November 12th, 2012

11/12/12

In Class:
Journal: Respond to the following quote--
“Exclusion is never the way forward on our shared paths to freedom and justice.” -Desmond Tutu
 
Independently, students read and annotated “Putting up the Gates” by Edward J. Blakely and Mary Gail Snyder on gated communities and the 'fortress mentality.'
 
Discussed the mentality and social implications of gated communities, as well as the relation to The Tortilla Curtain:
   - What is a gated community? 
   - What are the primary rationalizations for living in a gated community? 
           Crime/safety; traffic; privacy; prestige  
   - What do Blakely and Snyder mean by ‘fortress mentality’? 
   - What is homogeneity, and how do gated communities encourage it?
    - How can gated communities be detrimental to actual community?
    - How does the plight for safety relate to the gated community mentality?
    - How does the gated community mentality reinforce social distinctions (e.g., classism, racism, etc.)?
    - In what specific ways do you think gated communities are inextricably intertwined with capitalism?
           Socioeconomic distinction and homogeneity; prestige and pride; media, developers, and real estate industry playing on the market of fear-mongering

Introduced Literary Analysis essay assignment. See assignment sheet in below post.

Homework:
Journals collected on Wednesday. (You should have 8 by the end of class on 11/14.)
Golden Lines collected on Wednesday. (Complete the sheet using The Tortilla Curtain text.)
Read through p. 265 of The Tortilla Curtain by Wednesday.