Urban Studies HW - Week 5: April 17-23

Week 5: April 17-23

Readings completed: City Lights, Chapters 9-10.
Chapter 9 explores racism/ethnic tensions in U.S.
Chapter 10 examines issues/theories of social class.
View film “Crazy Beautiful”, complete worksheet.
Discussion Forum 5: See Discussion Board under Communications in Blackboard for instructions.

DISCUSSION FORUM 5: You crazy you beautiful
Chapter 9 of City Lights discusses some of the intricacies of race relations in the U.S. Chapter 10 zeros in on social class and class stratification. The film we are viewing, Crazy Beautiful, depicts some of these same issues.

In the case of the film story, race serves as a backdrop for a coming-of-age love story between a Latino young man and an Anglo young woman. Social class also enters this story. The young woman, Nicole, is the daughter of a congressman, with whom she lives along with her stepmother and young sister in a very upscale LA neighborhood. (Can you figure out which one?) The young man, Carlos, is the son of a single working mother. They live in a working class neighborhood in a poorer part of the city.

The film opens with Nicole doing community service in lieu of sentencing, picking up trash at the Santa Monica Pier. Carlos is hanging out with his friends at the pier one day and sees Nicole. Carlos and Nicole discover while talking that they have seen one another at high school but have never talked until that moment at the beach. (The viewer is left wondering: Is this the only way the two are likely to encounter one another? Here the beach seems to serve as a kind of neutral territory between the races. One reading of this symbolic encounter: high school is segregated turf.)

You will see depictions in this film of Louis Wirth's notions about role segmentation, formalized modes of control, expressions of personality through group membership, alienation, and isolation (you might check out this essay again, Box 5.1 in Chapter 5). But unlike the somber tone of that essay, this film story ends on an up note.

For this Discussion Forum, consider and comment on the following:

1. All drama requires that a change occur in the outlook of main characters as the result of some crisis they confront. Briefly describe, or characterize the nature of the crisis each of the main characters faced in this film: Nicole, Carlos, and Nicole's father.

2. Take one of the main characters in the film (Carlos, Nicole, Nicole's Dad). Explain in what ways this character encountered/suffered from any of the characteristics I mentioned above in reference to Wirth's essay. Be sure to note how the behaviors of this character impacted those around her/him. (Think of how each life was braided with others.)

3. To follow up on #1: How did the character you selected resolve her/his crisis? That is, what did she/he do, or what realization did he/she come to, in order to move on constructively with his/her life?

4. The film ends with a voice over by Nicole. She says, "There's a million people out there; but in the end, it all comes down to one." How do you interpret this line? What did the filmmaker have in mind by having Nicole's character say this? Does this commentary suggest anything to you about the prospects for community in our world?

MIS April 16 -23

Dear 410 students:
This week's checklist is as follows:
1. Quiz 4
2. Hw 4
3. e-com.4
4. Post Article 2

5. Group 5 only will be posting their questions.

PLEASE SIGN UP FOR YOUR MIDTERM ASAP.

Chemistry wake me up

Hi Everyone,

I trust that you all had a nice weekend.

The homework for chapter 11 is due today by 5:00 p.m. I will be posting the answer key around 5:00 p.m. so you can use this to check your own work while you are waiting for me to grade your work and post the information. I'll let you know when I have the answer key posted.

This week, you should be working on chapter 5.

The second exam is coming up next week, between April 25 and April 28. I know that some of you have made arrangements for all of your exams with Alene Harrison, while others have not.

Please give Alene adequate time to make the arrangements and contact her as soon as you can to schedule a time and a place for you to take your second exam. She can be reached by phone: (909) 593-3511 and go to the operator and ask for Alene Harrison or by e-mail:

harrisoa@ulv.edu

I'll talk more about the second exam as the week goes on.

However, you can go to the Chemistry 103 Web Site and print out the second practice exam to see the type of questions I asked on an old exam and the type of information I provided. Also, you will always be given a copy of the periodic table.

After you have worked on the practice exam, you can go back on-line and enter your answers, get it graded by the computer, and gain access to the answer key and a hand-written solution of the problems on the practice exam.