robbat2 | (no subject)

the first two of those assignments is done, I'm gonna crash now and study a bit for the first exam tommoorow.

The second exam will be interesting, 6 of the following questions will be available, and we need to pick 5 and write half a page on each of them:

Rhetoric of community. Why is the term 'community' used so often in politics and advertising? Give an example, and explain the motivations of the advertiser or politician.
Communitarianism. What are the main features of Etzioni's communitarianism? Explain why it sometimes appeals to both liberals and conservatives.
Communitarianism and Community Policy. Are there dangers inherent in Etzioni's communitarianism? Explain why we should, or should not, be concerned when it influences government policy.
Gemeinschaft, gesellschaft and bund. Explain the meanings of each of these terms, giving a brief example of each.
Discourse ethics. Give a brief summary of the principles and 'rules of reasoning' for discourse ethics proposed by Habermas.
Social capital. What is social capital? Describe, according to Putnam, its benefits and its application and importance in recent years. Is the isolation of 'bowling alone' to be lamented, or have other social values come to replace this sort of social capital loss.
Loss of community. How does loss of community negatively affect the individual? Why might this be the fault of both a given person and of the collective community? What does each do to create this loss?
Neighborhood patterns. Consider how neighborhoods have changed from the urban ethnic enclaves of the 1890s to the suburban migrations of the post-WWII years and still today. What are the parallels, differences?
Community governance. How are communities governed? How would you compare community governance to the governance of cities, nations, and corporations.
Processes for change and renewal. Describe effective mechanisms for bringing needed change to communities and their power structures?
Utopias lost. Many communities were started in the past two centuries with ideals and a strong, shared philosophy. Most have died out. Why do you think this has happened in contrast to the vitality of traditional communities?
Can bad people make good community? Take mafia thugs like the Sopranos, or real-life motorcycle gangs: how is community sustained in these groups? What might be lacking that is found in more conventional communities?
Mapping networks. How would you use sociometry to find the most popular person in a community? How about people who hold power or are the likeliest source of information about the group? Consider the patterns of relationships.
Identity. What are the characteristics that encourage one to identify with a community? How can communities support identity-building (that is, what can they provide) to strengthen the community?
Dissent and keeping things together. Consider how a community handles dissent, yet manages to keep itself intact. What do you think has to be done in order for this to happen? How can you wreck a community by not allowing dissent? (Hint: consider 'communities of dissent').
Can community be 'too easy'? Consider community in a virtual environment: can it be sustained when leaving it is fairly easy (just log off)? Maybe this is an advantage that we can discard and create communities anew with few real costs. Or does this very ease demean the idea of community?
The lonely crowd. What did Riesman want to suggest with this title of his now- famous book about postwar life and community?
The Chicago school. Park, Dewey and others were renowned theorists of the early 20th century city. Why are they famous? What was their central idea or work about?
Is the tragedy of the commons a common tragedy? This ancient example is used often to suggest how communities can go wrong or fail. What was the tragedy at the core of these examples? Does it happen often?
Too much of a good thing. Following from Plesser's arguments, can there be too much community? Can it cause problems? Such as?