Nussbaum: Sex and Social Justice

Here's a link to your reading for Wednesday and next week.

For Wednesday, read up to (and including) page 14.

For next week, read the remainder of the excerpt.

Let me know if you have any questions, and if you have any trouble opening the link.

There will be a short quiz on the reading on Wednesday.

Forum 5: Salaam Bombay!

"Mumbai at Night" (c) under Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike by Cidity Hat

Assignment
Spend at least 20 minutes thinking about the question below, and write a substantive answer to post in the comment section below. Then, read your colleague's answers and respond to one of them.

Your answer to the question is due by Friday at midnight; respond to a colleague by Sunday at midnight.

Type your answers in a word processing program first, so that you don't lose your answer if there's a glitch in publishing your comment. A good response will be at the very least 3/4-page, double-spaced in a word processing program.

In your response to your colleague, try to drive the conversation forward in some way. Press the person (politely) on their response; ask a question to try to examine the idea; disagree (politely); examine the premises the person is relying on - that is, try to add to the original post with your response. Don't just say you agree with the person and repeat what they said in slightly different wording.

Here's a link to watch the movie online if you missed a day: Salaam Bombay!

Question
In one sense, Krishna's life is extremely free - there's almost no supervision of anything he does (except for the short time he spends in state custody), and therefore very little restriction on his behavior. In another sense, though, his life is incredibly constricted - it's very difficult for him to pursue the things he genuinely desires or to develop his human faculties.

Think about the lives depicted in the movie (especially in terms of what people can and can't do), and about your own life and take some considerable time to answer the question: what activities in your life are so central to the way you experience yourself and the world that they define what it means to have a truly human life?

Case Study for Term Paper 2

Published under Creative Commons
Attribution/Share alike by Falcorian

Here's a link to the case study for your second term paper.

Answer the questions on the essay assignment that I handed out, NOT the "Discussion Questions" at the bottom of the linked case. (If any of the discussion questions help you to flesh out your response to the assignment, feel free to weave those into your answers.)

Let me know if you have any trouble opening the link, or if you have any questions about the assignment.

Good luck, and have fun!

Forum 4: Far From Heaven

General Instructions
Don't forget to sign your name to your post! Put your first name and last initial so I can record your grade.

Read all of the instructions below before beginning to work on your answer. Email me with questions.

Think about the questions below for at least 20 minutes before writing any answers down. Just read the question and ponder it for a while before you write anything.

Write your answer in a word processing program and save it. Then copy it and click on the "comments" link below this post. Paste your answer into the comment box that appears. Beneath the comment box, you'll see a drop down menu that says "Publish as:" - choose "anonymous" (unless you have a Google account or one of the other accounts listed, and you'd like to publish your comment under your account). Be sure that your first name and last initial are included in your comment. Click on "Publish." The page should reload, and you should see your comment. If it doesn't work, be sure you've followed the above steps carefully, and try again. If it's still not working, send me an email and include your comment, and I'll post it for you.


Due Dates
Please post your response by Friday, April 11, at midnight. Then respond to one of your colleagues by Sunday, April 13 at midnight.

Question
The main characters in this film are primarily suffering from the social enforcement of norms. What that means is that the majority in a society has certain behaviors and attitudes it considers important, and does its best to make sure that people uphold those attitudes and behaviors by imposing social costs on the people who don’t uphold them.

Think about all of the ways norms were enforced in the film (all of the things people did in response to Raymond and Cathy's attempts at friendship, and Frank's desire to love another man). There were some violent acts, but much of the behavior was (relatively) subtle and non-violent.

By and large, our society no longer sympathizes with the norms they were upholding in the film (norms against interracial relationships and same sex relationships), and so we're also unsympathetic with their social enforcement.

But what about norms that we do think are important? Say we witnessed someone berating* her girlfriend in a way that humiliated her. We probably wouldn't want that to be illegal, but we probably also want to discourage it. We would probably behave toward that couple (with the verbally abusive girlfriend) much like the people in Hartford behaved toward Raymond and Cathy.

So, is the problem just that the norms were wrong in the 1950s? Or is there a problem with making other people’s behavior and attitudes our business at all? If you think that the social enforcement of norms is sometimes reasonable, what do you think is the difference between the examples from the movie and the example I gave (with the berating girlfriend)?

*To berate is to criticize someone angrily.

What is a Good Answer?
A good answer will reflect carefully on the various aspects of each question, and will tie an understanding of those aspects into the overall answer. A good answer will also elaborate on reasons for your answers, and explain your thinking in detail. I would expect a good answer to take up at least 3/4 of a double-spaced page in the word processing program before you copy and paste it.

A good response to your colleague will drive the conversation forward in some way. You might raise a question for your colleague, based on what she said in her comment; you might use his comment as a jumping-off spot to think about an issue raised in more depth; you might challenge some assumptions or argue against the logic of her reasons. Naturally, you'll do all of this politely and respectfully. Responses that merely agree with the comment won't be counted toward your grade.

Forum #3

General Instructions

1. Spend at least 20 minutes brainstorming your answer to the question; don't be satisfied with the first answer(s) that come(s) to mind, but continue to think more deeply about the problem for the entire 20 minute period. Think about your answer for a while, and then walk away and come back to the question. Try to really ponder the issues.
2. Write your answer in a text-editing or word processing program - don't write it directly in the comment box!
3. The, spend another 10 minutes editing your answer - challenge yourself about your answer, ask yourself why you think the way you do, and develop your answer more completely.
4. Finally, copy and paste your answer in the comment box, below.
5. A good answer will be at least 3/4-page long as you're writing it in your processing program.
6. Answers are due by Friday at midnight.
7. Respond to one of your colleagues. You can (respectfully) challenge the person's reasoning, expand on what someone else has said, use a colleague’s idea as a jumping off point to develop something else, or ask a colleague (in detail, and showing why and how you’re confused or unsure of their reasoning) to expand on what they’ve said. But be sure you’re demonstrating serious engagement with the ideas. Your response to a colleague is due by Sunday at midnight.

Miss a day of the movie? You can watch it streaming online here

Question

Do you think that the way the aliens were treated was just? (Justice is a broad ethical term that takes several important ideas about rightness into account: fairness, individual and group rights, following the rule of law, and security of persons). Be very specific about your reasons for thinking so. As you think about this question, there are several things to consider:

·         There were several levels at which we might think of the aliens as being treated justly or unjustly:
o   By the state
o   By the private corporation MSU, operating under the authority of the state
o   By individuals
·         Although the aliens have very different DNA and a very different phenotype (observable characteristics), they appear to share many if not all of the essential features we identified as human. Does that mean that they have rights? If so, what are they? How far are we obligated to go to ensure those rights are upheld? Do rights disappear when others have reason to be scared of you (I mean ethically – in practice they often do)?

·         Integrating the aliens into society, guiding them through the transition, housing them in decent conditions, educating and training them, would have been a huge and extremely expensive undertaking – probably far more than any one country could have done on its own (and therefore, it would have required a huge international cooperative effort). Do you think that all the nations of earth had an obligation to help (and given the large population, that would probably have involved agreeing to take some of the alien population into each country)?.

Forum Assignment #2

General Instructions

1. Choose one of the questions below to answer in depth.
2. Spend at least 10 minutes brainstorming your answer to the question; don't be satisfied with the first answer(s) that come(s) to mind, but continue to think more deeply about the problem for the entire 10 minute period. Write your answer in a text-editing or word processing program - don't write it directly in the comment box!
3. The, spend another 10 minutes editing your answer - challenge yourself about your answer, ask yourself why you think the way you do, and develop your answer more completely.
4. Finally, copy and paste your answer in the comment box, below.
5. A good answer will be at least half a page long as you're writing it in your processing program.
6. Answers are due by Friday at midnight.
7. Respond to one of your colleagues. You can (respectfully) challenge the person's reasoning, expand on what someone else has said, use a colleague’s idea as a jumping off point to develop something else, or ask a colleague (in detail, and showing why and how you’re confused or unsure of their reasoning) to expand on what they’ve said. But be sure you’re demonstrating serious engagement with the ideas. Your response to a colleague is due by Sunday at midnight.

Miss a day of the movie? You can watch it here streaming online.

Questions
Choose one of the questions below to work on.

1. Mendoza's views of what constitutes the good life undergo sweeping changes in the film; how do his views change, and what do you think it says about how to live a good life?
2. Do you think all, or only some, or none of the people in the film exhibited courage? Why do you think so? Everyone in this Mission certainly meant to be courageous - how would you describe each person's view of courage?
3. Gabriel's view of courage is based on his religious commitments; could you make an argument for that view of courage, without depending on a particular understanding of the divine?

For reference, here are the character names of the central characters-
Guarani
Medicine man - Sigifredo
Chief (king) - Asuncion
Lieutenant - Alejandrino
Young boy - Bercelio (the main little kid)

Preists
Jeremy Irons was Father Gabriel
Robert DeNiro was Rodrigo

The Cardinal's name is Altimarano

Officials
Hontar - Portuguese governor
Cabeza - Spanish governor

Forum Assignment #1

Here's a link to the case study for your first forum assignment, and for group work on Wednesday (it's the one we read together in class, in case you want to review).

Your forum assignment has two parts. Please complete Part 1 by no later than midnight on Friday night. Your colleagues will need time to read your comment and respond. Please complete Part 2 by no later than midnight on Sunday night.

Part 1

Read the article carefully and think about it for at least 10 minutes before you begin to write anything. Walk around and mull it over for a while.

Now, jot your thoughts down in a word processing file or on a piece of scrap paper. I still don't want you to write anything in comments, yet. Think about all of the complicated issues that arise on each side of this issue. What do you think are the best reasons to give people who have severe anorexia nutrition against their wishes? What do you think are the best reasons to follow the wishes of those with severe anorexia, who don't want to ingest any calories? What might someone object to the reasons you've written?

Okay, now compose your best answer to the questions below. Write your answer in a word processing program so that you can edit it easily, and so that it doesn't get lost if there's a glitch in uploading your comments. Include your first name and last initial at the top of your comment.

1. What do you think the default rule should be, with regard to people with severe anorexia, who will starve to death without nutrition, but who object to any nutrition? Should they be "fed" against their will (this usually involves a stomach tube or an intravenous line)? Or should we merely provide our best comfort care, and let the disease take its course?
2. Why do you think so? Give your best three reasons.

I'd like you to spend at least 30 minutes thinking about and composing your answer, not including the time it took you to read the article. A good answer will show careful reflection on the question; will demonstrate that you've thought about some of the complexities involved and that you've taken seriously issues that arise on both sides of the issue. Further, a good answer will include a detailed explanation of your reasoning. Each of your reasons should constitute at least a paragraph of text. This part of the assignment is worth 75 points.

Once you've finished composing your answer, save it, and then copy it. Click on the "comments" link (in orange) below (the link will say "no comments" if you're the first person to answer, or "# comments" once others have posted). Copy your answer into the text box that appears. Right underneath the comment box, you'll see a drop down menu that says "comment as." Choose "anonymous" and then click on "Publish." Your comment should appear beneath the post. If you comment doesn't appear, send me an email.

Part 2

Give your colleagues several hours to post their own answers to the questions above, and then come back and read the comments. Choose a comment that you think is particularly interesting, and that you think you can respond to in an interesting way.

Type your response in a word processing program. Include your first name and last initial at the top of your response.

A good response will push the discussion forward in some way. You might (politely and respectfully) disagree with the person you're responding to and say why; you might ask that person a question to help flesh out her/his idea; you might take the original comment as a jumping off point and add some new ideas of your own. DON'T just tell someone that you agree with his/her comment and repeat their points using slightly different words.

Your response should show carefully consideration and reflection, and should include a detailed account of your own reasons for the ideas you express.

Once you've finished composing your response, save it, and then copy it. Find the original comment that you're responding to (NOT your original comment - your colleague's comment). Click on "reply," below that comment. Paste your response into the comment box that appears. Choose "anonymous" from the drop down menu, and then click on "publish."

I'd like you to spend at least 20 minutes thinking about and composing your response, aside from the time it took you to read your colleagues' comments. This part of the assignment is worth 50 points.

Let me know if you have any trouble opening the link.