Attached is the PDF of the book we are using for this assignment. Other sources are optional. If you use an outside source, be sure to mention what it was and where you found it.
PLEASE ANSWER 2 OF THE 3 QUESTIONS TO ANSWER:
1. (From chapter 12) Some social critics are of the opinion that the spread of electronic media is destroying literacy. Standardized test scores of reading and writing ability have in fact gone down in recent years. Are the new media the main cause? If so, is the slow destruction of the printed media by the electronic media a bad thing?
2. (From chapter 13) Discuss the rise of early radio broadcasting. What were some of the early intended purposes of radio? Who took it in other directions and why? What were the social repercussions? Do you think we have witnessed any similar phenomena in recent decades and if so, what? What are some similarities and/or differences?
3. (From chapter 13) Explain how the electronic media, especially television, has forever changed American politics, citing examples. Do you think this is good or bad? Why?
4. (From chapter 15) To make effective use of firearms, soldiers had to be well-drilled and subjected to rigid discipline. How have military models of organization influenced non-military social institutions? What are the advantages and disadvantages of military styles of organization when they are applied elsewhere? Note: much of the material in this question is found in chapter 15.
5. (From chapter 15). For all of its horrors, war has historically provided opportunities for people to demonstrate some real virtues such as resourcefulness, initiative, and courage. Have modern military technologies made these virtues irrelevant? If so, does the loss of these virtues make war more tragic than ever before?
6. (From chapter 17) Explain MAD. Do you think this is an inherently immoral policy? Can it continue to be the cornerstone of our military policy? Are there any alternatives other than the forging of effective arms control policies? Do you think that the rational fear of destruction that leaders and people in both the U.S. and Soviet Union may have felt are shared by all who seek nuclear weapons in the world today? What are the potential dangers of continued nuclear proliferation?
