Assignment 2: Individualism and community in your American experience
Objective
To analyze American thinkers on individualism and community from the perspective of your own American experience
Steps
1. Spend some time considering how your American experience is affected by the conflict between individualism and community.
2. Write a paper where you connect your ideas and experiences of individualism and the community with some of the ideas and thinkers discussed in class.
From what you see in your own individual life, in culture, and in arts & entertainment do you think that American’s are strongly individualistic?
If so, do you think that this individualism threatens us the ways thinkers covered in class like King, Faludi and Putnam suggest? If not, do you think that it is because of the types of considerations offered by King and Franklin?
Finally, find some example of American art (Photography, Music, Poetry, Painting, etc.) that helps to express your idea. Post that art, or a link to that art on your assignment and discuss how it relates to your ideas.
Each paper should link these 3 elements:
A.) a discussion of the thinkers covered in our lectures,
B.) your related observations of yourself or your community/culture, and
C.) a discussion of some example of American art. (See sample paper below for the required format.) Your paper should be at least 2 pages (650 words). The paper is worth 16 points.
3. Post your assignment to your group discussion board.
4. Reply to at least 2 of the assignments of your classmates. Specifically point out one place where your observations are similar to theirs and one place where they differ. Your replies are worth 4 points.
