ENGL 1013 Writing Studies – Module 5 Guide

Module 5 Group Discussion 1: Technology, Authenticity, & Language

In the essays and videos we’ve covered in this unit, there are clearly strong opinions in society today about technology, lying, authenticity, and language. From Adam Alter’s argument that screens are destroying our happiness to how AI has made cheating normal on college campuses to how social media is making it impossible for people to be themselves online to Goldsmith’s argument that maybe technology isn’t all that bad and we’re not really wasting our time scrolling.

What is your opinion on this issue, in relation to the conversation we’re seeing unfold in the sources? How is an individual’s personal identity revealed or distorted by technology such as social media sites? Do you view technology as a positive, negative, or a combination of the two? Why do you think that?

Refer to at least one of the sources we’ve read as part of your answer. Do you agree or disagree with the arguments they have presented? Why or why not? Use the sources in this unit to support your own opinion or argue against them (see the templates on transitions and quoting for help).

Guidelines

• Write 2-3 paragraphs describing your experience and thoughts. 
• You must cite at least one of the sources covered in this unit as part of your answer. 
• Use the source as evidence to support your argument or as evidence to argue against them.

Module 5 Group Discussion 2: Gender & Language

One of the key ideas presented in Adichie’s video “We Should All Be Feminists/Happy Feminist” is that both men AND women will benefit from feminism. Even more than this, she argues that it is a problem of language–how we define feminist today versus how we can rebrand it in the future.

Echoes of this idea can be found in Gay’s essay, “The Careless Language of Sexual Violence,” Kimmel’s essay about what words we use to label how “manly” someone is, the essay about how and why “bitch” is used throughout culture, and bell hooks’s attempt to include men in feminism as a “feminist masculinity.” 

Think about these arguments about how language has the power to define our gendered identity. Do you agree with any of the arguments presented? How do you see language and labels influencing your own notion of gender in society (both men and women and the stereotypes associated with each)? 

Guidelines

• Write 2-3 paragraphs discussing how language has the power to influence our ideas of gender in society.
• You must refer to at least one of the sources we read/watched in this unit as evidence for your opinion.
• Either agree or disagree with the source and emphasize what you think in relation to this ongoing conversation in society.