Friday, April 13, 2012

Final Exam Articles

Watching TV Makes You Smarter
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/04/24/magazine/24TV.html

Twilight of the books
http://www.newyorker.com/arts/critics/atlarge/2007/12/24/071224crat_atlarge_crain

The Neuroscience of Your Brain on Fiction
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/18/opinion/sunday/the-neuroscience-of-your-brain-on-fiction.html

Does your social class determine your online social network?
http://articles.cnn.com/2009-10-13/tech/social.networking.class_1_myspace-users-facebook-users-social-networking-site?_s=PM:TECH

Mind Over Mass Media
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/11/opinion/11Pinker.html

Is there Hope for the American Marriage?
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1908434,00.html

The Growing Backlash Against Overparenting
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1940697,00.html

Monday, April 2, 2012

Essay #3 Ideas

Here, at long last, is the list of essay ideas for essay #3. Obviously, you don't need to write on these topics--they are just meant to get you thinking and help you generate ideas.

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