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ALC On-Line Reader

Here you can find links to specific articles on subjects related to ALC Topic Development class. The articles are listed by topic or by title and then author/publication. Happy reading!

Topics TOC

The Lay of the Land / How We Live / Family / Gender /LGBT Issues / Race and Identity / Immigration / Class / Media / Volunteerism and Civic Participation / Politics and the Democratic Process / Crime and Guns / Environmental / Education / Post 9-11 America / Historical / Miscellaneous

 

The Lay of the Land

Readings

  1. Nation Master Encylopedia: The Geography and Cultural Regions of the USA
  2. The Red State Blue State Divide / Wikipedia
  3. US Regions / Wikipedia
  4.  

Multi-Media

  1. Red or Blue -  Which are You? (Audio and Quiz) http://slate.com/id/2103764/  and http://www.slate.com/Features/040712_RedBlueQuiz/quiz.html
  2. The Frugal Traveler - American Road Trip / NYTimes Interactive Site
  3. Everyday America / NYTimes Slideshow
  4.  

 

 

How We Live

 

Readings

  1.  Well, America: Is The Car Culture Working?
  2. Calif. law collides with car culture
  3. Two Acres of Farm Lost to Sprawl Each Minute, New Study Says
  4. Fast Food Nation – A PBS News Hour Report
  5.  

 

Multi-Media

  1. In Contrast: Smart Growth versus Sprawl  (Photos Essay)
  2.  American Sprawl at Night (Satellite Photo)
  3. USGS Aerial Photo South Bay
  4. California Sprawl (Photo)
  5. The Past, Present and Future of Food / UC Berkeley WebCast
  6. Is Obesity Contagious / NYTimes Video
  7.  

 

 

Family

Readings

  1. "Children suffer as Single Parenting Rates Soar"
  2. “Teen Moms and Out-of-Wedlock Births: Why and at What Cost?”
  3. "US Marriage Rates Drop Drastically with Little Explanation"
  4. “Executive Summary: The Changing American Family"
  5. Boston Marriage, Free Love, and Fictive Kin: Historical Alternatives to Mainstream Marriage http://www.oah.org/pubs/nl/2004aug/freedman.html
  6.  

Multi-Media

  1. Kathleen Dalton compares today’s moral anxieties over gay marriage (Audio)
  2. Aging in America / MSNBC Flash Slideshow
  3. Californication: Divorce California Style / NYTimes Video
  4.  

 

 

Gender

Readings

  1. “More Statistics about Boys and Boyhood” / Supporting Our Sons Web Site
  2. “Your Son: Nature vs. Nurture” / Supporting Our Sons Web Site
  3. “Women on a Binge” / Jodie Morse
  4. Women and the Draft in America / Selective Service
  5.  

Multi-Media

  1. Amazing Girls / NYTimes Animated Slide Show
  2.  

 

 

LGBT Issues

Readings

  1. Gay Rights: An Overview / Public Agenda
  2. Some Quick Stats on Homophobia
  3. Answers to Questions About Sexual Orientation and Homosexuality
  4. The Prime Minister of Spain: On the Occasion of Legalizing Gay Marriage in Spain
  5. Opinion Poll Results: Gay Marriage / NYTimes CBS News Poll
  6.  

Multi-Media

  1. New Era / PBS News Hour Overview of Recent Event on Gay Marriage (Video Clip)
  2. "For Better or for Worse" Comic Strip: Coming Out
  3. Peter and Clifton Get Married / NYTimes Video
  4. Out and Alone: Gay Homeless Youth
  5.  

 

 

Race and Identity

Readings

  1.  Official US Racial Definitions
  2.   Overview: The Issue at a Glance (Race)
  3.   Racial Profiling / American Civil Liberties Union
  4.  U.S. Attitudes Toward Interracial Dating Are Liberalizing 
  5. New Marriages, New Families: U.S. Racial and Hispanic Intermarriage 
  6. Color Lines Magazine
  7. The New “Sleeping Giant” in California Politics: The Growth of Asian Americans
  8.  

Multi-Media

  1. Race in America: Beyond Black and White (Audio)
  2. Race in America: Beyond Black and White (Transcript)
  3. Awash in Color Blind Casting - Multicultural Broadway / NYTimes Slide Show
  4.  

 

 

Immigration

Readings

  1.  “Immigration to the United States: 2002 Update”
  2. Immigration: An Overview / Public Agenda\
  3. The Overseas Class - LA Times article on Immigrant Workers in Japan and HK
  4. The Seeds of Promise - LA Times article on Mexican Farm Workers in US
  5. Asian Outlook 2006 / the Asia Pacific Fund
  6. Our Town / NYTimes Magazine
  7. Santa Clara Adding Asians / San Jose Mercury News
  8.  

Multi-Media

  1.  Largest Ancestry Group by County / Wikepedia Map
  2. An Overview of Migrant Labor Issues / PBS's NOW with Bill Moyers (Audio)
  3. Immigration Benefits to the US / PBS NewsHour (Video or Audio)
  4. The Chinese in America – Discussion with Iris Chang 
  5. Beyond Borders: Video Reports on Mexican Immigration (Video)
  6. The Overseas Class - LA Times Narrated Slideshow
  7. The Seeds of Promise - LA Times Narrated Slideshow
  8. To Build a Fence - NYTimes Narrated Slideshow
  9. Senate Approves Immigration Legislation NYTimes Narrated Slideshow
  10. Borders open and closed - NYTimes Narrated Slideshow
  11. Boarder Crossing / LATimes Narrated Slideshow
  12. Minutemen Without a Country / LATimes Narrated Slideshow
  13. The Land of Opportunity - Immigration / Roanoke Times Award Winning Interactive Website

 

  

Class in America

Readings

  1. "The American Paradox"  /  The Atlantic
  2. “Executive Summary: Our Changing Nation”
  3. “'Voodoo' Economics: Gap Between Rich and Poor Grows in U.S.”
  4. The New Rich-Rich Gap / Newsweek
  5. Silicon Valley Millionaires Who Don't Feel Rich
  6.  

Multi-Media

  1. "Taxing the Poor" / PBS News hour (Video)
  2. The NY Times Series Discusses Class in America (Interactive Website)
  3. The Class Test (Flash Animation)
  4. Life Among the Hyper Rich / (Audio Slide Show)
  5. Learning Point Associates Web site on Class, Race and Education (website)
  6. Working Class Millionaire / NYTimes Video
  7. America's Favorite Billionaire / NYTimes Video
  8.  

 

 

Media and Pop Culture

Readings

  1. "Amplifying officials, Squelching Dissent"  / FAIR: Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting
  2. The American Medical Association on the Impact of the Media
  3. Japanese manga takes humongous step http://www.usatoday.com/life/books/news/2005-07-05-japanese-manga_x.htm
  4. Asian-American Air Guitarist / SF Chronicle

Multi-Media

  1. The Merchants of Cool / PBS Frontline (Interactive website) http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/cool/
  2. Globalization /National Geographic Article with Photos http://magma.nationalgeographic.com/2000/culture/global/main.html
  3. Vanishing Cultures / National Geographic Photo Essay  http://magma.nationalgeographic.com/2000/culture/lost/main.html

 

Volunteerism and Civic Participation

Readings

 

Multi-Media

 

 

 Politics and the Democratic Process

Readings

  1. Campaign 2004, The Issues / PBS overview
  2. US Election Basics / Library of Congress
  3. The Case for Impeachment / Harpers Magazine
  4.  

Multi-Media

  1.  The Evolution of Campaign Ads / PBS's NOW with Bill Moyers (Video Clip)
  2. Presidential campaign ads for 2004 / C SPAN (Various Video Clips)
  3. On Impeachment / Bill Moyers (Article and Video clip)
  4.  

 

  

Crime and Guns

Readings

  1. Prison Statistics in the US / US Department of Justice
  2. Bush Report on Shooting Omits Gun Control Option
  3. Gun Control vs. Gun Rights / The Center for Responsive Politics
  4. The Color of Crime / Report by New Century Foundation (pdf)
  5. Hate Crime in America / Department of Justice Report
  6. Violent Crime Blazing Back in America / ABC News
  7. Lack of Reform Contributes to Oakland's Murder Rate / New America Media
  8.  

Multi-Media

  1. Bowling for Columbine / Website
  2. Some Nations Toughened Laws After Virginia Tech / MSNBC Website
  3. Crime in Middle America / Time Mag. Photo Essay
  4. Gang Capital of America / NYTimes Video
  5. One Nation, Under Guns / Newsweek Narrated Slideshow
  6.  

 

 

The Environment and Green Issues

Readings

  1. Could this be the Global-Warming Generation? / CS Monitor
  2. U.S. Must Warm to Energy Efficiency / The Financial Times
  3.  

Multi-Media

  1. Environmental Issues in North Carolina (Audio)
  2. Winona La Duke discusses Sustainable Energy (Audio)
  3. Malaysian Student Focuses on Environmental Issues (Audio and Text)
  4. Before and After Katrina / MSNBC Narrated Slide Shows
  5. An Inconvenient Truth / Website
  6. An Inconvenient Truth / Trailer
  7. The Power of Green / NYTimes Video
  8. Blighted Homeland / LATimes Narrated Slideshow
  9. The Seas are in Crisis / LATimes Narrated Slideshow
  10.  

 

Eductaion

 

Readings

  1.  

 

Multi-Media

  1. Critical Years: A Model Middle School / NYTimes Narrated Slideshow

  2. Inequality in Schools / NYTimes Narrated Slideshow

  3. Coping with the high cost of Education / NYTimes Audio

  4. Bilingual Education - Learning Mandarin in SF / NYTimes Narrated Slideshow

  5.  

 

Post 9-11 America

Readings

  1. Presidential Speech on 9-11 / George W. Bush – Transcript of Speech
  2. ACLU Files First-Ever Challenge to USA PATRIOT Act / ACLU
  3. "Danger to civil liberties when security is strengthened" / CNN
  4.  

 

Multi-Media

  1. Remarks to MoveOn  / Al Gore (Video Clip: Requires Real Player)
  2. Commentary on Patriotism / Kathy Wilson, NPR (Audio)
  3. "America Remembers 9-11" / CNN (Interactive Website)
  4. Faces of the Fallen (Interactive Website) http://www.facesofthefallen.org/
  5. Farewell to an American Soldier / NYTimes Narrated SLideshow
  6. Buddies Bound for the Marine Corps / LATimes Narrated Slideshow
  7.  

 

  

Historical

Readings

  1. US Library of Congress Countrry Studies History of the US http://countrystudies.us/united-states/
  2.  

Multi-Media

  1. Malcolm X: "Message To The Grass Roots" 10 Nov, 1963 in Detroit, MI http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/malcolmxgrassroots.htm
  2. Edward M. Kennedy: “Truth and Tolerance in America” 3 October 1983 http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/edwardkennedytruth&tolerance.htm
  3. The origins and history of Independence Day (Audio) http://talkinghistory.oah.org/shows/2005/IndependenceDay.mp3
  4.  

 

  

Miscellaneous

 

Readings

  1. "The Values Americans Live By" / L. Robert Kohls

  2. CNN Article - Most Young People Cannot Find Iraq on a Map

  3.  

 

Multi-Media

  1.  VOA Special English http://www.voanews.com/specialenglish/
  2. Goodbye Speech (Baz Luhrmann) Everybody’s Free http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/bazluhrmannsunscreen.htm
  3. Chasing 714 (Barry Bonds) - NYTimes Narrated Slideshow
  4.  

 

 EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION

Virtual Presentation Assistant / University of Kansas - Communication Department
http://www.ku.edu/~coms/virtual_assistant/vpa/vpa.htm