Write an essay on Where the Boys Are (1960)
You will synthesize relevant content from:
• Freitas
• McGonigal
• VT posts of your classmates (and that of the other section if you like)
• Your own research data
To support an argument in response to the questions:
• How does the sexual behavior of your age cohort compare to that of Americans of the same age from the 1940s through the 1980s?
• When they reflect on their cohort's behavior when they were your age, how do older generations of Americans assess the benefits or harms of casual sex, one-night-stands, etc.?
• To what extent is hooking up beneficial to the well being of Millennials?
• What are the best tools people can use to avoid hooking up once they have determined that it is not beneficial?
An argument requires that you clearly state an opinion that you then support in hopes of convincing readers to accept your opinion as valid. (See the guidelines for writing synthesis and ethics essays in the course control panel for details on how to write an argument.) Your thesis statement will begin with that opinion and include your essential support for it.
Example: Hooking up may seem like a good way of connecting emotionally without risk of "catching feelings," but, as Freitas shows, hooking up actually unleashes all sorts of negative feelings that interfere with students' happiness and well-being. At the most extreme, these feelings can lead to depression, shame, and increased social anxiety. And for those who don't suffer the worst effects, hooking up is still a waste of time and energy that could be better spent socializing in fun ways without sex. Students need emotional connection with others and there are ways to get without sex or more commitment than they can want at the moment. They can develop better self-control to lead healthier, happier lives while waiting for the right time to "settle down."
Sources for your own research
Option 1:
Interview someone who was your age during an era from 1940 to 1990 about the sexual norms of that period and what s/he thought about them then and now.
Option 2:
Use a book that you have already read that is appropriate to the topic. Again, be sure that it was written during the era it depicts.
Option 3:
Watch a film made during an era from 1940 to 1990 for insights into the sexual norms of that era and what the filmmaker thought of them. Films that I know and can recommend. There is no rhyme or reason in these. Some are comedies, some are tragedies, some are romances, but each reveals something significant about how seriously or not sex was thought of in these eras. If you have others in mind, please clear them with me first. * marks those I highly recommend
1950s
• A Summer Place
• Doris Day/Rock Hudson rom-coms Pillow Talk / Lover Come Back / Send Me No Flowers
• Gentlemen Prefer Blondes*
1960s
• Where the Boys Are*
• Gidget*
• If a Man Answers*
• Georgy Girl (British, but too good to leave off the list)
• The L-Shaped Room(British, but too good to leave off the list)
• Guess Who's Coming to Dinner
• Alfie (British, but too good to leave off the list)
• Town Without Pity*
Peer Review Meeting 1
1. Form groups of 4
2. Determine the criteria for "beneficial to well being." For instance, I would define beneficial to well being as any activity that meets the following criteria:
• Promotes an immediate sense of happiness or contentment
• Does not conflict with ones conscience, i.e. does not provoke embarrassment, guilt, shame, or regret
• Is consistent with ones positive goals for future happiness
• Is consistent with ones character and sense of integrity
3. Summarize as thoroughly yet succinctly as you can what Freitas thinks is harmful about the hook up culture at spiritual colleges.