Summer Reading List 2015 English Department Summer Reading for Summer 2015 All Rising 9th graders will read True Grit by Charles Portis. Students should annotate their books, marking themes, questions, unfamiliar words, favorite passages, major plot moments and rhetorical devices. The first day of classes, they should arrive with their books, expecting an assessment on facts and themes.* All Rising 10th graders will read A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest J. Gaines. Students should annotate their books, marking themes, questions, unfamiliar words, favorite passages, major plot devices and characters. The first day of classes, they should arrive with their books, expecting an assessment on facts and themes.* All Rising 10th graders entering Honors Genre Studies should also read a book from the following list headed Honors Genre Studies. They should prepare to give a two minute oral presentation convincing others to either read or avoid the book. This presentation is not a plot review, but rather a sharp and convincing textual analysis. Honors Genre Studies (in alphabetical order by title) The Bean Trees by Barbara Kingsolver Ceremony by Leslie Marmon Silko The Color Purple by Alice Walker Emma by Jane Austen Great Expectations by Charles Dickens Haroun and the Sea of Stories by Salman Rushdie I am Malala by Malala Yousafza I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven by Sherman Alexie The Reivers by William Faulkner Tandia by Bryce Courtenay (follow up to The Power of One) A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini The Women of Brewster Place by Gloria Naylor
All Rising 11th graders will read A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry. Students should annotate their books, marking themes, questions, unfamiliar words, favorite passages, major plot moments and rhetorical devices. The first day of classes, they should arrive with their books, expecting an assessment on facts and themes.* All Rising 11th graders enrolled in or seeking to enroll in Advanced American Literature should also read a book from the following list headed American Literature. They should prepare to give a two minute oral presentation convincing others to either read or avoid the book. This presentation is not a plot review, but rather a sharp and convincing textual analysis. American Literature (in alphabetical order by title) All the King’s Men by Robert Penn Warren All the Pretty Horses by Cormac McCarthy The Autobiography of Malcolm X as told to Alex Haley Behind the Beautiful Forevers by Katherine Boo Catch 22 by Joseph Heller Clybourne Park by Bruce Norris (follow up to A Raisin in the Sun) Clockers by Richard Price Cold Mountain by Charles Frazier Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole The Day of the Locust by Nathaniel West Devil in the White City by Erik Larsen Dreams of my Father by Barack Obama Empire Falls by Richard Russo The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand In Cold Blood by Truman Capote In the Time of Butterflies by Julia Alvarez Jazz by Toni Morrison Love Medicine by Louise Erdrich March by Geraldine Brooks Matterhorn by Karl Marlantes Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides The Moviegoer by Walker Percy Native Son by Richard Wright Native Speaker by Chang-Rae Lee Roots by Alex Haley Secret History by Donna Tartt Slouching Towards Bethlehem by Joan Didion Sometimes a Great Notion by Ken Kesey State of Wonder by Ann Patchett The Unvanquished by William Faulkner Woman Warrior by Maxine Hong Kingston
All Rising 12th graders will read Atonement by Ian McEwan. Students should annotate their books, marking themes, questions, unfamiliar words, favorite passages, major plot devices and characters. The first day of classes, they should arrive with their books, expecting an assessment on facts and themes.* All Rising 12th graders are required to bring to their first English class a polished essay response to one of the Common Application essay questions. Senior English teachers will grade these essays and then will work with their students to further edit these essays. Zeros will be assigned to students who do not bring an essay to class. All Rising 12th graders enrolled in Advanced British Literature should also read a book from the following list headed British and World Literature. They should prepare to give a two minute oral presentation convincing others to either read or avoid the book. This presentation is not a plot review, but rather a sharp and convincing textual analysis. British and World Literature (in alphabetical order by title) Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie Angela’s Ashes by Frank McCourt Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy Blindness by Jose Saramago Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese The Death of Atermio Cruz by Carlos Fuentes Disgrace by J. M. Coetzee Five Quarters of the Orange by Joanne Harris The French Lieutenant’s Woman by John Fowles The Garden Party by Vaclav Havel The Glass Palace by Amitav Ghosh The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy The Inheritance of Loss by Kiran Desai July’s People by Nadine Gordimer King Rat by James Clavell Midnight’s Children by Salman Rushdie Narcissist and Goldman by Herman Hesse One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez Out Stealing Horses by Per Petterson A Passage to India by E. M. Forster A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man by James Joyce Possession by A.S. Byatt The Reluctant Fundamentalist by Mohsin Hamid Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts The Sheltering Sky by Paul Bowles Snow by Orham Pamuk Tess of the D’Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy Wind Up Bird Chronicle by Haruki Marukami Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens Vanity Fair by William Thackeray
*Note: If a student is enrolled in a class that most of the grade is not in (a junior in 12th grade class, for instance), that student should read for the class in which he or she is enrolled, and not the grade-wide text. Episcopal High School Social Studies Summer Reading 2015
Students in all Social Studies courses (except second semester electives) are expected to read a book and prepare the specific assignment/s listed below. This is a great opportunity for students to begin learning the course material in advance and to start the quarter in good standing!
All summer reading and assignments are DUE the first day of classes and assignments will be considered a test grade in the first quarter. *The regular late paper policy will apply (5 points a day will be deducted for each class day the journal is late for up to a week when the grade becomes a 0). It is advised that papers are finished and printed at home before returning to campus. Early-return athletes are also encouraged to complete the assignments before arriving on campus due to the busy nature of pre-season!
The books for each course have been chosen to generate interest and enthusiasm for the subject. We encourage parental involvement in the process of reading and discussing the books!
Books should be available through ClassBooks (our online bookstore), or any other bookstore.
Themes in Global History 1: Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe (ISBN: 0-385-47454-7) Nine chapter prompts are outlined in an attached document and are due on Thursday, September 10th. Each prompt should have a one-paragraph, thoughtful response, supported with points from the book.
Themes in Global History 2: The Lost King of France by Deborah Cadbury. (ISBN 9780312320294). A multiple-choice test will be given Thursday, September 10th. A study guide answering chapter questions (attached) will also be due Thursday, September 10th.
Honors Global History 2: Document Studies Fire and Light: How the Enlightenment Transformed Our World by Jame MacGregor Burns (ISBN 978-1-250-02489-3). A directed journal answering the chapter questions (attached) will be due Thursday, September 10th.
US History: Student choice of any book from the Oxford University Press: Pivotal Moments in American History http://ukcatalogue.oup.com/category/academic/series/history/pmah.do (list attached) Four guiding questions (attached) will be answered in a coherent, analytically developed, short-answer response of approximately 150 words, are due on Thursday, September 10th.
Advanced United States History: Revolutionary Characters: What Made the Founders Different by Gordon S. Wood (ISBN 978-0-14-311208-2). A directed journal answering the chapter questions (attached) will be due Thursday, September 10th.
Advanced Government Seminar: Students choose their own book (after meeting with Mr. Goodnow in the spring), which should cover a significant aspect of US policy and politics during 1981-present. A (4-5 page) critique of the book will be due Thursday, September 10th.
Advanced Micro Economics: The Travels of a T-shirt in the Global Economy by Pietra Rivoli nd Paperback 2 edition: 2009 (ISBN-13: 978-0470287163 or 978-1118950142) A directed journal answering the chapter questions will be due Thursday, September 10th.
Advanced Human Geography: Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser (ISBN: 978-0547750330) Students will turn in a (4-5 page) commentary on any aspect of the book and have a reading quiz on Thursday, September 10th.
Advanced Research Seminar: Resistance and Power in the American South: Honor and Slavery by Kenneth S. Greenberg (ISBN 0-691-01719-0). A directed journal answering the chapter questions will be due Thursday, September 10th.
Advanced History of Theology: Athanasius: The Life of Antony & The Letter to Marcellinus (ISBN: 978-0809122950) Students do not need to read the Letter to Marcellinus. This course will focus on the following themes: Slavery, gender, war, wealth, and empire. Select one of these themes that Athanasius focuses on in his Life of Antony. How did Athanasius address this theme? Respond in an analytical essay of 3-5 pages.
Introduction to Economics: Hot, Flat, and Crowded (Release 2.0 Updated and Expanded) by Thomas L. Freedman (Farrar, Straus and Giroux paperback ISBN 978-0312428921). Students are required to read chapters 1-12 and 17-19 (chapters 13-16 are optional). A minimum 3-page commentary developing an analysis and critique of any aspect of the book will be due in class on Thursday, September 10th.
History & Politics of Food: The Big Oyster: History on the Half Shell by Mark Kurlansky (paperback ISBN:978-0-345-47639-5) A (3-5 page) commentary developing an analysis and critique of any aspect of the book will be due in class on Thursday, September 10th.
Introduction to Government: Students choose their own book (after meeting with Mr. Goodnow in the spring), which should cover a significant aspect of US policy and politics during 1981-present. A (3-5 page) critique of the book will be due Thursday, September 10th.
Global History 1 Summer Reading (2015)
Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe
Chinua Achebe (1930-2013) was born in an Ibo (also called Igbo) village in Nigeria. His father was a recent convert to Christianity, so Achebe was brought up a Christian. He published Things Fall Apart in 1958 and he quickly became Nigeria’s (perhaps Africa’s) best known writer.
Global History 1 has seven essential themes dealing with geography, government, beliefs, social structure, culture, how societies relate to each other and why some societies are more successful than others. All these themes are important in Things Fall Apart.
Throughout this course, you will hear many narratives written by people across time and space. As you begin the year with Things Fall Apart, we encourage you to consider the power of multiple stories, the value of different perspectives and voices, and the complexity of the past. While it’s not a required part of your written response, we encourage you to think about the effect that stories you’ve heard, as well as stories you’ve chosen to tell, have had on your life.
Directions: Read and enjoy the story itself, but we are more concerned in history with how the society works. Write 9 short paragraphs, one on each of the bulleted points below. The chapter prompts are meant to help you find the material you need but feel free to use anything from the entire book in any of your paragraphs.
Part 1: We want to concentrate here on the society in the Nine Villages of Umuofia and how it worked. While this story takes place about 1900, with the exception of a couple of pieces of technology, like Okonkwo’s gun, this part of the book could have taken place in an African village any time after the beginning of agriculture, thousands of years ago. This society had been successfully functioning for a long time!
Chapter 1: What are the differences between Okonkwo and his father Unoka. What makes a man successful in the Nine Villages of Umuofia? What does this society value in men (we will look more at women later). What is Okonkwo’s greatest fear?
Chapter 2: How are decisions like going to war made in Umuofia? What role do men and women play respectively?
Chapter 3: Look up “Slash and burn” agriculture on Wikipedia. We learn here another difference between Okonkwo and Unoka in how they farm. How did Okonkwo make his start in the village?
Chapter 5: Look up the definition of “polygamy.” How are women treated in Okonkwo’s family? Do women have any choices? Why do you think this society practices polygamy?
Chapters 7 and 8: What happened to Ikemefuma and why did it happen? What was Okonkwo’s role in the fate of Ikemefuma, why did he do what he did, and how did he feel about it?
Chapters 4, 6, 9 and 11: Look up “Animism” on Wikipedia. Religion has already come up a number of times. What have you learned about religion in Umuofia? Who is Chielo and what is her way of solving the ogbanje problem?
Chapters 10 and 13: How does the village resolve disputes? What happened at the funeral? Are there laws in Umuofia? How is the law administered in Umuofia?
Part 2: In part 2 you meet the first white men (the British) and things begin to fall apart in Umuofia. At first Okonkuo must witness these events from afar, but then he became personally involved. This part of the book is more an introduction to Global History 2 that you will take in the 10th grade.
Chapters 14-25: Why do some people join the Christians? There is an important generalization here. In any society, who wants change?
How does Okonkwo envision his return to Umuofia? Who are the people who resist change in any society? ______
Global History 2 Summer Reading (2015)
The Lost King of France: How DNA Sovled the Mystery of the Murdered Son of Louis XVI and Marie-Antoinette by Deborah Cadbury
In 1789, France exploded into a large, and often violent, revolution. In many ways the French Revolution was one of the most important events in history. The summer reading book focuses on the lives (and deaths) of the royal family during the French Revolution.
Study Guide
Directions: For your assignment, you should read Part I of the book, through page 161. Complete the following reading guide and turn it in on the first day of classes. The reading guide will count as 20% of your grade. Your responses to the questions on the reading guide should be typed in complete sentences. Also, on the first day of classes you will take a multiple-choice test, which will count as 80% of your grade. The test is open notes (you may use your reading guide), but not open book.
People:
There are a lot of names in this story. Many are only mentioned a couple of times, and you don’t need to worry about them. However, pay special attention to:
Marie Antoinette (Sometimes called Maria-Antonia) King Louis XVI Louis-Charles (Sometimes called the Dauphin or Charles Capet) Marie-Therese Maximilien Robespierre La Fayette
Chapter One:
Who was Marie Antoinette? Where was she originally from?
What were the events surrounding her marriage?
What was Palace of Versailles? How was it used in the 1700s? (You will need to do some internet research).
Look up “dauphin” in the dictionary. Write out the definition in your own words.
What problems did Louis XVI face when he became king of France?
How effective was Louis XVI as king?
As queen, how did Marie Antoinette spend her days?
What did the people in Paris think of Marie Antoinette?
Chapter Two:
How did the diamond necklace hurt Marie Antoinette’s reputation?
What was the Estates-General? What were the three estates?
Look up “clergy” “nobles” and “commoner” in the dictionary. Write out the definition in your own words.
Who was Robespierre? What was his role in the Estates-General?
What was the National Assembly?
What happened at the Bastille?
In October 1789, the women of Paris went to Versailles. Why? What did they do while there?
Why did Louis XVI and his family leave Versailles and go back to Paris?
Chapter Three:
What was the Tuileries?
How did the National Assembly take away power from the king?
What was the National Guard? What was its role in the Revolution? Who was the commander?
How did the royal family leave the Tuileries?
Look up “berline.” Write out the definition in your own words.
Why did the royal family return to the Tuileries?
Who were the Jacobins? What did they want?
**Note: in 1792 the National Assembly changed its name to the Legislative Assembly**
Who were the sans-culottes?
Why was the royal family forced out the Tuileries? Where did they go?
What was the Paris Commune?
Chapter Four:
What was the Temple?
What happened to the Princesse de Lamballe?
**Note: The Legislative Assembly changed its name to the National Convention**
What did Robespierre think should happen to Louis XVI?
Look up “guillotine.” Find a picture on the internet. Write out the definition in your own words.
What was the Committee of Public Safety?
Why was Marie Antoinette separated from her son?
How did other countries react to the execution of Louis XVI?
Chapter Five:
Who was Antoine Simon?
What was the Reign of Terror?
What was the Conciergerie?
Why was Marie Antoinette executed?
How was Louis-Charles treated after he was separated from his mother?
How did Louis-Charles help bring about his mother’s execution?
What were the events leading up to Marie Antoinette’s execution?
How did people react to Marie Antoinette’s death?
Chapter Six:
What is the treatment of Louis-Charles after the departure of Simon?
What was going on with the Terror?
What happened to Maximilien Robespierre?
What did Jean-Jacques Laurent do?
Other Notes: Also take notes on people or events that you think are important. [You may stop at the end of Chapter 6, p. 161.]
Honors Global History 2 Summer Reading (2015)
Fire and Light: How the Enlightenment Transformed Our World by James MacGregor Burns
Instructions: Do not read the entire book. Please only read the chapters assigned. For each chapter, please answer the corresponding questions. Type all responses. The assignment is due the very first day of class. If you have questions, send an email to Mr. Baran at [email protected]
Introduction (Answer each question in three sentences.) What was the “Enlightenment”? What sort of things occurred during this time period? What is the main argument of this book?
Chapter 1 (Answer each question in five sentences. For each give one short quotation as evidence.) What were the main ideas that Hobbes developed? What were the main ideas that Descartes developed? What were the main ideas that Spinoza developed? What were the main ideas that Locke developed?
Chapter 3 (Answer the following question in an analytical paragraph. Give your argument in the very first sentence, or topic sentence. Give three pieces of evidence to support your argument.) What was Jefferson’s most important contribution to the American Revolution? Why?
Chapter 4 (Answer both of the following questions in an analytical paragraph each. Give your argument in the very first sentence, or topic sentence. Give three pieces of evidence to support your argument.) What was the greatest problem in France before the revolution? Why? Consider Voltaire or Rousseau. Whose ideas had the greatest impact on the French Revolution? Why?
Chapter 7 (Answer the following question in an analytical paragraph. Give your argument in the very first sentence, or topic sentence. Give three pieces of evidence to support your argument.) Did Napoleon keep with the ideas of the Enlightenment?
Chapter 8 (Answer the following question in an analytical paragraph. Give your argument in the very first sentence, or topic sentence. Give three pieces of evidence to support your argument.) In what way did the Industrial Revolution change England?
United States History Summer Reading (2015)
Your choice of any book from the… Oxford University Press: Pivotal Moments in American History http://ukcatalogue.oup.com/category/academic/series/history/pmah.do
You can also find a list of the book choices below with the title, author and ISBN number.
Directions: You will have the option to select any one book from twenty-two offered by the Oxford University Press series: “Pivotal Moments in American History.” You have the ability to purchase or borrow from the library a book that matches a time period or theme from U.S. History in which you are interested.
After reading the book, answer the following questions as directly as possible providing enough supporting evidence to be convincing. You should answer each question in a coherent, analytically developed, short-answer response of approximately 150 words. (Remember NEVER use the first person when writing for history. No “I”)
*Practice the critical reading skills that will be so important next year by looking up words you don’t know and marking up the text and taking notes.
*Your responses should be typed, printed out and ready to hand in on the first day of class. Include the book title and author at the top of the first page then make sure you double space and use 12 point font. Remember that this assignment counts as the first major test grade of the year so do a good job!
1. According to the author of your book, why was this event a pivotal movement in American history? What changed as a result of the events described in the book and why was that important in the context of when it happened?
2. Which analytical lens(es) does the author use to explore the topic? How does the approach the author takes help to reveal deeper causes and consequences? (An analytical lens is a tool used to penetrate and explain a topic/issue from a particular perspective. Some examples include: race, class, gender, environment, economic, political, social, cultural, etc)
3. How does the author use historical evidence to support his/her argument? Pick a critical event or issue discussed in the book and assess the evidence used to analyze that event/issue. How effective is the author’s use of evidence?
4. Why does a major theme/issue discussed in your book matter in 2015? What impact does it continue to have on the world you live in?
**Book Choices
Colonial America
A Storm of Witchcraft: The Salem Trials and the American Experience Emerson W. Baker, 978-0-19-989034-7
Braddock's Defeat: The Battle of the Monongahela and the Road to Revolution David L. Preston, 978-0-19-984532-3
The Scratch of a Pen: 1763 and the Transformation of North America Colin G. Calloway, 978-0-19-533127-1
As If an Enemy's Country: The British Occupation of Boston and the Origins of Revolution Richard Archer, 978-0-19-989577-9
Washington's Crossing David Hackett Fischer, 978-0-19-518159-3
The Early Republic and the Jacksonian Era
James Madison and the Struggle for the Bill of Rights Richard Labunski, 978-0-19-534142-3
Adams vs. Jefferson: The Tumultuous Election of 1800 John Ferling, 978-0-19-518906-3
The Birth of Modern Politics: Andrew Jackson, John Quincy Adams, and the Election of 1828 Lynn Hudson Parsons, 978-0-19-975424-3
Seneca Falls and the Origins of the Women's Rights Movement Sally McMillen, 978-0-19-539333-0
Storm over Texas: The Annexation Controversy and the Road to Civil War Joel H. Silbey, 978-0-19-531592-9
The Civil War and Late 19th Century
The Dogs of War: 1861 Emory M. Thomas, 978-0-19-517470-0
Crossroads of Freedom: Antietam James M. McPherson, 978-0-19-513521-3
Lincoln's Last Speech: Wartime Reconstruction and the Crisis of Reunion Louis P. Masur, 978-0-19-021839-3
The Last Indian War: The Nez Perce Story Elliott West, 978-0-19-976918-6
The Roaring 1920s
The Flight of the Century: Charles Lindbergh and the Rise of American Aviation Thomas Kessner, 978-0-19-993117-0
Rainbow's End: The Crash of 1929 Maury Klein, 978-0-19-515801-4
World War II
Roosevelt's Second Act, The Election of 1940 and the Politics of War Richard Moe, 978-0-19-998191-5
The Battle of Midway Craig L. Symonds, 978-0-19-931598-7
The GI Bill: The New Deal for Veterans Glenn Altschuler, Stuart Blumin, 978-0-19-518228-6
The Civil Rights Movement and the Cold War
Brown v. Board of Education: A Civil Rights Milestone and Its Troubled Legacy James T. Patterson, 978-0-19-515632-4
The Bay of Pigs (Cuba) Howard Jones, 978-0-19-975425-0
Freedom Riders: 1961 and the Struggle for Racial Justice Raymond Arsenault, 978-0-19-532714-4
Vortex: The Election of 1968 Michael Cohen, 978-0-19-977756-3
My Lai (Vietnam) Howard Jones, 978-0-19-539360-6
Advanced United States History Summer Reading (2015)
Revolutionary Characters: What Made the Founders Different by Gordon S. Wood Summer Reading Directed Journal
Directions: For this summer reading assignment you will read the sections of the book described below and answer the questions. Below you will see that the writing assignment for this project has been divided into SIX sections. Your written response to each section should be less than 150 words in length. (Remember NEVER use the first person when writing for history. No “I”)
*Use good critical reading skills and look up terms you do not understand. Mark up the text as you read, take notes and work to develop skills that will pay dividends next year.
*Your responses should be typed, printed out and ready to hand in on the first day of class. Remember that this assignment counts as the first major test grade of the year so do a good job!
Section 1) Read “Introduction: The Founders and the Enlightenment” and answer the following questions: What did it mean to be a “gentleman” in 18th Century America? Why did the Founders feel like it was so critical that politicians be “disinterested?” As you answer those questions explain how enlightenment ideals influenced the Founders understanding of both
Section 2-5) Chapters 1 through 8 focus on a different Founding Father. Choose any FOUR of the chapters and read them carefully. While reading look to determine what you believe to be the two or three key critical points that Gordon Wood makes about each Founder. Then for each chapter write a concise, coherent short-answer response explaining what was unique about that Founding Father and what made him “different.” Do not just summarize, choose two or three critical points and write with focus and analytical depth.
Section 6) Read “Epilogue: The Founders and the Creation of Modern Public Opinion” and answer the following questions: How did the definition of “public opinion” change in the decades after the American Revolution? Gordon Wood argues that the forces that the Founders unleashed in the 1770s and 1780s led to the extinction of their style (and quality) of political leadership. Explain what Wood means by this and what it means for how the Founders should be understood in the 21st Century.
Advanced Research Seminar: Resistance and Power in the American South Summer Reading (2015)
Honor and Slavery: Lies, Duels, Masks, Dressing as a Woman, Gifts, Strangers, Humanitarianism, Death, Slave Rebellions, The Proslavery Argument, Baseball, Hunting and Gambling in the Old South by Kenneth S. Greenberg
Directions: For this assignment please read the Greenberg book carefully. Work to hone your critical reading skills and really focus on discerning the analytical argument made in each chapter. Answer the questions below with depth and thoughtfulness. Do not just summarize the chapter. Instead pick a couple of key points the author makes and use those to support your responses. The expectation is that each response will be two to three paragraphs in length.
*Your responses should be typed, printed out and ready to hand in on the first day of class. Remember that this assignment counts as the first major assessment of the year so do a good job!
1) Greenberg claims that Southern men of honor were “superficial” and obsessively concerned with the “world of appearances.” What does he mean by this and how does this explain the meaning and significance of honor to white Southern men?
2) Explain the relationship between “masks” and power in the Old South. How did the threat (or reality) of being unmasked impact social relations?
3) What is the difference between market exchange and gift exchange? How does a “broad” definition of the word “gift” help explain power relations in the Old South?
4) Explain the connection between death, mastery and honor. What contradictions did this obsession with death hold for Southerners?
5) To what extent can a study of the “games” Southern whites played reveal critical aspects of their world view?
Advanced Microeconomics Summer Reading (2015)
There are now two versions of the second edition of Pietra Rivoli’s The Travels of a T-shirt in the Global Economy (Second Edition 2009 or Second Edition 2014) and you may read either, but I recommend the newer one. The newer version has a new preface and epilogue which updates it. Answer the following questions in a journal to be handed in through Turnitin on the first class day in September. Because it’s going to be submitted through Turnitin, it must be a Microsoft Word document. For those of you not familiar with Turnitin it is an originality checking program that compares your wording to other papers and internet sources. If you use a quote from the book please put it in quotation marks and follow it by the page number in parentheses.
Preface (either edition):
• What event caused the author to write this book? • What did she expect to find when she began her journey – what do most economists believe about globalization? • How does she summarize her finding about markets and the T-shirt?
Part 1 – King Cotton
• American cotton farmers have accomplished an extremely rare thing by keeping a comparative advantage in cotton farming in the US for over 200 years. Explain why this has happened – there are two broad categories of reasons. At the end of the section (p. 64 and 65) she uses Thomas Friedman’s metaphor of the gazelles and the lions – it turns out that American cotton farmers are both. • How have American cotton farmers insulated themselves from the “full strength of Market forces?” • What is the “virtuous circle” she talks about? • When the Industrial Revolution increased the demand for cotton, why didn’t cotton farming take off in India or China? • Do you think GM cotton is good or bad? Explain your conclusion with evidence from the book. • What do you think are the implications of patented seeds and “seeding police” for third world farmers? (Why did Ned Cobb give up sharecropping cotton?) • What is the difference between West African cotton farmers and Texas cotton farmers in terms of the role of the government?
Part II – Made in China
• How has cotton fabric manufacturing changed in China since the 1970’s? • Why has the comparative advantage in cotton cloth production moved from Britain, to the northern US, to the Southern US, to Japan, to Hong Kong, and now to China? Why does the author refer to this as the “race to the bottom?” • How does China insure the supply of rural laborers in its mills? • How do the hours worked and working conditions compare between New England cotton textile factories of the 1880’s, southern textile factories of the 1900’s and Chinese factories today? Is the “bottom rising?” • Is trade (globalization) a friend or foe of the planet (ie the environment)? What are the arguments both ways and what do you think. • What does the author feel is the future of the Chinese textile worker?
Part III – Trouble at the Border
This section is more on politics than economics but politics seems to be where most trade controversies are resolved. The problem is that one side usually has a lot to lose (jobs and profits) and so they spend a lot on lobbying, while the benefit to the other side is very widespread but doesn’t affect anyone to the point of passion (lower prices) so they do not lobby – in fact many of the beneficiaries are “rationally ignorant” of their potential gain from trade.
• Why has every US President from Dwight Eisenhower to George W. Bush supported free trade while protecting the textile industry? • Have the textile tariffs protected jobs in the Textile industry? Have US jobs “gone” to China? • What are the “Unintended consequences” of US textile tariffs and quotas? • What happened in 2005 when the MFA quotas on China expired? • How did the British wool industry and parliament react to cheap cotton cloth from India in the 1600’s?
Part IV: My T-shirt finally encounters a free market
• What 4 things might happen to the T-shirts dropped off in Bethesda by the Landon soccer moms? • Is the mitumba industry good or bad for Africans?
Conclusion
• What is the author’s conclusion about world trade and the T-shirt?
Epilogue (only available in the 2nd edition (2014)
• What is the World Trade Organization’s (WTO) stand on most cotton subsidies and how has the industry gotten around these objections? What impact has this had on African cotton farmers? • Why does the Bangladesh experience suggest that the conclusion that the “bottom is rising” may be “more questionable? Interested in more? Look at the NPR/Planet Money production at: http://apps.npr.org/tshirt/#/title