Themes for Reading

Here are question-based versions of each theme for your ENG 101 collection, focusing on inquiry that invites students to consider various perspectives and contexts:

Appalachia:

"How does Appalachian culture inform our understanding of rural America, and how it is represented in media and literature?

1. Rural Appalachians Face Higher Debt Burdens Than Other Areas Across America by Kristi Eaton
2. The Rural South's Invisible Public Health Crisis by Lyndsey Gilpin
3. Appalachians Are Dying At A Faster Rate Than The Rest Of The Nation by Taylor Sisk
4. The Ninth Myth of Appalachia by Randy Wykoff
5. A Poor Man's Maple Syrup Cultivates a Rich Family Heritage by Kristen Pennycuff Trent
6. Appalachian Foodways by Amanda Green

Artificial Intelligence:

"What challenges and opportunities does artificial intelligence present for the future?

1. The AI Dilemma by J.T. Bushnell
2. What is Digital Literacy by Liza Long
3. Chat Example: A Brief History of Artificial Intelligence in Technology and Pop Culture by Jason Blomquist and Liza Long
4. How Large Language Models (LLMs) Work by Joel Gladd

Classics:

"How do classic works from different cultures shape our understanding of universal themes like love, power, and morality?"​​

1. The Declaration of Independence by Thomas Jefferson
2. The School Days of an Indian Girl by Zitkala-Ša
3. A Modest Proposal by Jonathan Swift

Cultural Awareness:

"How does awareness of different cultural perspectives enrich our understanding of ourselves and others?"

1. The Danger of a Single Story by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
2. Demanding Equal Political Voice by Louis DeSipio
3. How I Celebrate Life on the Day of the Dead by Linda González
4. The School Days of an Indian Girl by Zitkala-Ša

Ecology:

"How do our interactions with the environment reflect our values and priorities as a society?"

1. Is Burning Trash a Good Way to Handle It? by Ana Baptista
2. The Defense Department is Worried about Climate Change by Neta Crawford
3. Sustaining our Commonwealth of Nature and Knowledge by Herman Daly
4. Appalachians Are Dying At A Faster Rate Than The Rest Of The Nation by Taylor Sisk

Gender:

1. A Feminist's Guide to Rom-Coms and How to Watch Them by Ayu Sutriasa
2. Are Batman and Superman the Barometer of Our Times? by Ira Erika Franco
3. The Dude Map by Nikhil Sonnad

History:

"How are historical narratives created, and what influences which stories are told or forgotten?"

1. The Declaration of Independence by Thomas Jefferson
2. The Day Language Came into My Life by Helen Keller
3. How Helen Keller Learned to Talk
4. John F. Kennedy Inauguration Speech by John F. Kennedy
5. Fred Rogers Testifies before the Senate Subcommittee on Communications by Fred
6. A Modest Proposal by Jonathan Swift
7. The School Days of an Indian Girl by Zitkala-Ša

Literacy and Information Technology:

"What does it mean to learn, think and communicate effectively in today’s digital world, and how can we consider information in a mindful way?"

1. How To Read Like a Writer by Mike Bunn
2. Misinformation and Biases Infect Social Media by Giovanni Luca Ciampaglia and Filippo Menczer
3. Writing in the Age of Distraction by Cory Doctorow
4. The Danger of a Single Story by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
5. The Day Language Came into My Life by Helen Keller
6. How Helen Keller Learned to Talk
7. The Dude Map by Nikhil Sonnad

Politics:

"How can citizens exercise their political voice, and what challenges do they face in doing so?"

1. Misinformation and Biases Infect Social Media by Giovanni Luca Ciampaglia and Filippo Menczer
2. The Defense Department is Worried about Climate Change by Neta Crawford
3. Demanding Equal Political Voice by Louis DeSipio
4. The Declaration of Independence by Thomas Jefferson
5. John F. Kennedy Inauguration Speech by John F. Kennedy
6. Fred Rogers Testifies before the Senate Subcommittee on Communications by Fred
7. A Modest Proposal by Jonathan Swift

Pop Culture:

"What role does pop culture play in shaping our identities and understanding of the world around us?"

1. The Danger of a Single Story by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
2. Writing in the Age of Distraction by Cory Doctorow
3. Are Batman and Superman the Barometer of Our Times? by Ira Erika Franco
4. How I Celebrate Life on the Day of the Dead by Linda González
5. Fred Rogers Testifies before the Senate Subcommittee on Communications by Fred
6. The Dude Map by Nikhil Sonnad