Would You Like Fries With Your Turkey?/Final Assignment

For next Monday/Tuesday, make sure to read these two sections from Eric Schlosser's Fast Food Nation (New York: Perennial, 2002).

Think about the following questions as you read:

Why is the fast food industry so successful? Why does the food taste so good? How does the "fast food mentality" affect other areas of our lives?

Enjoy, and happy Thanksgiving.

Introduction to Fast Food Nation

"Why the Fries Taste So Good"

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FINAL ASSIGNMENT: SEMESTER SUMMARY PAPER

The primary theme of this course has been “what it means to get an education.” We have talked about many factors related to this theme in two primary ways: 1) functioning well at the university and 2) thinking in new ways by challenging existing assumptions, conventional wisdom, and entrenched beliefs.

Here is a list of the major topics we have covered to jog your memory.

●Thinking about “time” and how we measure our lives
●Using technology and thinking about globalization, and how they affect us
●Using academic libraries for research
●Evaluating learning styles
●Examining how we read, study, think, remember, and ask questions
●Discussing the importance of general education, majors, and applicable skills
●Understanding American culture through readings and exercises on diversity
●Examining our individual and collective environment and our experiences
●Discussing “engagement” and the value of campus/community involvement
●Discussing health and wellness including sleep, diet, exercise, quality of life, etc.
●Discussing Freakonomics and critical thinking

This final writing is worth 50 points. Each student will present this paper in class during the final week of classes. This 2-3 minute presentation will be worth 20 points.

THE ASSIGNMENT

1. How has thinking about these ideas shaped your view of “getting an education?” Use specific examples from Foundations, Freakonomics, other readings, class exercises/discussions, or other courses taken this semester as support.

2. Reflect on what has occurred in other classes, the residence hall, campus activities, etc., and how these components fit together. Identify common threads present in these various components of university life.

PAPERS ARE DUE IN CLASS ON MONDAY/TUESDAY DEC 3/4. No late assignments will be accepted.

Freakonomics #5 Writing

Writing due on Wed/Thurs (Nov 14/15): Freakonomics, 163-191.

Is there a discernible pattern in how certain names move through the population over time? If so, describe it.

Summarize the purpose of Freakonomics. What does this book aim to do?

Death, Radiohead, and Homecoming

Death
Check out this highly entertaining and informative cartoon on the death industry.

Radiohead
It appears that Radiohead "sold" 1.2 million copies in their pay-as-you-will release of their latest album In Rainbows. Worldwide, the average paid for the album was $2.26. This is still a considerable amount more per album than bands traditionally get.

Campus Events Galore
There are a raft of events this week for homecoming. Highlights include:
FRIDAY
--Homecoming Parade: 4 p.m. Parade begins at Alumni Drive and College Heights Boulevard.
--Big Red Street Fest: Following the parade at Diddle Arena Auxiliary Gym. The annual event includes children’s activities, inflatable games and prizes. The first 200 fans to arrive at Street Fest receive a free ticket to the Lady Topper and Hilltopper basketball games.
--Women's Hoops: Lady Toppers vs. East Tennessee State: 6 p.m. at Diddle Arena.
--Men's Hoops: Hilltoppers vs. Kennesaw State: 8:30 p.m. at Diddle Arena.
--Big Red’s Roar: 8:30 p.m. at Diddle Arena. During the men’s game, WKU students will participate in the annual pep rally featuring Coach David Elson, the 2007 football team, Big Red, WKU Marching Band, cheerleaders, Topperettes and Homecoming Queen candidates.
SATURDAY
--Football game: WKU vs. Troy: 4 p.m. at Houchens Industries-L.T. Smith Stadium. WKU welcomes its first I-A opponent and future Sun Belt Conference rival. The 2007 Homecoming Queen will be crowned at halftime.
--Annual National Pan-Hellenic Council Step Show: 8 p.m. at Diddle Arena.

Assignments, Parenting

Next week, we will begin talking about diversity.

For Mon/Tues (Oct 29/30): Please look at UNIT 7 in Foundations and familiarize yourself with its content. Generate ideas/questions about diversity in our society. What IS diversity? Is it desirable and/or valuable ? Why or why not?

For Wed/Thurs (Oct 31/Nov 1): Read Freakonomics Chapter 5: "What Makes a Perfect Parent?"

Type a two-page, double spaced paper that addresses the following question(s):

According to Freakonomics, how much does having "good parents" contribute to a child's academic success? How might having "bad parenting" affect children? Use evidence from the book to support your claims.

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In other news:
The WKU Hilltoppers men's basketball team kicks off the season with a Red/White scrimmage this Thursday night at 7 pm in Diddle Arena. This is an excellent campus event opportunity. No charge.

Assignments, Poker, Immigration

Next Week:
Mon/Tues: General Education, Spring class scheduling, degree programs, credit through testing, graduating "on time," majors, etc. Be prepared to ask questions about these items.

Wed/Thurs: Writing. We will look at common problems in writing college papers, and ways to improve writing and research.

In other news:
The online poker cheating scandal at Absolute Poker has been blown wide open. See how a part owner of Absolute Poker appears to have been involved. This is a good lesson in Freakonomics' emphasis on trust in business dealings.

The Freakonomics blog posted an interview with British economist Phillip Legrain on how more immigration would actually help the U.S. economy. Legrain also argues that "freedom of movement is one of the most basic human rights." This idea seems to go against much "conventional wisdom" regarding immigration. Are more fortified borders "good" conventional wisdom or "bad" conventional wisdom?

Paper, Quiz, Library Assignment

For this Wed/Thurs: Read chapter four in Freakonomics, pp 105-132. In a two page, typed, double-spaced paper, answer the following question:

What are the most compelling explanations for the drop in crime during the 1990s? What makes these explanations so convincing?

LIBRARY ASSIGNMENT DUE BY MIDNIGHT OCT 18 (Tues-Thurs classes)/OCT 19 (Mon-Wed classes).
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In other news:
College basketball is officially underway. Teams began practicing this past weekend. Here are WKU's men's and women's schedules. The men have six home games and the women have four home dates before Winter Break. Great campus event opportunities.

Also, check out the link to campus events on the left. This link has oodles of events every day. Today's highlights: Homecoming blood drive and the Study Abroad Fair.

Assignments for Next Week

For Week 8: Oct 15-19
Mon/Tues class: Read 117-130 in Foundations. Related to this, take the following Jung Typology survey. It will give you a four letter personality type at the end (ex., INTJ, ESFP, etc). Know your four-letter personality type when you come to class on Mon/Tues.

Wed/Thurs class: Read chapter four in Freakonomics, pp 105-132. In a two page, typed, double-spaced paper, answer the following question:

What are the most compelling explanations for the drop in crime during the 1990s? What makes these explanations so convincing?

LIBRARY ASSIGNMENT DUE OCT 18 (Tues-Thurs classes)/OCT 19 (Mon-Wed classes).
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In other news:
Freakonomics blog names winner of contest to rename the computer.

The road to the White House goes through...your eyes? Presidents Nixon, Ford, Carter, Reagan, Bush41, Clinton, and Bush43 all have one physical trait in common: blue eyes. Maybe I have a shot at the presidency--but I would likely need a shave and a haircut.

More spillover from Radiohead. The "set your price" download of their new album is not CD quality. This raises all kinds of new questions about the value of music.

Get Your Freakonomics Book Signed By the Authors (Sort of)

The logistics of mailing your book to Levitt and Dubner after the semester to be signed and then shipped back is not time- or cost-effective. So, click here to get a bookplate signed by the authors. It's basically a sticker signed by the authors that they will sign and send to you for free. Then, upon arrival, you can peel it off and stick it inside the front cover or on the title page. Or on your car. Or forehead.

In other news:
Want to ward off illness and infections? Try a crap sandwich. Slate.com argues that our food, and therefore our bodily systems, are too purified.

Radiohead Update: they reportedly sold a whopping 1.2 million copies of their new album yesterday. This morning, ABC's Good Morning America reported that people paid an average $8 for the album. So, that's a cool $9.6 million for the band's "free" album. Again, thinking freakonomically, why would people pay $8 if they can get it for free? What incentives are in play here? Will the amount paid go down over time? More on this as it develops.

Is breathing air in Europe now more dangerous than driving a car? A new study suggests that pollution caused by global warming is responsible for more deaths per year than car accidents.

Assignments for Next Week/Radiohead

For Week 8: Oct 15-19

Mon/Tues class: Read 117-120 in Foundations. Related to this, take the following Jung Typology survey. It will give you a four letter personality type at the end (ex., INTJ, ESFP, etc). Know your four-letter personality type when you come to class on Mon/Tues.

Wed/Thurs class: Read chapter four in Freakonomics, pp 105-132. In a two page, typed, double-spaced paper, answer the following question:

What are the most compelling explanations for the drop in crime during the 1990s? What makes these explanations so convincing?

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Also, for your pleasure, here is the link to Steven Levitt's blog on the new Radiohead album. Radiohead is allowing people to pay whatever they like to download their new album. This is quite "freakonomic" in nature. Think about the incentives involved here. What do you think the average "donation" will be? How many people will download and not pay anything?

She's a Gold Digger

Freakonomics co-author Steven Levitt looks at the economics of attractive, young, gold-digging women in New York City.

For Wed/Thurs (Oct 10/11): Read Foundations, 102-114. Also, go to the Cravens Library 2nd floor to the "On Reserve" section. Ask for Basham's UC 175 reading from Thomas Friedman's The World Is Flat. It's pages 1-17.

No formal writing, but do bring two questions to discuss in class.

Pop vs Soda

Weigh in on the great Pop vs Soda vs Coke debate right here.

The Yankee/Dixie dialect quiz can be found here. I came out 70% Southerner. This is not scientific, but it will give some good examples of regional dialect.

Reading Links for Tues, July 17

Links to the reading that is due on Tuesday, July 17.

Introduction to Fast Food Nation (Eric Schlosser, 2002) EDIT: new link

"Why The Fries Taste So Good" (Excerpt from the book)

July 10 News Update

Here are a couple of links to interesting reading on ideas that we will talk about in this class.

Death of the "N-word." This an article from today's Washington Times on the NAACP's attempt to bury this racial slur once and for all. Is this possible?

Life Expectancy By Country. I mentioned this in class yesterday. Why is the U.S. so far down the list relative to our wealth, power, and access to hospitals and doctors?

Give these a look when you have time.

Welcome to UE

Welcome to University Experience. For more about the program, please click the link to the left.

This blog will function as a common reference point for students in Cort Basham's University Experience class. Check frequently for updates on assignments, supplemental links, outside reading suggestions, and other interesting items.

See you in class.