Making Choices

Reviews / Votes

1. Critical Reading "Placebos," Sissela Bok; "The Hippocratic Oath," Hippocrates; "The Use of Force," William Carlos Williams; The Doctor and the Doll (image), Norman Rockwell 2. From Reading to Writing 3. The Promise of Education A Way In: "Theme for English B," Langston Hughes Contexts: "A Plan for Public Education in Virginia," Thomas Jefferson; Brown vs. The Board of Education of Topeka, Earl Warren; "What's Supposed to Be Going on Here?" Wayne Booth Controversies: Should We Be Able to Choose Our Schools? "Choice is a Panacea," John E. Chubb and Terry M. Moe; "Rebuilding the Schoolhouse" (interview with Jonathan Kozol), Vicki Kemper; "In Defense of Public Education," Herbert Kohl How Can We Educate a Diverse Population? "The Politics of Remediation," Mike Rose; "The Promise of Multicultural Change," bell hooks; "The Real Aim of Cultural Diversity," Linda Chavez; "The English Lesson," Nicholas Mohr Can Computers Help American Education Fulfill Its Promise? "Of Luddites, Learning, and Life," Neil Postman; "Hard Fun," Nicholas Negroponte; "Perseus Unbound," Sven Birkerts 4. Earning Our Daily Bread A Way In: Southern Comfort, "Do What You Love" (advertisement) Contexts: "What Ever Happened to the Old Protestant Ethic?" Perry Pascarella; "A Life at Hard Labor," Juliet Schor; "Zen and Japanese Economic Performance," Arunoday Saha Controversies: Is the Work Ethic Dead or Is It Killing Us? "Less Is More," Barbara Brandt; "The Joy of Work," Wendell Berry; "No Time for God or Family," Benjamin Hunnicutt; "It's Better Than Watching Oprah," Gary Burtless Should People Be Made to Work? "Only Work Works," Mickey Kaus; "Why the New Welfare Reform Won't Work," Neil Gilbert; "Welfare," Rita Henley Jensen, Will There Be a Job for Me? "Greatly Reduced Expectations," Robert L. Sulivan; "Jobs: Skills Before Credentials," Robert Reich; "Mod Jobs," Eric Zicklin; "The Flipside of Flippin' Burgers," McDonald's (advertisement) 5. Truth and Lying A Way In: "The Uses of Fiction," Naomi Shihab Nye Contexts: "How Princes Should Honor Their Word," Niccolo Macchiavelli; "To Do the Right Things," Harriet Goldhor Lerner; "Women and Honor: Some Notes on Lying," Adrienne Rich; "Economics," Elizabeth Seydel Morgan Controversies: Can We Find the Truth on TV? "The Bribed Soul," Leslie Savan; "A Brutally Honest Beer," Pig's Eye Pilsner (advertisement); "Will We Ever Run out of Trees?" Georgia-Pacific (advertisement); "Every Masterpiece Has Its Tools" (advertisement), Chroma Slim; "Reenactments and Docudramas, or No News Is Still News," Neil Postman and Steve Powers; "Prime Time," Henry Louis Gates, Jr. Does Everybody Cheat? "I Have Deceived My Friends," Charles van Doren; "Quisling Show," Hans Morgenthau; "The Extremes of Honor," Pope Brock; "This Pen for Hire," Abigail Witherspoon When the Truth Has Consequences: When Should You Keep a Secret? "My Life in the Military Closet," Jose Zuniga; "To Tell the Truth," Letty Cottin Pogrebin; "Passing," Shirlee Taylor Haizlip; "By Love Betrayed," Judith Ortiz Cofer 6. Responsibility A Way In: "The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas," Ursula K. LeGuin Contexts: "The Land Ethic," Aldo Leopold; "Man's Rights," Ayn Rand; "Defending Smokers' Rights" (advertisement), National Smokers' Alliance; "If the Child Is Safe," Marian Wright Edelman Controversies: What Is My Responsibility in an Intimate Relationship? "To His Coy Mistress," Andrew Marvell; "Sex, Economy, Freedom, and Community," Wendell Berry; "When You're Ready to Fall," Timberline (advertisement); "Rape and Modern Sex War," Camille Paglia; "Winking at Abusive Sexual Behavior Isn't the Answer," Helen Cordes; "Rejection Is Abuse" (cartoon ), Jules Feiffer What Is My Responsibility within the Family? "Family Values," Ruth Ansha Ayisi; "Why I'm Not Pro-Family," Ellen Willis; "What Do Grown Children Owe Their Parents?" Jane English How Much Should We Take, How Much Can the Earth Give? "Asking How Much Is Enough," Alan Durning; "More People, More Pollution," Betsy Carpenter; "The Environmental Movement: A Skeptical View," Virginia Postrel 7. The Pursuit of Happiness: What Is the Good Life? A Way In: "The Story of the Good Brahmin," Voltaire Contexts: "Happiness Is the Greatest Good," Aristotle; (The Sermon on the Mount) Luke 6:17-37; "What Is Hedonism?" Rem B. Edwards; "We Are Hedonists" (advertisement), Nike; "A First Glance," Erich Fromm; "Happiness," E.A. Burtt Controversies: What Is the American Dream? "Confessions of an Urban Outlaw," Caverly Stringer; "I Have a Dream," Martin Luther King, Jr.; "The New American Dreamers," Ruth Sidel; "The Lesson," Toni Cade Bambara How Is Happiness Discovered? "The Simple Life," David E. Shi; "The Rewards of Living a Solitary Life," May Sarton; "Pursuit of Happiness," Dympna Ugwu-Oji; "Dereliction of Duty" (cartoon), Edward Sorel Does the Good Life Require Religion? "My Confession," Leo Tolstoy; "Song of Myself," Walt Whitman; "Why I Am Not a Christian," Bertrand Russell; "Care of the Soul," Thomas Moore