Highly Cynical Seminar

Starter Debrief
Verbal debrief of Friday's starter- let's decide how we want to handle seminar grading!

Seminar:  The Habits of Highly Cynical People
Let's think!  And talk!

Seminar Response
Choose any of seminar questions listed below, and write a 500-750 word response to the question.  Make sure to quote and use evidence from the text.  Feel free to draw on our seminar discussion.  This should be organized in formal academic paragraphs, and proofread before you turn it in to me.  I will be grading this using the Writing Rubric linked at the top of the documents page- this assessment will be used for feedback purposes, and to help you set writing goals for this semester.  
 

1. What is Solnit’s definition of a naïve cynic?  What are the two types (see paragraphs 8 and 11), and what characterizes their thinking?
   
2. In this essay, Solnit offers a number of criticisms of naïve cynicism.  What is the most important/cutting critique she offers?  Why?
   
3. To what extent is cynicism useful?  Harmful?
   
4. What kind of thinking habits do we need to cultivate to move beyond naïve cynicism?
   
5. In paragraph 6, Solnit makes a number of points about complexity, uncertainty, and ambiguity.  To what extent are you comfortable with complexity and uncertainty?  Give at least one concrete example.
   
6. To what extent are you a naïve cynic?  How much of what Solnit describes rings true to you about yourself?  Explain.
   
7. How does this article connect to your education?  To your goals this year in Humanities?  To our class values and behaviors?

 
HONORS:  You have 750-1000 words.  You must incorporate one of the additional sources linked below, and write a short essay on one of the following questions.  I will be grading this using the Honors Writing Rubric linked at the top of the Honors page- this assessment will be used for feedback purposes, and to help you set writing goals for this semester.  
 

1. To what extent are you a naïve cynic?  How much of what Solnit describes rings true to you about yourself?  Explain.
   
2. What impact do you think cynicism has in our current political climate and dialogue?
   
3. How do the ideas in the second text you read relate to Solnit’s ideas?  To what extent do the ideas of the two texts reinforce or build on one another?  To what extent are they contradictory?
   
4. How can we reduce the prevalence of naïve cynicism?

 
Additional Resources:

• Beyond Cynicism About Government
• For 'Millenials,' A Tide of Cynicism and a Partisan Gap
• We Must Fight Political Cynicism in the Media
• Cynicism, Irony, and Politics
• Reconsidering Political Cynicism and Political Involvment
• The Relationship of Entertaining Political News Use to Political Cynicism and Mistrust
• Substance Matters: How News Content Can Reduce Political Cynicism

HOMEWORK:
Work on your Seminar Response.  You will have all class on Tuesday to write and refine, and the final draft will be due on Thursday at the start of class (shared or emailed to Lori)