central to human life and must be included in the basic education of children.

The National Endowment for Football: We're Fighting the Wrong Battle

Daniel E. Gawthrop

305

(3)

Suggests strategies for encouraging people to value artistic expression.

Perspectives on The Arts

308

(1)

Suggested Writing Topics

308

(13)

Research Topics

309

(2)

Responding to Visuals

311

(2)

E-Readings Online for Part Two

313

(6)

PART THREE Social and Behavioral Sciences

319

(190)

Chapter 11 Education

321

(21)

One Nation, Enriched by Biblical Wisdom

David Brooks

323

(2)

Discusses the controversy over school children reciting the phrase "One nation under God" in the Pledge of Allegiance.

The Real Generation Gap

Marianne M. Jennings

325

(8)

Argues that the education today's students are getting does not prepare them for the responsibilities of adulthood.

No Time to Read?

David McCullough

333

(2)

Argues that "the greatest of all avenues to learning...is in reading books."

The Closing of the American Book

Andrew Solomon

335

(2)

Argues that a number of national crises-in health, politics, and, most importantly, education-are direct causes of a decline in reading.

Perspectives on Education

337

(3)

Suggested Writing Topics

337

(2)

Research Topics

339

(1)

Responding to Visuals

340

(2)

Chapter 12 Poverty and Homelessness

342

(26)

Our Tired, Our Poor, Our Kids

Anna Quindlen

344

(2)

Discusses the number of homeless children in the United States as of early 2001 and touches on the impact of homelessness on those children.

Still Hungry, Still Homeless

America Magazine Editorial

346

(2)

Comments on the increase of homelessness, especially among children, and calls for action to address the problem.

A Modest Proposal

Jonathan Swift

348

(6)

Classic, darkly satiric proposal for solving the problem of poverty in Ireland.

On the Meaning of Plumbing and Poverty

Melanie Scheller

354

(4)

Explains in a highly personal essay the excruciating shame the author felt throughout her childhood-and beyond-that came from living in homes with no indoor plumbing.

The Singer Solution to World Poverty

Peter Singer

358

(5)

Presents an example of a hypothetical moral dilemma to support his argument that Americans should donate to world charities in aid of impoverished children.

Perspectives on Poverty and Homelessness

363

(2)

Suggested Writing Topics

363

(1)

Research Topics

364

(1)

Responding to Visuals

365

(3)

Chapter 13 Criminal Behavior

368

(34)

Deadly Compromise

Joshua Green

369

(9)

Examines the issues involved in the arguments of both proponents and opponents of capital punishment.

Deadly Stakes: The Debate over Capital Punishment

John O'Sullivan

378

(4)

Examines the logic of arguments used in opposition to capital punishment.

There Are No Lessons to be Learned from Littleton

Gary Kleck

382

(6)

Examines the potential consequences of school violence and considers what lessons, if any, can be learned from it.

What's Wrong with America and Can Anything Be Done about It?

Wayne C. Barrett and Bernard Rowe

388

(10)

Argues that American society has abandoned decency and discipline, replacing them with disrespect and a decline in moral values.

Perspectives on Criminal Behavior

398

(2)

Suggested Writing Topics

398

(1)

Research Topics

399

(1)

Responding to Visuals

400

(2)

Chapter 14 Gender and Sex Roles

402

(22)

Reexamining the Plight of Young Males

Megan Rosenfeld

403

(6)

Insists that it is time to pay attention to boys' development, arguing that they face far greater risks to their health and well-being than girls do.

You Can Never Have Too Many

Jane Smiley

409

(8)

Praises Barbie dolls for what they taught her daughters.

Sacred Rite or Civil Right?

Howard Moody

412

(5)

Addresses the debate over gay marriage in terms of the relationship between church and state and their definition of marriage.

Deconstructing Gender, Sex, and Sexuality as Applied to Identity

Whitney Mitchell

417

(3)

Explains why identifying people in terms of their gender, sex, or sexuality is inefficient.

Perspectives on Gender and Sex Roles

420

(2)

Suggested Writing Topics

420

(1)

Research Topics

420

(2)

Responding to Visuals

422

(2)

Chapter 15 Race and Ethnicity in America

424

(28)

Race in America

George Henderson

426

(5)

Reviews the history of immigration to America and argues that America never has been a true "melting pot."

One Nation, Indivisible: Is It History?

William Booth

431

(6)

Explores the effects on American life of demographic shifts caused by the recent great wave of immigration.

Hispanics and the American Dream

Linda Chavez

437

(5)

Argues that Hispanics have successfully assimilated into American society.

Colorblind

Alex Kotlowitz

442

(3)

Calls for both whites and blacks to examine and question their own perspectives.

How Much Diversity Do You Want from Me?

Perry Bacon, Jr.

445

(2)

Explains why the pressure to speak for one's entire minority population is unfair.

Perspectives on Race and Ethnicity in America

447

(3)

Suggested Writing Topics

447

(2)

Research Topics

449

(1)

Responding to Visuals

450

(2)

Chapter 16 Terrorism and War

452

(20)

A Pure, High Note of Anguish

Barbara Kingsolver

454

(2)

Comments on the September 11 terrorist attacks on American soil and observes that "every war is both won and lost, and that loss is a pure, high note of anguish."

The Algebra of Infinite Justice

Arundhati Roy

456

(7)

Makes a biting indictment of America's foreign policy as it responds to the September 11 terrorist attacks.

The Images We See and Those We Don't

Jeff Jacoby

463

(2)

Expresses disgust at what he calls American media's exploitation of images of Abu Ghraib prisoner abuse in Iraq.

Flag-Draped Memories

Charles Paul Freund

465

(3)

Reviews the complex history of war death imagery.

Perspectives on Terrorism and War

468

(2)

Suggested Writing Topics

468

(1)

Research Topics

468

(2)

Responding to Visuals

470

(2)

Chapter 17 America Abroad in Political Science

472

(27)

Fortress America

Timothy Garton Ash

474

(2)

Believes that American's "soft power" has been diminished and conjectures possible effects on American politics.

The Decline of America's Soft Power

Joseph S. Nye, Jr.

476

(6)

Assesses the effects of the decline in popularity of American policies abroad.

Voices from Abroad

Chris Berdik

482

(10)

Compiles comments on the view of America from American citizens living in 18 countries around the globe.

Selling Our Innocence Abroad

Pico Iyer

492

(2)

Examines the image of America abroad, as represented by American popular culture.

Perspectives on America Abroad in Political Science

494

(3)

Suggested Writing Topics

494

(1)

Research Topics

495

(2)

Responding to Visuals

497

(2)

E-Readings Online for Part Three

499

(10)

PART FOUR Science and Technology

509

(140)

Chapter 18 Digital Technology and the Internet

511

(20)

Thoughts on the Digital Future of Movies, the Threat of Piracy, the Hope of Redemption

Jack Valenti

513

(5)

Argues the perilous effects of piracy and the value of movies and intellectual property.

The Day I Got Napsterized: First they Came for Metallica. Then They Came for Tom Clancy. And Then They Came for Me.

Steven Levy

518

(2)

Explains how his position on the Internet intellectual-property debate was personalized.

Blogging in the Global Lunchroom

Geoffrey Nunberg

520

(4)

Muses on his own experience with blogs and the significance of blogs in general.

My Website, My Self

Meghan Daum

524

(3)

Describes her creation of a website as a process of self discovery.

Perspectives on Digital Technology and the Internet

527

(2)

Suggested Writing Topics

527

(1)

Research Topics

528

(1)

Responding to Visuals

529

(2)

Chapter 19 Natural Sciences

531

(26)

The Reach of the Imagination

Jacob Bronowski

532

(7)

Explains the workings of the imagination and why it is the chief difference between humans and animals.

The Chemist

Roald Hoffmann

539

(3)

Explains that, while the metaphor of discovery is appropriate for describing what chemists do, so is the metaphor of creation.

The Year of the Genome

Matt Ridley

542

(5)

Celebrates the genome discoveries as a whole new way of understanding human biology."

The Influence of "Junk Science" and the Role of Science Education

Lee Ann Fisher Baron

547

(3)

Offers examples of Americans' inability to distinguish solid science from 'junk science" and blames poor science education for that gullibility.

The Nature of Evidence

Boyce Rensberger

550

(3)

Counters critics of science journalists and suggests ways scientists and journalists can teach average people about scientific ways of thinking.

Perspectives on Natural Sciences

553

(2)

Suggested Writing Topics

553

(1)

Research Topics

554

(1)

Responding to Visuals

555

(2)

Chapter 20 Bioethics

557

(21)

Our Biotech Bodies, Ourselves

James Pethokoukis

559

(2)

Gives an overview of issues and controversies associated with biotechnology.

All for the Good

James D. Watson

561

(3)

The co-discoverer of the structure of DNA and first director of the Human Genome Project explains why genetic engineering must go on.

Dolly's False Legacy

Ian Wilmut

564

(3)

The embryologist responsible for the world's first cloned mammal explains why he thinks human cloning should proceed only with great caution.

Playing God: Has Science Gone Too Far?

Jeff Lyon

567

(7)

Explores from a religious point of view the question of whether scientists should proceed with trying to clone humans.

Perspectives on Bioethics

574

(2)

Suggested Writing Topics

574

(1)

Research Topics

574

(2)

Responding to Visuals

576

(2)

Chapter 21 Public Health

578

(34)

Smallpox Shots: Make Them Mandatory

Charles Krauthammer

580

(2)

Argues that individuals have no choice about inoculations when it comes to epidemic diseases.

Restructuring the U. S. Health-Care System

Arnold S. Reiman

582

(4)

Examines problems with the U. S. health-care system and calls for reform.

Global Public Goods and Health

Richard D. Smith

586

(2)

Raises questions about the process of initiating, organizing, and financing collective actions for health at the global level.

We All Have AIDS

Wayne Ellwood

588

(7)

Argues that HIV/AIDS is everyone's problem and investigates the social inequalities which nurture the deadly disease.

Death Stalks a Continent

Johanna McGeary

595

(13)

Reports on the conditions that have helped spread HIV/AIDS in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Perspectives on Public Health

608

(2)

Suggested Writing Topics

608

(1)

Research Topics

608

(2)

Responding to Visuals

610

(2)

Chapter 22 Environmental Studies

612

(30)

Humboldt's Legacy and the Restoration of Science

Aaron Sachs

614

(9)

Profiles the 19th-century scientist Baron Alexander von Humboldt and maintains that modern science would do well to adopt his integrated vision of nature.

A Declaration of Sustainability

Paul Hawken

623

(10)

Offers practical guides to conservation, or, according to the subtitle, "Twelve Steps Society Can Take to Save the Whole Enchilada."

The Galileo of Global Warming

American Spectator Commentary

633

(4)

Expresses one view on the global warming panic and comments on government action concerning global warming.

Out, Damn Naturalists

D. Grand DeMan

637

(2)

Comments on environmentalists and describes his efforts to be environmentally responsible.

Perspectives on Environmental Studies

639

(1)

Suggested Writing Topics

639

(1)

Research Topics

639

(1)

Responding to Visuals

640

(2)

E-Readings Online for Part Four

642

(7)

PART FIVE BUSINESS AND ECONOMICS

649

(97)

Chapter 23 Marketing and the American Consumer

651

(28)

In Praise of Consumerism

James B. Twitchell

652

(7)

Discusses the social aspects of American consumerism and the inevitability of its global influence.

You Are What You Buy

Richard Wolkomir and Joyce Wolkomir

659

(7)

Profiles James B. Twitchell and discusses modern materialism and the history of mass marketing.

The Birth of Hip-Hop

Kevin O'Rourke

666

(6)

An analysis of the use beverage marketers make of the widespread appeal of hip-hop music.

Shopping and Other Spiritual Adventures in America Today

Phyllis Rose

672

(3)

Takes an amused look at consumerism in America.

Perspectives on Marketing and the American Consumer

675

(2)

Suggested Writing Topics

675

(1)

Research Topics

676

(1)

Responding to Visuals

677

(2)

Chapter 24 The Workplace

679

(18)

For Love or Money

Jay Matthews

680

(5)

Examines theories of behaviorists on what makes employees do their best work.

Beware the Killjoy

Matthew Boyle

685

(2)

Discusses the decline of workplaces described as fun and how that relates to the low rates of job satisfaction.

Rewriting the Old Rules

Terry Golway

687

(2)

Argues that women have not changed the American workplace as much as the workplace has changed women.

Warning: This Is a Rights-Free Workplace

Barbara Ehrenreich

689

(4)

Argues that employers increasingly erode employees' basic civil rights as well as their self-respect.

Perspectives on The Workplace

693

(2)

Suggested Writing Topics

693

(1)

Research Topics

693

(2)

Responding to Visuals

695

(2)

Chapter 25 The Economic Impact of Outsourcing

697

(23)

Offshoring Without Guilt

N. Venkat Venkatraman

698

(3)

Argues that the debate about the ethics of offshoring misses the point that it represents the inevitable next generation of business practice.

The Wal-Mart You Don't Know

Charles Fishman

701

(10)

Argues that in its efforts to offer consumers low prices, Wal-Mart pressures its suppliers and forces them to send jobs overseas.

30 Little Turtles

Thomas Friedman

711

(2)

Describes his visit to a training center where Indians are being taught to speak with a Canadian or American accent for their jobs at call centers located in India.

SweatX Closes Up Shop

Richard Appelbaum and Peter Dreier

713

(3)

Examines the reasons why a noble effort to show that businesses do not have to rely on overseas sweatshop labor failed.

Perspectives on The Economic Impact of Outsourcing

716

(2)

Suggested Writing Topics

716

(1)

Research Topics

717

(1)

Responding to Visuals

718

(2)

Chapter 26 The Global Marketplace

720

(21)

Development without Borders

Kofi Annan

722

(2)

Comments on the benefits of globalization and what strong nations must do to help underdeveloped ones.

Globalization without a Net

Vito Tanzi

724

(2)

Argues that national governments cannot integrate their countries into the global economy and protect the poor at the same time.

Mixing '60's Activisim and Anti-Globalization

Robert Borosage

726

(3)

Describes how college students have organized to protest globalization and applied pressure to bring about changes.

Dispelling the Myths about the Global Economy

Murray Weidenbaum

729

(8)

Addresses what he sees as ten myths about globalization and explains why they are false.

Perspectives on The Global Marketplace

737

(2)

Suggested Writing Topics

737

(1)

Research Topics

738

(1)

Responding to Visuals

739

(2)

E-Readings Online for Part Five

741

(5)

Appendix 1 Definitions of Terms Used in Discussion Questions and Writing Topics

746

(2)

Appendix 2 Formatting Guidelines for Course Papers

748

(2)

Credits

750

(6)

Index

756

Amazon no longer offers textbook rentals. We do!

Perspectives on Contemporary Issues Readings Across the Disciplines (with InfoTrac)

Perspectives on Contemporary Issues Readings Across the Disciplines (with InfoTrac)

9781413010688

1413010687

Summary

Table of Contents

Supplemental Materials

Write a Review

Amazon no longer offers textbook rentals. We do!

Perspectives on Contemporary Issues Readings Across the Disciplines (with InfoTrac)

Perspectives on Contemporary Issues Readings Across the Disciplines (with InfoTrac)

9781413010688

1413010687

Summary

Table of Contents

Supplemental Materials

Write a Review

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