Discussion 1: What are your thoughts on this unit? Was it useful to apply the ideas of the articles directly to the novel? How has this unit on Octavia Butler's The Parable of the Sower added to your critical thinking skills? Discussion 2: "In Living Color: Race and American Culture" "In Living Color: Race and American Culture" by Michael Omi begins on page 462 in Signs of Life. Micheal Omi discusses the state of racism in American culture and why some argue that racism is no longer an issue. Omi argues racism still exists, it just looks different from what "racism" has looked like I the past. He discusses overt racism and inferential racism. Describe in your own words the difference between "overt racism" and "inferential racism" (para. 6). Why, according to Omi, is popular culture so powerful in shaping America's attitudes toward race? How have the current protests over police brutality shed light on the state of racism in American culture these days? Discussion 3: "Gender Role Behaviors and Attitude" "Gender Role Behaviors and Attitudes" by Aaron Devor begins on page 474 in Signs of Life. Aaron Devor looks at how gender in American culture is often described as "natural" and why that is not really the case when one looks closely at how "masculinity" and "feminity" are defined. What relationship does Devor see between characteristics that are considered masculine and feminine? How does Devor explain the cultural belief in the "superiority" (para. 5) of males? Bonus for double credit: The image above is from an artist project entitled "In A Parallel Universe" by Eli Rezkallah (Connexions vers un site externe.). Visit the website, and write a paragraph about the project here. Discussion 4: "The Gender Blur: Where Does Biology End an Society Take Over?" "The Gender Blur: Where Does Biology End and Society Take Over?" by Deborah Blum begins on page 480 in Signs of Life. What evidence does Blum offer to support her contention that males are naturally more aggressive than females? Discussion 5: "Straddling Online and Offline Profiles, Millennials Search for Identity" Land of the dreamer "Straddling Online and Offline Profiles, Millennials Search for Identity" by Rachel Lowry begins on page 501 of Signs of Life. Summarize in your own words Lowry's explanation for why millennials feel that they are losing touch with their essential selves. What does researcher Joeri Van den Bergh mean by saying, "Millennials are pre-wired to achieve and create success stories in their lives" (para. 5)? In your own words, explain how concerns about future job prospects can affect millennials' profiles on social networking sites such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and TikTok? What does the term "conditional girls" (para. 17) mean for some members of a rural area in the Dominican Republic, and what significance does Blum attribute to this status? Discussion 5: "From GIs to Gen Z (or is it iGen?): How Generations Get Nicknames" names-of-generations Samantha Raphelson in "From GIs to Gen Z (Or is it iGen?): How Generations Get Nicknames" focuses on how these names arise and come into popular culture. It begins on page 497 of Signs of Life. In your own words, summarize the history of generational naming in America, as Raphelson puts it. What roles do marketing and advertising play in generational identification? Discussion 6: "Hollywood's Post-Racial Mirage" How Pop Culture Got Gentrified" The-Walking-Dead-Season-10-Extra-Episodes.jpg Brittany Cooper's essay "Hollywood's Post-Racial Mirage: How Pop Culture Got Gentrified" begins on page 506 of Signs of Life. Hamilton cast Describe in your own words what the term "post-racialism" (para. 2) means. What does Cooper mean by saying the current appearance of racial diversity in TV and film is "like the gentrification of media, being marketed to us as progress" (para. 7)? Discussion 7: Recently (years after this article was published), TV and film productions in live action and animation (Family Guy, The Simpsons) have committed to recasting characters of people of color formerly played by white actors. Is this an example for or against Cooper's argument about post-racial Hollywood? This sixth unit focused on how identity is being reconsidered in the digital age. From how Americans define themselves and others, to how advertisers and entertainment respond to these new ideas, the landscape has definitely changed. Think to how the semester started and the understanding of American culture you had then. What do you know now? And what do you want to know more about?