MA 260 / Week Two Discussion: Hip-Hop Music

       Hip hop music is praised as a way of empowering minorities in joining our cultural conversation. In the same time, some hip hop artists, such as Snoop Dogg, are criticized for demeaning women in their music. What's your take on this issue?

MA 260 / Week Two Discussion: Is There Too Much Music?

       Read this article: Is There Too Much Music. Tell us if you agree or disagree with the author's claim that music in modern society is more like "cheese-cake."

COM 325 / Week Two Discussion: Identity: What Exactly Is It?

       Identity is huge in one's life. People sometimes die for "who they are" and "what they stand for." Yet, identity is not innate, it is something we cultivate in our mind over time. Sometimes, it could be very trivial, vanity-related, and even empty. We can get rid of the concept of identity without losing the true value of the self. To me, identity is an embellishment and a mask I learn to get rid of day by day as I age; what do you think?  

COM 325 / Week One Discussion: Fundamentalism vs. Relativism: Pros and Cons

       There are two meta-perspectives in cultural studies: fundamentalism and relativism. Both provide ethical guidelines for intercultural communication. Yet, both have their limitations. What are the strengths of fundamentalism ethics and relativism ethics; what are their shortcomings?

MA 260 / Week One Discussion: Critical Thinking: My Story

       Tell us about your experience with critical thinking in regard to mass media. How did you find the mass media narratives to be inaccurate and biased? How did you find alternative evidence to challenge the claims made by the mainstream media? How did you come to a more reasonable interpretation of events? Have you tried to protest the media for its bias and manipulation?

COM 325 / Week One Discussion: Ethnocentrism: Pros and Cons

   Let's admit it, we all have our fair share of ethnocentrism. For example, as a parent, I don't like to listen to my daughter praising her friends' families as cooler than mine after each visit. It is understandable to defend your home turfs. The problem is that sometimes our ethnocentrism goes to extremes. We refuse to admit our own mistakes and think ourselves exceptionally good. Please make a measured argument in regard to the pros and cons of ethnocentrism.  

MA 260 / Week One Discussion: Explain "Culture as a Map"

    How does the "culture as a map" model explain our relationship with our culture?  Have you ever found that sometimes this map is quite outdated?  Have you ever found that sometimes this map is skewed by our worldview, our values, and our prejudices? How does mass media influence the mapping of our culture?