20-10 or 2,010. What do you think?

I know that it's not New Years yet, but it's getting pretty darn close.  Having learned about perilous times, stories and histories, and other monumental topics at school, it is difficult to think that the little things also make each day important.  Thinking about the draft during the Vietnam War minimizes a bad grade on a Spanish test-- but that test still impacted me.  Should we dwell on the past?  Do we really need to keep everything in perspective?

I mean, yes, the draft is more important than a test.  However, one cannot belittle everything besides life changing events.  Crying while watching The Notebook does not belittle crying over the loss of lives after the Haitian earthquakes.  All experiences are unique to those experiencing them.  It is difficult to decide what truly matters in a lifetime, or in a year.

After a little searching, I came across a video montage of what someone else thinks was important during 2010.  It included a lot of sports stuff, natural disasters, and some political happenings.  My fellow 1,000,000 viewers of the video may or may not agree on the degree of importance each event possessed.  As citizens of the world, we must acknowledge the feat that was rescuing 33 Chilean Miners from beneath the ground.  As Americans, we must acknowledge the feat that was bringing soldiers home from Iraq.  As Illinois-ians (??) we must acknowledge Blagojevich's conviction.  As Chicago-ins (again, ??), we must acknowledge the fact that- well, I'm sure something has happened.  The mayoral elections?  Oprah's last season?

What I'm trying to get at is that perspective means the world.  To me, the most important event this year was my grandpa going to and coming home from the hospital.  It wasn't in the news; no YouTuber made a montage about it; but it was very important and I won't forget it.  What was the most important time in 2010 for you?  Was it political and on the front page of the Trib?  Or did you win a soccer tournament?  Please feel free to share.  Happy (early) New Year!

Here is a link to the video I was looking at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F0QXB5pw2qE

    

Facebook "Friends?"

Last night, I was helping out my mom's friend at a party.  She needed an extra pair of hands, and mine were available.  So I picked up plates and made sure ice buckets were not water buckets, ate some delicious holiday desserts, and went home with some pocket money.

In addition, I went home with a thought.  After part of the dinner order (for forty people) was discovered MIA, the hosts and helpers felt mutually embarrassed.  Forty hungary people and no pulled pork sandwiches!  Gasp!  My way of dealing with the problem was to stand as close to the wall as possible and not get in anyone's way.  It worked pretty well for my purposes.

The catering lady, though, did not share my luxury.  She had to call her boss, of only three weeks and a day as of yesterday, and try to explain the situation.  The party host, though, took the phone and explained herself (Please understand, this party host is very kind but was nervous and thus responded).  After three phone calls and many more furrowed brows, the food arrived.

At the end of the night, I thanked the caterer for all of her trouble.  Sweetly, she accepted the thanks and left me with the advice: "Enjoy being a kid, it may not feel carefree but compared to being an adult, teenage problems aren't that big of a deal."  Pretty common advice, but it resonated with me.

Almost 24 hours later, I'm still thinking about that: are teenage problems, in general, less stressing than adult problems?  Obviously, it depends on the case, but I cannot believe it.  I read an article that further strengthened my thoughts.

The New York Times reported on cyber-bullying.   (HERE is the article)  It tells the stories of teens both as targets and bullies.  One story involved a boy who didn't even use the internent for social media; three "friends" made up a Facebook and targeted the innocent boy.  On the impersonated account, the three boys sent hurtful messages to peers.  The boy #1 was blamed, as unknowingly his name was attached to hurtful remarks.  Seeing his son suffer from shunning, Mom took matters into her own hand.

Is losing friends, maintaining an awkward relationship with the mother that cared too much, and navigating the mystery to adolescent boys that is deodorant, easier than paying taxes?  Yes, it is exhausting to work two jobs; as it is exhausting to study for finals.  Kids, teens, adults, seniors: we all have problems.  Whether it be messing up an order or Logging in, problems are problems.  There are not kid problems and adult problems, there are people problems.  Here's wishing people solutions...

Dr. Ruth Gruber

Yesterday, as Thanksgiving break allows, I spent some quality time with my mom and dad.  We went to the the movies in Highland Park, where we spent $11 on popcorn and a drink, by the way, and saw the documentary Ahead of Time.  It chronicled the life of Ruth Gruber, a journalist now in her late nineties.

Click HERE to see the trailer.

Her life is well passed blog worthy.  Everyone should hear her story-- she was born in 1911 and is ninety-nine years old.  She became the youngest doctorate in the entire world while studying in Cologne, Germany at the age of twenty.  She married at the age of forty and had two children.  In her lifetime, to be specific:

She journeyed to the Soviet Arctic in 1935 while reporting for The New York Herald Tribune; was a special assistant to Interior Secretary Harold Ickes during World War II; escorted 1,000 Jewish refugees to Oswego, N.Y., during the war; covered the Nuremberg war-crimes trials; and accompanied the globe-trotting Anglo-American Committee of Inquiry as it examined the question of Jewish refugees and Palestine. 

                 -John Anderson, New York Times 9-2-10 

Dr. Gruber inspires me as a Jew, as a woman, and as a human.  Women of her day mainly held "pink collar" jobs (ie: teacher, secretary, nanny).  She did not follow the obvious career path; instead she pursued a passion.  That pursuit, whether or not coincidentally, led her to become one of the most powerful journalists in the country.  As a Jew, she took special interest in the Holocaust and the establishment of the state of Israel.  Here in America, even, odds were not in Jews' favor.  Especially during the Depression, Jews were shunned from the market place and anti-semitism.  The rise of Hitler did not just affect Europeans; he instilled fear world wide (Center for Jewish History).  Keeping all of this in mind, excelling in a anti-semitic, patriarchal society was even more of an accomplishment.  If for nothing else, I admire Ruth Gruber for her courage to even enter such a work force.

Her impact is long lasting, her story not known well enough.  I encourage everyone to see the documentary that tells even just twenty years of her story.  She truly changed my opinion of what power is.  Whether for her selfless aid to Holocaust survivors, her advancements in the field of journalism, the friendships she maintained, or her sense of humor evident in her film, Dr. Ruth Grubin deserves another ninety-nine years.

Ruth in Alaska, 1941.  Click HERE for more pictures of Dr. Gruber in front of and behind the camera.

Gobble Gobble

As we think about perilous times in class, it becomes more and more evident that the non perilous times are ones to cherish.  With Thanksgiving approaching, I find it appropriate to reflect on what we as Americans are actually celebrating.

On a selfish note, I am looking forward to three days off from school!  Before 1941, students did not enjoy the same luxury.  Thanksgiving became a national holiday after a 40 year campaign spearheaded by Sarah Josepha Hale led to congress' approval of the proposal.  Thank you Sarah!  (See Thanksgiving in its many "editions" here)

No matter how much I love sleeping in, I cannot put anything above family.  I hope that everyone enjoys their holiday with a table filled with mashed potatoes and surronded by the ones they love.  Happy Holidays!

War, war, go away. Come again another day...

Like the weather, violence is an unpredictable constant.  The world went through a "golden age" without war many years ago, but I doubt the people declared Golden knew what was happening in North, South, and Central America.  I cannot believe that we have ever enjoyed World Peace.  Like rain, it stops and starts, and no one really likes getting caught in it.
I looked up the origin of the song "Rain, Rain, Go Away" and found its roots were in none other than: that's right, war.  (Click HERE for lyrics and origin).  I did a little experiment about war's prevelance in our culture.  I Googled "War" and I Googled "Peace."  "War" had 957,000,000 matches, and "peace" had 267,000,000 matches.  That's about 700,000,000 more articles about war.  My conclusion- there's too much of it.

Another interesting thought:
Forbe's Most Dangerous City: Detroit, Michigan
Detroit High School Graduation Rate: 21.7% ****

Forbe's Safest City: Plano, Texas (suburb of Dallas)
Dallas Graduation Rate: 81.3%

Any correlation?  I think so.  One way to counter violence in our society is to educate ourselves.  We can overcome adversity.  Violence in our cities IS war, whether it is in text books or not.  Guns, knives, bombs, what have you, is all human hurting human.  War looms over us like a rain cloud.  Let's hope for sunny skies soon.

****This scares me!

Who's the Boss?

 If someone acted like a queen, they would be treated better than someone that acted like a lowly high schooler.  The Stanford Prison Experiment expanded this very topic.  A basic synopsis: People of equal status were divided into "greater than" and "less than," but only treated as such for a few days.  

If someone is treated inhumanely, they will believe they are inhuman and act in part.  If someone is treated well, they will believe they're pretty darn impressive. "Prisoners" took to numbers rather than names, and "Guards" became disciplinarians; they were not guarding anything but their own power.  Surprisingly, the prisoners obeyed their "masters" on the very first day, well knowing they are not actually in prison. 

Psychology proved stronger than logic.  The men were equals with the exception of a week or so of different treatment.  The guards went so far as to make the prisoners wash toilets with their bare hands.  The prisoners obeyed. 

In another case, one we can identify with, affects our society everyday.  Apparently, (click HERE to read article from CNN) attractive people are more highly compensated than their homely peers.  Looks do not impact one's abilities, but since one group is dubbed "better," they are treated as such.  In some societies, being male is superior to being female.  Regardless of actual personalities, the males will be treated better.

Whose to say teachers are so much better than students?  They get desks and department secretaries, while we get a 1'x4' metal box and a number.  (ID number=Prison number? hmm...) 

Who gets the job?  Mr. Fancy or Mr. Regular?**

**They're the same guy!! The King of Spain**

A Picture's Worth a Thousand Words

Stanley Forman was born in 1945.  Since then, public schools were integrated, American engaged in the Vietnam, Korean, Gulf, Afghani, and Iraq wars.  We have seen the first Black president elected to office, we have mourned the loss of pop sensation Michael Jackson, and we have withstood natural and manmade disasters.  Change is a constant.

As many artists do, Mr. Forman commented on political happenings through his work: photography.  His photography has earned him two Pulitzer Prizes and has enriched America's art scene.  Photographs allow time to stand still; Forman has successfully managed to not only capture a time, but a feeling.

In his photograph "Soiling Old Glory," Forman captured these scenes: 

• America's bussing policy, in which black and white students are taken on busses out of their neighborhoods to attend different schools.  This policy came into effect after "Seperate but Equal" was ruled unconstututional.  Public schools were required to integrate, even if it involved making students attend school far away from their homes, to meet racial quotas.
• Intolerance.  In 1976, when "Soiling Old Glory" was taken, racial tension was high.  The Civil Rights Act of 1965, enacted under President Linden Johnson, was still in its implimentation stage.  (Please refer to page 64 of this report to see how prevelent Civil Rights issues were in American Government)

Forman successfully captured a history and emotion in his picture.  I have not come across a photo so thought provoking as this one in a long time.  All things considered, I am only a teenager, but my teenage mind can still appreciate great art.  It was recognized as such in 1977, when "Soiling Old Glory" won the Pulitzer Prize for Photography. 

My rEflection

Change: nickels and pennies, spring to summer, childhood to adulthood, blog post to blog post.  The latter is newly added to my definition of "change."  Despite its late addition, changes in blog posts prove just as relevant as the veteran definitions.

The topics of my posts share a common theme: me.  It may seem conceded, but what better can an author comment on more truthfully than themselves?  My passion for the subjects I write on, I hope, shows.  My post with the most comments, Shana Tova, connects to my religious freedom.  It allowed me to transition to a national news story; blogging makes clear to me my own connectedness to the larger world.  "A Different Kind of Lashes,"* my favorite and most recent post, shares some personal information.  However, I do not feel violated because my issues connect with those of other people, as depicted in America the Beautiful.  To quote:

People feel compelled to alter themselves to achieve a conjured "perfect."  I myself am guilty of this.  I consider myself a "slave" to the beauty industry.

This post allows me to connect further with Frederick Douglass, as at times we both feel trapped and hindered.  Blogging, whether for leisure or work, does not connect people directly.  Blogging allows authors to realize their similarities with and differences from the world around them.  Readers may feel the same or different, or even feel a connection to the author.

School, in theory, prepares students for the life they will face in the coming years.  People will face just that: people.  Just because I, for example, did not suffer directly in result to threats of Koran burnings, does not mean I am not involved.  Blogging has allowed me to self-reflect with lose structure, so that I can recognize that the world is separated not by oceans but by closed minds.  I may not be able to change other people right away, but I can open my own mind and get be one person closer to global understanding.

*http://americanstudies89.blogspot.com/2010/10/different-kind-of-lashes.html

A Different Kind of "Lashes"

In class, we have been reading Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, a short book written by a former slave and published in 1845.  It depicts the hardships of back breaking labor and heart breaking attitudes of Maryland plantations.  He tells of how he and his mother knew not much of one another, of the lashes he received, and the hope to overcome oppression.

In another class, the Fit Female, we watched a documentary that seems to parallel slavery in a (less severe way).  The slaves depicted in "Freddie D" suffer through hardships unimaginable by America's standards today.  In America The Beautiful, of which I watched the first half in the Fit Female, director Darryl Roberts brings to light America's obsession with beauty.  In a way, we are slaves to mirrors. 

Gerren Taylor, who wants to become a supermodel, is documented.  She is almost six feet tall, has smooth skin, is very thin, plyable hair, and a fresh face.  She can be found on runways in LA, magazines across the country, all that model stuff.  When the documentary was made and recording her "teen dream" job, she was 12 YEARS OLD.  I was taken aback when I found out she was so young; my first impression was that she was in her early twenties and finding her way in the fashion industry.  Yes, she was finding her way in the fashion industry, but only when her spelling tests allowed?  I guess it seems normal to her, but to the average viewer it is quite surprising.  Mr. Roberts made a clear point: America rewards beauty to an almost gross extent.

We all are familiar with the extent people go to look a certain way; Americans spend $40 billion a year on diet and weight loss products.  On cosmetics: $7 billion a year.  According to the YWCA, almost 10 million Americans suffer from eating disorders.  People feel compelled to alter themselves to achieve a conjured "perfect."  I myself am guilty of this.  I consider myself a "slave" to the beauty industry.

I do not go to a book store without first looking at the fashion magazines.  Hours of my life have been spent watching America's Next Top Model and Project Runway, even Jersey Shore promotes a corrolation between GTL (gym-tan-laundry) and attracting the opposite sex.  Oh, yeah!  Sex!  That's a whole different topic...

My firend once told me she spends $60 on her foundation; "I'm fat" is no uncommon phrase; celebrities endorse thinness by being thin, wearing clothes only thin people can wear, and endorsing weight loss products.  Heidi Klum eats Light'N'Fit yogurt, Kim Kardashian uses QuickTrim weight loss supplements. 

It is a sad reality that we, as a country, are obsessed with exterior beauty.  Is it slavery?  I think so, in a way.  We go to painful extremes, some people dedicate their livlihoods to it (models, actors, advertisers); perfection has become a master.  I hope we can all be free soon.

Word, Yo

We live in a world where new words emerge on an almost daily basis.  For example, I have heard people say "It's chill" probably more than I've heard the words "how are you?" or "good morning."  Merriam-Webster's Dictionary defines "chill" as "adj : moderately cold."  According to the dictionary, this often occuring conversation would make no sense...

Person 1: "Hey man, sorry I didn't text you about Saturday."
Person 2: "It's chill.  We can hang next weekend."

By dictionary standards, Person 2 is needs a jacket, but is content to make plans at a later date.  We teenagers, and probably a lot of adults, would know Person 2 actually means that there are no hard feelings, that Person 1 need not worry, etc.  

The word "chill" proves how loose the terms of our language are.  Even though it's intended use does not always match up with its interpreted use, "chill" as an adjective is totally acceptable.  Where does that definition come from?  Certainly not Mr. Webster.  Mob mentality?  (If 100 people use it a certain way, than I can use it the same way)  I think so.  It is easier for a "mob mentality" to arise when people are in constant communication; the Internet lets the world know what someone is thinking.  Facebook comes to my mind.  If I set my status to "What a chill day- first the beach, then the movies, then home for some quality time with the fam." *Disclaimer: I do not actually talk like this!* then my 300 something "friends" would know that the word chill can be used as a synonym for "good."

The Internet makes the world smaller, and ideas become known in an instant.  Does the dictionary give us an accurate depiction of conversation?  Unless it is updated constantly, have regional versions, and have versions for different age groups, I don't think it can.  Populations are defined in different terms now, and that necessitates different resources.  We can no longer rely on "standards" when they vary so much from person to person, group to group, status to status.

History Repeats, Once Again

I'm sorry to use the cliche, but it is a cliche for a reason- it is all too true.  History has repeated itself, as it has done before and will do again.  Harry Truman, in 1945, signed a law that integrated the American military. (Read how it happened here) In AIS, we have learned that African Americans have not always been treated equally in America, as the Declaration of Independence depicts they should be in the very first line.  Are "All men created equal"?  Looking at American History, it seems not everyone believed it.  After serving in seperate troops in the Civil War, World War One, and the American Revolution, the black militiamen still did not recieve respect that white soldiers did.  Not until World War Two did the soldiers fight together in integrated batallions.

Now, in the year 2010, more than fifty years later, we again face inequalities in the military.  The GLBT (gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender) communities, by law, are limited in their freedom of speech when in the military.  The "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy prevents people from expressing their sexual orientation.  No showing friends pictures of their partner, while others show openly their husbands and wives.  No boyfriend-girlfriend talk.  None of that. 

Thanks to the dedication and insistance of many, though, this law may be ammended.  This week, a California court of law ruled the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" law unconstitutional as it limits freedom of speech.  (Click here for the full story from CNN).  This law, in my oppinion, stains the fabric of our country.  I am thankful that its power may be eliminated in the coming weeks. 

Being a strong supporter of equal rights, I looked for a way that I, a single teenager from the suburbs, could impact the national community.  Join me in supporting the repeal of this unfair law.  Sign the petition here so your voice, whether it be straight or gay or a little of both, can be heard.  Thanks, everyone.

Open Your Ears (and eyes, and mouth, and mind, for that matter)

Words, they are long and short, some ending sentences, some starting them, lots in between.  Having taken high school English classes for a few years now, I've learned lots of new words.  Example: torture.  Definition: Wuthering Heights (sorry to all you Heathcliff fans).  Other words too, of course, I already knew.  Example: Human.  Definition:  An animal who communicates via spoken language, generally an omnivore, who produce anywhere from 0-19 children (Michelle Duggar, ahemm).  


After taking English classes that initiate deep thinking and experiencing more of life, my previous definitions do not always hold true.  Example: Human.  New Definition: An animal who is always searching and who has some sort of connection to another human.  To clarify, this is a working definition- I have a lot more books to read and life to live before I can say anything for certain.  The English class I am currently attending, AIS (an integrated English and US History course) has opened my eyes already to new things.


This passed week, we discussed oral history.  We listened to recordings of interviews from people who were effected by the attacks on 9/11/01.  Mr. Bolos referred our class to a few different oral history organizations.  I got very excited when he mentioned StoryCorps, because I was already familiar with it.  For my sophomore English class, I read StoryCorp's compilation of interviews, Listening is an Act of Love.  I could not turn the pages fast enough; I highly recommend it.  Anyways, the reminder in class prompted me to visit the StoryCorps website.


On it, I listened to excerpts of many interviews, with subjects ranging from coming out to one's parents to the emergence of the afro.  One story that impacted me was that of a single father and his son (click here to listen to it).   Colbert became a father at the age of 16, and explained to his son, now almost 16 himself, what it was like to raise a child as a teenager.  


Their conversation made me think about how little we really know about what we as people are capable of.  I myself am just a teenager, and I complain about staying up until midnight and waking up early. Why do I stay up?  Well, after my homework is finished, I usually have dessert, and then I might take a shower, and then I'll go on Facebook, etcetera, etcetera.  I am not burping a baby, or trying to get my GED online, or coming home from a part-time job I hold so I can pay for my family's rent.  Nothing of the sort!   And yet, I complain that my backpack is too heavy, or that I NEED the new shirt at Nordstrom, or that my homework is too demanding.  My excuses and complaints are indeed legitimate and in many cases sincere, but in the grand scheme of things I am pretty darn lucky.


Listening to Colbert and Nathan's story gave me perspective.  No one can possibly know something without something to compare it to. (White is the opposite of black, happy is the opposite of sad, etc.)  The more we listen to each other, the more we learn about ourselves.  Listening to the Williams' story taught me about how lucky I am, and how capable all people are.  I am looking forward to learning more about myself, and helping others learn about themselves in the process.  


Good luck in your verbal adventures! 

Shana Tova

Tonight begins the Jewish New Year, and so I say, Shana Tova! (good year).  I know that, obviously, not everyone is celebrating tonight, and I thank those that accept the fact that I am celebrating.  I come from an interfaith home, and that too, I value.  That acceptance, tolerance, is not something I do not take for granted.  I truly thank you; please know that I also support your right to worship as you please.

Recent news tells of a not-so-tolerant church in Florida.  Refer to CNN's coverage for background info (I found 1:47 particularly interesting.  All lives?  Really?).  As I said, I think of myself as a pretty tolerant person.  One thing I do not tolerate, though, is arrogance.  This particular church, the Dove World Outreach Center, has expressed views I strongly disagree with.  Honestly, I cannot present this information without a strong opposing bias.  They preach tolerance, and yet seem to, and I say "seem" because I have never been to this church or been in the shoes of the members, be very intolerant of Muslim people.

On September 11, the 9 year anniversary of the World Trade Center disaster, this church plans to burn the Koran, the Muslim holy book.  Yes, the event was tragic.  Yes, we are continuing to remember this tragic event.  No, dwelling on the past will not solve anything.  

Everyone has the right to practice what they believe, as says the first amendment of the American Constitution.  The Declaration of Independence protects the rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.  Liberty, as defined by Oxford American Dictionaries, is "the state of being free within society from oppressive restrictions imposed by authority on one's way of life, behavior, or political views."  With this in mind, the government cannot stop the Dove World Outreach Center from burning the Koran or posting an insulting website, yet the center cannot silence Muslim people from doing as they chose.  

In this situation, no one wins.  In any hateful situation, I believe, no one will win.  To boil down a very complicated moral scenario,  "someone will get their feelings hurt."  


I am not asking anyone to take sides, or take swift action, or even to take slow action.  Please just educate yourself about the world around you.  This issue impacts everyone, whether Muslim, Christian, Jewish, Hindu, Atheist, what have you.  It begs questions of personal liberty and where to draw the line, if at all, on freedom of expression. 


So I say, to everyone, Shana Tova.  You may accept the greeting or not, but please do so respectfully.  Thanks.

My Sunscreen: My Life?

Stuff: we all have it.  Me? Yup, I have stuff, too.  My room is cluttered, to my mother's dismay, with messy clothes, lots of socks, an array of colored pencils, birthday cards from years past, and the teenage essential, the cell phone (always somewhere in there yet never locatable...).

My room is not unique; it has a bed and a dresser, a closet and two windows.  Looking through the rest of my house, one would find my more unique belongings.  My art projects decorate not the walls but the floor.  My purse containing my driver's license and crumpled single dollar bills sit on the table.

At first glance, a tube of sunscreen, for example, means nothing more than skin care.  All 5'7'' of me cannot  fit into 9 fluid ounces; it is physically impossible.  However, a lot of me can fit in 9 fluid ounces of hypoallergenic sunscreen, a beach pass, lip gloss, a yellow bicycle, a surprisingly roomy cross-over bag, and a tennis ball.  The sunscreen paired with the rest of the items mean I love the outdoors.  It means that I care about myself enough to protect my skin.  It means that I am not tan.

Sunscreen paired with a tennis ball and bike could mean that I am an athlete.  I will tell everyone right now that I am NOT athletic.  Sunscreen paired lip gloss and my crossover bag could screams "girly girl".  What, then, does sunscreen mean?

The sunscreen could mean anything and everything.  To me, it means no tans lines but no skin cancer.  Ask my friends, and they will tell you about my play-it-safe attitude.  Ask my family, and they will tell you about my long walks.

This sunscreen scenario proves what Mr. Bolos and Mr. O'Connor proved in class this week.  One cannot possibly solve a "mystery" (the mystery being: who am I?) by themselves.  My sunscreen needs the explanation of my mom, my friends, and my beach pass to tell you about Glenna-the-Teenager, not Glenna-the-Athlete or Glenna-the-Goody-Goody.

Without talking to other teachers, too, we would not know about Mr. Bolos-the-Outdoorsman, or Mr. Bolos-the-Cook.  Clearly, diversity of sources yields the most accurate picture of a subject.  With those diverse sources and those of another investigator, an even clearer picture is painted.

This blog post may even be sighted in a research project.  In that case, I am the Queen of England and my house is made of chocolate.  My picture is below.  Have fun ;)

What is AIS?

"American Studies": how to interpret this...
... an American is studying?
... the studying of American ways?
... studying in general, but through an American lens?

That, I leave up to the reader to decide.  I will not share my interpretation of the course outright; hopefully, this blog will answer the questions above over the course of months.

First Post

Welcome to my American Studies blog.  Here, you can read and comment on current events relevant to the classroom; each week will present at least one new topic.  Suggestions for topics?  Maybe I can relate them to our in-class discussions.  Check back soon.  Thank you!