Tobacco, Coca and Alcohol
Question 1
Technology can dramatically alter how people behave, what they ingest, or how they interpret the positive or
negative outcomes of their choices. Choose the history of any two of the following topics to discuss how
technology transforms personal choices or pastimes into bad habits (or worse), and also how technology can
reduce the harmful impact of a “bad habit.”
Topics: Tobacco Coca or opioids Interpersonal communication Alcohol
Sexually Explicit Images Swearing
Question 2:
For this essay, I want you to choose a few (three or more) documents from this class’s readings that made an
impression on you or that you think are especially useful for thinking about one or more themes of this class.
Your documents should include:
at least one secondary source (whether an academic journal article or chapter from a book). You could use
Burnham’s whole book, or Methland, but you could use just chapters from them.
at least one primary source (whether text, visual, or other)
optional: a source you found in your readings or for a class assignment
They don’t have to be about the same behavior or habit—mix and match if you choose. Perhaps you want to
talk about e-cigarettes and online gambling, as a way to discuss the commercialization of vice, or the way
economics or times of crisis shape how we judge people’s activities. In calling this a “Personal Essay,” I’m not
suggesting that you write about you and your vices, but that you choose the topic, based on the readings that
you want to talk about.
Sample Solution
Profanity is the disparagement of sacred objects, including religious objects and concepts, family relations, or taboo topics in public. From the lexical perspective, irreverent words are those that refer to holy or taboo subjects without moderation with expected degree of reverence. Profane words may involve slang, rather than the official, clinical, or appropriate terminology (O’neil, 2001). Thus, from the antecedent delimitations, if the infringement is religious, it is referred to as blasphemy. It is worth noting that such profanities are often cascaded to describe bodily parts sometimes with permission of the copyright owner. Similarly, replication is prohibited without prior authorization.
