"The Growing Backlash Against Overparenting" and "Is There Hope for the American Marriage?"

I've just discovered that these articles are no longer available on Time without a paid subscription, so here are a couple of other links to try.  If you find that any of the other article links aren't working, please email me and let me know.  Thanks!

"The Growing Backlash Against Overparenting"


"Is There Hope for the American Marriage?"

Final Exam Prompt and Links to Final Exam Articles

Here are the articles for the final exam, as well as the prompt. See you Friday!

"Is There Hope for the American Marriage?" by Caitlin Flanagan

"The Growing Backlash Against Overparenting" by Nancy Gibbs

"Watching TV Makes You Smarter" by Steven Johnson

"Does Your Social Class Determine Your Online Social Network?" by Breeanna Hare

"Don't Blame the Eater" by David Zinczenko

ENG. 1010/Whitby

Final Exam Prompt

For this exam, you need to write an essay about the article you have chosen to work with. To do this, you need to read the article, formulate an argument, and be prepared to use examples from the text to support your claim. Make sure to use all the skills we have worked on this semester: your essay should have a solid intro and thesis, some summary and evaluation of the article, quotes and examples to support your argument, and a good conclusion that restates your main point. You may agree with the article, disagree with the article, or both agree and disagree with the article. There is no minimum page requirement, but it should be apparent from the length of your essay that you have written for most of the exam period.

Your essay should include:

➮ An intro and thesis statement that clearly tells the reader the main point of your essay.

➮ A brief summary of the article.

➮ Some evaluation of the article.

➮ Quotes and examples from the article to support your thesis.

➮ A conclusion that restates your main points and ties in to your thesis.

*If you type your essay on a laptop, you may email it to me at emilywhitby1@weber.edu.  Check with me before you leave to make sure I’ve received it.

Annotated Bibliography and Essay Topic Ideas

Here is the link to the sample annotated bibliography to use as a reference on your own annotated bibliography that is due Wednesday.

Sample Annotated Bibliography

And for those of you who are struggling to choose a topic, here are some ideas to get your brain going.  I suggest you use these topic ideas as a resource, but because these are very broad, general topics, try to find an interesting approach or angle to take on the issue.

Essay #3 Topic Ideas

• Raising the debt ceiling
• Violence in the media
• Human trafficking
• Flat tax
• Better nutrition as cure for disease
• Pay for college athletes
• Poverty in the U.S.
• Violent video games
• Divorce in America
• Disciplining children
• Physician-assisted suicide
• Utah’s alcohol laws
• Children’s exposure to violence: parent vs. media responsibility
• Public vs. private health care
• Changing a 4-year degree to a 3-year degree
• Texting while driving
• Eliminating senior year in Utah high schools
• Childhood obesity
• Causes of climate change
• Alternative fuels
• Video game addiction
• America’s oil dependence
• Daylight savings time: should it be eliminated?
• Is drug testing worth it?
• Cell phones: a benefit or a hazard?
• Effects of computer use on children
• Are parents and coaches pushing young children too hard?
• Capital punishment
• Should undocumented students be allowed to pay resident tuition in the state where they have grown up?
• Climate change
• Public education vs. homeschooling
• Is texting affecting our ability to communicate effectively?
• Bullying
• Divorce in the U.S.
• Homelessness and hunger in the U.S.
• Benefits of early college
• Online classes vs. face-to-face
• Growing problem of obesity in the U.S.
• Positive vs. negative effects of social networking
• Are prisoners given too many comforts?
• Health effects of diet colas
• Debate over online universities
• Body image issues for women
• The risks of nuclear energy
• Effects of college sports on academics
• For-profit universities
• Sex education in schools
• Genetic engineering of food
• The rise of antibiotic resistant bacteria

"The Legalization of Marijuana" by Salas

What are some of the strongest elements of this essay? Where are its weak spots?  Overall, did you find Salas' essay persuasive or convincing?

"And They Lived Happily Ever After" by Tueller

What are your thoughts on this issue?  Is it possible that Disney princesses and Disney's princess merchandise might have a negative effect on young girls (and, as many of you pointed out, on young boys as well)? Maybe you don't agree with Tueller entirely, but can you see where he is coming from?  Or are his claims completely unfounded?

"Video Games and Aggression" by Viet Nguyen

In this article, Nguyen suggests that research attempting to show a direct link between video games and aggression has been biased or inconclusive. What are your thoughts on this? Do you have any first-hand experience that might show a connection?

"Are Virtual Games a Virtual Problem?" by Shay L. B. Larsen

(And I mean "nerds" in the nicest sense of the word :) )

What kinds of conclusions can we come to based on the research presented in Larsen's article? How does this article compare to Gillen's? And looking ahead, how does it conflict with Nguyen's?