This is your sixth and final blog assignment. In the previous five, I have given you a strictly defined and delimited topic to write about; this time, however, I am giving you a carte blanche. You may write about your topic of choice, provided that your texts are coherent, focused, and structured.
The deadline for this assignment is Sunday, 24 May.
Monday 18 May 2009
Sunday 10 May 2009
Blog Assignment #5: Big Brother Is Watching You
In his dystopian novel Nineteen Eighty-Four, George Orwell describes a totalitarian society in which a menacing Ministry of Truth, headed by the mysterious ‘Big Brother’, subjects all citizens to non-stop surveillance and thought control. Nineteen Eighty-Four has been immensely influential ever since its release a few years after the Second World War, and phrases like ‘Big Brother’ and ‘Orwellian society’ are used in the post-9/11 debate on the rights of the individual v/s national security.
On the one hand, many people oppose the attempts made by governments of Western countries to squash terrorism by subjecting their citizens to surveillance which greatly diminishes the freedom and personal privacy that we have come to take for granted. What is the point of defending democracy, one might ask, if our struggle to preserve it is ultimately going to destroy it?
On the other hand, supporters of the new stringent security measures argue that freedom and personal privacy is no good to you if you are dead, and that honest and law-abiding citizens have nothing to fear from surveillance and crime control. On this view, we must face reality and accept that terrorism is a much bigger threat to our personal freedom than a few cameras and monitored e-mail.
In your fifth blog, I would like to read your thoughts on this issue. What is good and bad about restricting the freedom of a democratic country in order to preserve democracy itself? Perhaps you have experiences of your own that you would like to share, or maybe you would like to argue that this is a non-issue.
The deadline for this assignment is Sunday, 17 May.
On the one hand, many people oppose the attempts made by governments of Western countries to squash terrorism by subjecting their citizens to surveillance which greatly diminishes the freedom and personal privacy that we have come to take for granted. What is the point of defending democracy, one might ask, if our struggle to preserve it is ultimately going to destroy it?
On the other hand, supporters of the new stringent security measures argue that freedom and personal privacy is no good to you if you are dead, and that honest and law-abiding citizens have nothing to fear from surveillance and crime control. On this view, we must face reality and accept that terrorism is a much bigger threat to our personal freedom than a few cameras and monitored e-mail.
In your fifth blog, I would like to read your thoughts on this issue. What is good and bad about restricting the freedom of a democratic country in order to preserve democracy itself? Perhaps you have experiences of your own that you would like to share, or maybe you would like to argue that this is a non-issue.
The deadline for this assignment is Sunday, 17 May.
Monday 4 May 2009
Blog Assignment #4: Grades
After 12 years of Social Democrat rule, the general election of 2006 gave Sweden a new government: the Centre-Right Alliance. Since then, the new government has introduced changes in many areas, including taxation, social security, defence, and education. One major reform that has attracted much media attention is the educational reform, especially the introduction of grades in primary school. Previously, Swedish school children did not receive grades until 8th grade—at the age of 14. In comparison with other European countries, this is remarkably late. Now, however, school children will receive grades in 6th grade, and schools may choose to give parents written reports of their children’s academic progress as early as in 1st grade. The proposal has not met with universal approval, though.
The supporters of this reform argue that parents have the right to be informed and that a laissez-faire attitude does not benefit the child. On this view, a child who does not receive sufficient feedback on their academic development and achievements is consequently often deprived of the necessary help and support while still young enough to benefit from it. However, if you catch the problems early, you can fix the problems early.
On the other hand, many people argue that children should be allowed to be children as long as possible. There is surely enough pressure on young people nowadays, the argument goes, without adding the extra burden of being graded on academic performance. Children’s sense of self is often connected to their achievements, and a child who learns early on that he or she does not perform adequately may never break free of that negative self-image. Is that really the legacy we want to leave our children?
The issue is complex but the ideology behind it is fairly simple—do grades build you up, or do they break you down? I would like to know where you stand on this issue. In your fourth blog assignment, I want you to argue for or against the grading of children in primary school. Give reasons, acknowledge any relevant counter-arguments and try to refute them—in short, try to write an argumentative text following all the guidelines we’ve discussed.
The deadline for this assignment is Sunday, 10 May.
The supporters of this reform argue that parents have the right to be informed and that a laissez-faire attitude does not benefit the child. On this view, a child who does not receive sufficient feedback on their academic development and achievements is consequently often deprived of the necessary help and support while still young enough to benefit from it. However, if you catch the problems early, you can fix the problems early.
On the other hand, many people argue that children should be allowed to be children as long as possible. There is surely enough pressure on young people nowadays, the argument goes, without adding the extra burden of being graded on academic performance. Children’s sense of self is often connected to their achievements, and a child who learns early on that he or she does not perform adequately may never break free of that negative self-image. Is that really the legacy we want to leave our children?
The issue is complex but the ideology behind it is fairly simple—do grades build you up, or do they break you down? I would like to know where you stand on this issue. In your fourth blog assignment, I want you to argue for or against the grading of children in primary school. Give reasons, acknowledge any relevant counter-arguments and try to refute them—in short, try to write an argumentative text following all the guidelines we’ve discussed.
The deadline for this assignment is Sunday, 10 May.
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