Assignments

1. Causal Analysis: Like Jonah Goldberg in “Global Warming and the Sun”, you’ve probably been curious about or even skeptical of some causal claims made routinely. It might just be college faculty complaining about why students browse the Web during classes. Or, more seriously, maybe you belong to a group that has been the subject of causal analyses verging on prejudicial. If so, refute what you regard as some faulty analysis of cause and effect by offering a more plausible explanation.
2. Research Study: Using Alysha Behn’s research essay “Where Have All the Women Gone?” as a model, write a paper based on sources that examines an issue or problem in your major or in some area of special concern to you. The issue should be one that involves questions of how, why, or what if. Base your analysis on a variety of academic or public sources, fully documented. Draw on interviews if appropriate to your subject.
3. Cultural Analysis: In “Why We Love Beautiful Things”, Lance Hosey answers a daunting causal question with research-based studies. Be ambitious yourself and pose a similar open-ended question, perhaps one that is somewhat narrower, about an aspect of culture or society you might be in a position to address. Pick a subject that genuinely puzzles you. Why, for example, have commercials become as important a part of the Super Bowl as the game itself? Why do women like shoes? What exactly makes a video go viral? As much as possible, try to find serious evidence to support your causal argument.
4. Your Choice: Politicians and pundits alike are fond of offering predictions, some hopeful, but many dire. The economy, they might suggest, is about to boom or slide into depression; sports dynasties are destined to blossom or collapse; printed books will disappear; American teens will grow even fonder of vinyl records and old audio equipment. Identify one such prediction about which you have some doubts and develop a cause-and-effect analysis to suggest why it is likely to go awry. Be sure to explain in detail what factors you expect will make the prediction go wrong. If you are brave, offer an alternative vision of the future.