EXP 389 Essay 5: Some people believe that it is human nature to be cruel to others.
Some people believe that it is human nature to be cruel to others. These people might argue that this cruelty is why Stanley Milgram’s subjects acted as they did, and why no one helped Kitty Genovese. Do you accept this explanation of human psychology? Yes? No? Somewhat? And why do you see it like you do? What kinds of circumstances induce cruel behavior? What does this tell you about how cruelty fits into our human nature? Use the cases we read about to help you construct your argument.
In coming up with your own position on this issue, I encourage you to think about all that you’ve learned about in the cases we have read about for this assignment:
• “The Perils of Obedience” by Stanley Milgram,
• The Kitty Genovese case as discussed in Chapter 4 of Lauren Slater’s Opening Skinner’s Box “In the Unlikely Event of a Water Landing: Darley and Latane’s Training Manual—A Five Stage Approach”
• Darley and Latane’s experiments as discussed in Chapter 4 of Lauren Slater’s Opening Skinner’s Box “In the Unlikely Event of a Water Landing: Darley and Latane’s Training Manual—A Five Stage Approach”
Consider the grey areas, rather than arguing strictly on one side or the other. Instead of saying YES we are cruel, or NO we are not, try to come up with a more complex answer to explain human behavior in these cases.
In your essay, be sure to include:
• Support for your argument with relevant ideas, information, and quotations from Milgram’s essay
• Support for your argument with relevant ideas, information, and quotations from Slater’s Chapter 4
Things to Shoot For:
• Show that you have carefully read the texts from this unit, and that you have fully digested and considered the different viewpoints and evidence.
• Show you are really thinking about the topic—these are complex questions, so don’t settle for easy answers. And don’t feel that you have to take an either-or position.
• Write so that someone not in our class could understand it. Assume your audience has not read these texts. That means you’ll need to briefly summarize key ideas/information and explain any unfamiliar terms.
• Write at least 4 complete pages, typed, 12 point font, double-spaced, 1 inch margins.
Turn-in Procedures:
• Your final draft is due Friday, May 2nd
• Submit the essay to Turnitin.com via Blackboard by 11:59 PM on Friday, May 2nd
• Bring a hard copy to class with the following documents in one pocket of your assignment folder:
o Writing Center Signature form
o Draft you reviewed during your Writing Center conference
o Any drafts you brought to class for peer review, conferences, etc.
o A blank rubric
Writing Center Signature Sheet Writing Conference Instructor: ________________
EXP 389/ Writing Conference Instructor’s Initials:_________
Fall 2013 Date and time of your visit: ___________________
Remember,
• The signature form must be complete by Thursday, May 1st
• You must bring the prompt, this signature sheet, and any writing you have completed to get credit for a formal conference in WR 380.
• This sheet must be signed, dated, and complete in order to receive credit for your conference in EXP 389.
• You can only get credit for one formal conference per writing assignment, but I encourage you to meet with an instructor more than once during your writing process.
Complete this portion before your conference:
1. What is working well for you and what are you struggling with in Essay 5?
2. What specific questions do you have about Essay 5?
Complete this portion after your conference:
1. Identify the specific elements of your draft you discussed in your conference.
2. Explain what you learned from your conference.
Focus Questions for Essay 5
“The Perils of Obedience” by Stanley Milgram
• Explain Milgram’s experiment and the reactions of the participants in the experiment as well as Milgram’s analysis of reasons why subjects responded as they did
“In the Unlikely Event of a Water Landing: Darley and Latane’s Training Manual—A Five Stage Approach” (Chapter 4 of Opening Skinner’s Box) by Lauren Slater
• Explain the Kitty Genovese case and Darley and Latane’s experiment and discuss the various theories about what causes a bystander to avoid action in an emergency.
Reading Activities for Essay 5
“The Perils of Obedience” by Stanley Milgram
For this reading assignment, I would like you to annotate the text, focusing on three main areas:
• Note any areas where Milgram explains how the experiment worked
• Note any areas that discuss the reactions of the participants in the experiment.
• Note any areas where Milgram analyzes the reasons why subjects responded as they did.
As you are annotating, be sure you are also noting your reactions to the text in the margins.
“In the Unlikely Event of a Water Landing” by Lauren Slater
For this reading assignment, I would like you to annotate the text, focusing on four main areas:
• Note any areas where Slater describes what happened in the Kitty Genovese experiment
• Note any areas where Slater explains or analyzes bystander’s reactions in the Kitty Genovese experiment
• Note any areas where Slater explains how Darley and Latane’s experiment worked
• Note any areas where Slater explains or analyzes people’s reactions in the Darley and Latane experiment.
As you are annotating, be sure you are also noting your reactions to the text in the margins.
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