proposal

Themes for exploration in Critical Reasoning and Writing the Research Paper: Below are some of the “sociopolitical” themes and related questions I will ask you to explore throughout our course; our course readings are a reflection of these themes:

- Privilege: ​What is privilege? Is contemporary Western and U.S. culture organized in a way that privileges some and not others, or some more than others? Why and how? Is this something that can or should be solved by government intervention, individual and group initiative, or public shaming? What can or should be done?

- Wealth Disparity: ​What is meant by the “wealth gap”? Is this a serious problem in U.S., Wester, and/or Global society? Are laborers the world over exploited by employers to varying degrees? How so? What are the results of exaggerated wealth disparity? Is this something that can or should be solved by government intervention, individual and group initiative, or public shaming? What can or should be done?

- Justice and Equality:​ What do we mean by “justice” and “equality”? Is equal criminal, social, and economic justice a worthy goal for Western and U.S. society? Are we all, in Western/U.S. society, treated equally where it concerns the criminal justice system, local, state and federal governments, and employers? If not, is this something that can or should be solved by legislation or individual and group initiative? What can or should be done?

- Health and Wellness:​ What are the best ways to “take care” of oneself physically, mentally and spiritually? Is there a health and wellness crisis in the U.S. and/or Western society? A mental health crisis? An obesity “epidemic”? How serious are these problems and what are the results? What can and should be done by individuals, groups, the public at large, the government, to improve the situation?

- Success and Personal Improvement:​ Is it possible to improve on one’s natural intelligence and abilities or is the individual “stuck” with what they’re given? If improvement is possible, what must be done? What is the “growth mindset”? Are we in U.S/Western society influenced more to adopt a “growth” or “fixed” mindset? What are the individual and societal effects of these separate mindsets? What can or should be done by individuals, groups, the public at large, the government, to promote a growth mindset? What would the improvement be to individuals and society if more of us adopted a growth mindset?

- Power: ​Who wields “power” in U.S./Western culture, and who has wielded it throughout the history of Western civilization? How has power been wielded by the powerful, over whom have they wielded it, and to what effects has it be wielded? Do past injustices and cruelties matter in the now? Why or why not? Is there an imbalance of power in contemporary U.S. and Western society? If so, what are the effects of this imbalance and what can or should be done by government intervention and/or individual or group initiative to improve the situation? What would the results be of a more reasonable balance of power?