Week 6: Coming of Age in America

Gonna let it rock
Let it roll
Let the Bible Belt come down
And save my soul
Hold on to 16 as long as you can
Changes come around real soon
Make us women and men

—John Mellancamp, "Jack & Diane"

Tu 9.28
Read: CR—“Graduation” by Maya Angelou, “Love in the Time of Liquor” by Koren Zailckas; GUY—p. 44-122; eR—“#1 Party School” from This American Life (2009)
In-Class: Reading discussion; Presentations (Sec. 20: Samantha, Colbie); Preview—Autobiographical essay
Due: Journal 3

Th 9.30
Read: GUY—p. 123-168
In-Class: Autobiographical essay

UPCOMING:

WEEK 7: GENDER IN AMERICA 

Tu 10.5
Read: CR—“What Girls Want” by Caitlin Flanagan, “Tight Jeans and Chiana Chorris” by Sonia Shah, “What Women Want (Maybe)” by Andy Newman; GUY—p. 169-216; eR—“I Enjoy Being a Girl, Sort of” from This American Life (1998)
In-Class: Lecture—“Gender on Film”

Th 10.7
Read: CR—“Pushing Away the Plate” by Min Jin Lee, “The men We Carry in Our Minds” by Scott Russell Sanders, “Are You in a Bromance? (Or is it Just a Man Crush)” by Simon Dumenico, “Faking It” by Michael Chabon, “The Problem with Boys” by Tom Chiarella; GUY—p. 217-265
In-Class: Reading discussion; Preview—Expository essay
Due: Journal 4 
Note: This class should be attended by men only. Women should email me their journals by noon.

Journal 3: About the Birds and the Bees

In 2010, a great debate still rages in America over just how, or even if, sex education should be taught to teenagers. There are those that believe sex education programs should be comprehensive in range, including information presented in a straightforward and honest manner. While others believe that abstinence-only programs should be the basis of any sex education curricula. Given that sex information is so vital during the teen years, what do you believe should (and should not) be included in a sex education program? What should be the role of abstinence? Birth control? Masturbation? STDs? Homosexuality? Abortion? And when is the appropriate time for a sex education course? Is high school, as some argue, too late? How should Americans tackle sex education in our schools?

Include at least two of the following pieces in your discussion:

• "Why Birth Control Isn't Taught in Some Sex Ed" (CBS News)
• "Follow Doctor's Orders: Sex Education is a Must!" (About.com)
• "New Sex Education Data Released" (Washington Post)
• "Sex Education in America: An NPR/Kaiser/Kennedy School Poll " (NPR)

Articles are located in the eR.

Due: Tuesday, Sept. 28th

Mexican Coca-Cola is Finding Sweet Success in the U.S.

 By Bruce Kennedy, Daily Finance
Sept. 20, 2010

 

For better or worse, Americans are major consumers of carbonated soft drinks, a market that experts predict will reach $195 billion in global sales by 2014, an increase of more than 11% since 2009.

While Atlanta-based Coca Cola (KO) remains the world's largest soft drink company, American consumers are eclipsed by their Mexican counterparts when it comes to per capita consumption of The Real Thing. In fact, the Mexican version of Coca-Cola -- made with cane sugar instead of high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) and served in glass bottles rather than plastic -- is making great inroads in the U.S. market. Part of that market is, of course, people who grew up drinking Mexican Coke.

"When purchasing Coca-Cola from Mexico, Hispanics are purchasing a bit of nostalgia -- it's like getting a piece of home," says Greg Galvez, vice president and general manager of Importation and Commercialization of Coca-Cola North America, in an email. "Some of that feeling may have to do with the packaging and the fact that it is imported."

A Facebook Site of Its Own

The Mexican version of Coca-Cola is also being sought out by people avoiding HFCS -- but there's a growing legion of U.S. fans who insist it simply tastes better. Mexican Coke has received recent mentions in a wide spectrum of media, from a San Francisco lifestyle website to a magazine from New York's affluent Westchester County suburbs, numerous food-and-drink blogs and even an agriculture industry website.

And of course, in this age of social networking, Mexican Coke aficionados sing the drink's praises on their own Facebook site.

In fact, the iconic glass bottles of Coca-Cola from Mexico can be found in many major supermarkets and big-box retail stores across the country. It usually costs more than the U.S. version -- from about $1 a bottle in stores to more than twice that price at some restaurants.

Coca-Cola was reportedly unhappy with the Mexican imports in the U.S., at first concerned about controlling the product's distribution. But starting in September 2005, the company's largest U.S. bottler began a pilot program to import Mexican Coke into Texas. "This pilot was expanded into California in February 2006, and in 2009 it was expanded to Florida, Georgia and other states in the Southeast, Northeast and Midwest," says Galvez. "The success of the program resulted in additional Coca-Cola bottlers distributing the product and being introduced to some of the larger grocery chains."

A Decade to Spread Through the Country?

And unlike most trends, Mexican Coke will probably be stocked on American shelves for a while. "Anytime you mention the words 'carbonated soft drinks,' you're talking about one of the most popular drinks in America," says Harry Balzer, chief industry analyst with NPD, the Chicago-based market research firm. "One of the spices of life in this country is trying new foods, and [soft drinks are part of that] category."

Balzer says one of Mexican Coca-Cola's strengths is the size of the U.S. market. "Its advantage is it has a lot of people to go through before everybody has tried it," he says. "It may take 10 years to get everybody to try it."

The American food-and-drink market is always open to new tastes and flavors, Balzer says -- but the challenge is getting people to try something more than once. "Will they do it again when it's no longer just new?" he asks. And beyond the taste, "does it make my life easier, and does it make my food costs cheaper?" he asks. "If it doesn't do one of those two things and certainly doesn't succeed on the first one, then forget it -- it's a one-time buy. For it to thrive, to capture more people, it has to be more than just providing the novelty of new."

If early indications are any clue, Mexican Coke could become a popular favorite in parts of the U.S. where Spanish accents are hardly the most commonly heard.

Week 5: Coming of Age in America

Certain things they should stay the way they are. 

You ... ought to be able to stick them in one of 

those big glass cases and just leave them alone. 

I know that's impossible, but it's too bad anyway.

—JD Salinger, The Catcher in the Rye

Tu 9.21

Read: CR—“Go Carolina” by David Sedaris, “Field Trips” by Stuart Dybek, “Masks” by Lucy Grealy
In-Class: Reading discussion; Presentations (Sec. 5: Laura, Davey, Sanyo; Sec. 20: Katie, Linda, Solomon)

Th 9.23
Read: CR—“Auditorium” by Caroline Kettlewell, “Indian Education” by Sherman Alexie, “Refresh, Refresh” by Benjamin Percy; GUY—p. 1-43
In-Class: Essay discussion; Watch—“Binge Drinking Mom” from 30 Days (2005)

UPCOMING:

WEEK 6: COMING OF AGE IN AMERICA

Tu 9.28
Read: CR—“Graduation” by Maya Angelou, “Love in the Time of Liquor” by Koren Zailckas; GUY—p. 44-122; eR—“#1 Party School” from This American Life (2009)
In-Class: Reading discussion; Presentations; Preview—Autobiographical essay
Due: Journal 3

Th 9.30
Read: GUY—p. 123-168
In-Class: Autobiographical essay

CLASS CANCELLED (AGAIN), 9.16.10

My son's stomach bug finally caught up with me, so I must regrettably cancel class for tomorrow (Thursday). I'm very sorry for the inconvenience. Keep your papers until Tuesday. If you have a presentation, I'll reschedule next week. Again, sorry for the inconvenience.

Have a nice weekend.

Do Americans Want to Extend Tax Cuts for Wealthy?

By Paul Steinhauser, CNN
Sept. 14, 2010

Washington (CNN) – Should tax cuts for the country's wealthiest income earners be extended?
It's a raging debate right now between Democrats and Republicans here in the nation's capitol and on the campaign trail across the country. The White House and many Democrats want to keep such tax cuts in place for those in the middle class but roll them back for the wealthiest Americans. Republicans say the tax cuts, introduced by President George W. Bush in 2001, should be kept in place for everyone.

So what do Americans think?

A new Pew Research Center Pew Research/National Journal Congressional Connection Poll indicates the public's divided, with 29 percent saying tax cuts for all Americans should be extended, an equal amount saying tax cuts for the wealthy should be repealed but kept for everyone else, 28 percent saying roll back the cuts for everyone, and 14 percent didn't know.

The survey suggests a partisan divide, with 47 of Republicans wanting to extend tax cuts for all. That number drops to 30 percent for independents and 16 percent for Democrats. Forty-percent of Democrats questioned say that tax cuts for the wealthy should be repealed. That number drops to 28 percent for independents and 22 percent for Republicans.

The Pew Research Center/National Journal poll was conducted September 9-12, with 1,001 adults questioned by telephone. The survey's overall sampling error is plus or minus four percentage points.
So what do other polls indicate?

A Gallup/USA Today survey conducted late last month indicates that 37 percent want to keep tax cuts for all Americans, with 44 percent saying they should be rolled back for wealthy Americans and 15 percent saying that the Bush tax cuts for all income earners should expire.

According to a CNN/Opinion Research Corporation national poll conducted in early August, three in ten said that the Bush-era tax cuts should be continued for all Americans, with just over 50 percent saying those tax cuts should be continued only for families who make less than $250,000 a year, and nearly one in five believing the tax cuts should expire for all Americans.

Fifty-two percent of people questioned in a Newsweek poll conducted in late August said that tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans should expire, with 38 percent saying they should be extended.

A CBS News survey conducted in mid August indicates that 56 percent of the public says the tax cuts for families making over $250,000 should be rolled back, with 36 percent saying they should be made permanent.

According to a Ipsos/Reuters poll also conducted last month, 49 percent say tax cuts for all should be extended, with 31 percent saying they should expire for the wealthiest Americans and 15 percent calling for an end of the tax cuts for everyone.

And an AP-GfK survey from August indicates that 45 percent want the tax cuts extended for all Americans, with 38 percent saying they should expire for the wealthiest Americans and 14 percent saying they should expire for everyone.

Comparative Analysis Essay

Prompt:
How do the ways in which we are born in America differ from the ways in which we die in America? What do the two milestones share and what do they contain that is unique? And what do these practices reveal about us as a nation? For example, what do they illustrate about our national values, priorities, and traditions? In a concise essay, compare and contrast birth and death in America. Cite specific evidence from at least four of the articles in the "Life and Death" section of the reader, plus “Business of Death” from This American Life in the eR.

Requirements:

• MLA Style, including parenthetical citation
• Cite from at least four of the articles in the "Life and Death" section of the reader, plus the eR:
• “His Sperm, My Choice” by Alicia Montgomery
• “Margaret, and mystery” by Rick Bragg
• “Delivering Lily” by Phillip Lopate
• “The Love of My Life” by Cheryl Strayed
• “On Being a Cripple” by Nancy Mairs
• “Findings and Impressions” by Stellar Kim
• “His Wide Mouth Home” by J. Augustine Wetta, o.s.b.
• “Behind the Formaldehyde Curtain” by Jessica Miford
• “Business of Death” from This American Life (eR)
• 2.5-page minimum
 

The best papers will:

• Stay within the parameters of the prompt
• Have a concise thesis
• Clearly support their thesis with solid evidence, highlighting similarities and differences in the ways we are born and die
• Properly cite evidence using MLA's parenthetical citation method
• Conclude with a summation of your points
• Be in proper MLA Style

Due: Thursday, Sept. 16th