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Sample Assignments by NHR Teachers

Malcolm Gladwell, "The Power of Context: Bernie Goetz and the Rise and Fall of New York City Crime" and:

For more assignment ideas involving this essay, please visit the Gladwell link-o-mat.

Gladwell and Kaldor: Context and the War on Terrorism

In your last paper you were asked to consider the possibilities and limits of “rethinking” to alter the world. In his chapter, “The Power of Context (Part One),” Malcolm Gladwell argues for another way to understand and effect change. While Gladwell looks at the epidemic of crime in New York City in the mid 1980s and the dramatic drop in crime rates a decade later and Mary Kaldor points to “new wars” as an epidemic at the beginning of the 21st century, they both focus on the contagious nature of violence. How does the “Power of Context” help explain why the US is involved in a “war on terrorism” and how does it suggest possible resolutions to this conflict?  Was September 11 a “little thing?” Does Gladwell’s theory have predictive value? That is could it tell us, ahead of time, whether or not the humanitarian approach could “tip” the current epidemic of violence and war to a time of relative peace? What other “signals” or environmental shifts could work to cause this change? Are human’s reactions to violence and war an intrinsic part of how we’re structured or are they subject to small shifts in situation?

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Gladwell and Loffreda: Applying Social Theory to an Individual Case

For your fourth assignment I would like you to make an argument about the way that Loffreda's account complicates Gladwell's thinking on the subject of social change. In other words, the question assumes that the events surrounding the death of Matt Shepherd can be explained using the terms that Gladwell employs–stickiness, the Law of the Few, the Broken Windows Theory–and so on. But I do not want you simply to use Gladwell's essay as a way of interpreting Loffreda's. I also want you to consider the larger implications. What does Loffreda's essay show that Gladwell has failed to consider or to think through completely? Gladwell could be correct in many respects, but he still may have overlooked certain features of social life. What might Gladwell learn from a reading of Loffreda?

A "C" paper will apply Gladwell's terms to Loffreda's text in a clear, competent, and accurate way. A "B" paper will develop the discussion of "complications" more extensively. An "A" paper will explore original and thought-provoking complications while doing everything that the "C" and "B" papers do as well.

At this point in the semester your paper should include the following:

1. An introductory paragraph that (a) presents the problem, question, or context that your essay responds to; (b) identifies the authors under discussion and their works; (c) gives your readers a statement of the argument you will make or the question you will pose

2. A coherent, well-developed argument that draws on textual evidence to support its claims. Textual evidence should be selected carefully and interpreted in order to guide the reader toward your conclusions.

3. Wherever appropriate, textual evidence that makes connections between the authors

4. Well-organized paragraphs that present a unifying main idea through explanation and illustration. Ideally, the first or second sentence of each paragraph should identify the main idea.

5. Clear, grammatically correct prose.

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Gladwell and Schlosser: The Context of Globalization

In his essay about crime in New York, Malcolm Gladwell provides a conceptual framework for the study of cultural change, the “power of context.” In your essay, I would like you to consider how Gladwell might use his theory to explain the “global realization” discussed by Schlosser. Use the “power of context” to develop an argument about the cultural changes that have accompanied globalization.

As you construct your argument, consider the following questions:

How do the central issues in Gladwell’s essay – behavioral change and environmental context – contribute to our discussion of globalization? Gladwell writes about local contexts, but how can we imagine thinking about context in connection to Schlosser’s global culture?

It is probably relatively easy to imagine the sudden and ubiquitous nature of McDonald’s being the consequence of a “tipping point,” but think also about Gladwell’s argument that small changes in context can alter human character. What does this suggest to you about how we should understand Schlosser’s argument about the cultural effects of globalization?

Piper Kendrix Williams, Rutgers University, Spring 2002

From Tradition, Modernity, and Change: Assessing the Value of Re-thinking in an Evolving World.

Malcolm Gladwell demonstrates, in "The Power of Context," how powerful institutions, such as the government, can exert social control over people by making small but significant changes in their environment. In Eric Schlosser's analysis of global capitalism in "Global Realization," he likewise examines the ways that multinational corporations gain popularity across the globe. Is this the same kind of social control that Gladwell describes? What happens when people are influenced not for the benefit of society but for the benefit of a private corporation? How much agency do people have in the context of the global market? Develop a project that states your opinion on the role of the consumer in global capitalism.

Molly Burke, Rutgers University, Spring 2005

From Identity and Agency.

Both Schlosser and Gladwell present examples which illustrate the notion of a tipping point. Consider their articles and describe how each author applies the concept to his particular views and themes. Support your argument with passages from the texts. Offer the reader your own interpretation of a "tipping point." Begin your essay with a thesis statement and base your discussion on the logic of your premise.

Jack Jarmon, Rutgers University, Spring 2005

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Gladwell and Tannen: Language and Social Change

How does Malcolm Gladwell's discussion of the dynamics of social change confirm, contradict, or complicate Tannen's argument? Does Gladwell's account suggest that social change is decided by the strongest argument? Does debate even play a significant role? If public debate and rational deliberation have a marginal influence, why does the university place so high a premium on them? Have professors depicted the social world in the ways that are flattering to themselves? In what ways is this depiction both accurate and inaccurate?

Writing assignment:

Drawing closely on the work of Deborah Tannen and Malcolm Gladwell, please respond to the following assignment question: could "small changes in context" (Gladwell) influence a wider transformation of an adversarial culture into one of dialogue (Tannen)? If yes-how? If no-why not?

Food for thought:

Think about Gladwell's concepts of the Law of the Few, the Stickness Factor, the Tipping Point, and the Power of the Context. How can these be utilized in conjunction with Tannen's plea for a "dialogized" culture? Which of them belong to the realm of debate and which are representative of the dialogue? If the "context-changes" can indeed impact the overall transformation of culture, what is to be gained by this shift? Refer to the writers and to your independent opinion.

Sanja Bahun, Rutgers University, Spring 2005

From Globalization and Global Realization.

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Malcolm Gladwell and James C. Scott

Both Malcolm Gladwell and James C. Scott explore theories of behavior in different realms. While Gladwell is interested in how the context of one's situation shapes one's behavior and the expression of particular aspects of one's character, Scott is more interested in examining how institutionally sanctioned forms of power shape public and private behavior. For this paper, I want you to choose one major aspect of society (such as crime, globalization, social change, activism, aesthetics, ideas about knowledge or "meaning," revolt, war, character, or any other focus of your choosing) to construct a project in which you argue what you believe to be the most significant determinants of behavior, using Scott's and Gladwell's ideas as evidence. Make sure to examine specific examples from both essays in your project.      

Stephanie André, Rutgers University, Spring 2005

From Behavior: Power and Context.

Writing Prompt and Question:

In very different ways, Gladwell and Scott both emphasize the extent to which an individual’s actions are influenced and limited by society. But where Broken Windows theory and the “Power of Context” suggest that “an epidemic can be reversed…by tinkering with the smallest details of the immediate environment,” Scott argues that “if we wish to move beyond apparent consent and to grasp potential acts…we have little choice but to explore the realm of the hidden transcript.” Taking into consideration both Gladwell and Scott’s arguments about the public transcript (Power of Context in Gladwell), to what extent should the hidden transcript be made visible or public? What are some of the political and social implications of “explor[ing] the realm of the hidden transcript?”

Getting Started:

  • What happens when the hidden transcript is made public? How does it change the public transcript?
  • Is “explor[ing] the realm of the hidden transcript” the same thing as making it public? How might Scott’s argument about this towards the end of his essay actually be implemented?
  • Power is a central issue in both essays, but it is understood and theorized differently in each: What does power mean in Scott and Gladwell? How do these different theories of power inform the relationship between the public and hidden transcripts?
  • In what way does the distinction between public and hidden transcripts in Scott, complicate, complement or contradict Gladwell’s theory of the Power of Context?
  • When developing your project and using Scott to frame Gladwell’s essay, remember to take into account the limits of your frame: Are there certain places where Scott’s ideas seem insufficient for analyzing the type of problems Gladwell discusses? What do we learn from Gladwell that we can’t understand from reading Scott alone, and vice versa?
  • Also, be sure to be attentive to the fundamental differences between the politics of Gladwell and Scott, and in particular their different approaches to dissent.

Carrie Hyde, Rutgers University, Fall 2005

From Something Mysterious and Inexplicable.

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Malcolm Gladwell, James C. Scott, and Deborah Tannen

For your last paper, I asked you all to develop a project in which you made a case for the most significant determinants of behavior. For this paper, I want you to construct a project in which you argue for (not summarize) one way in which Tannen's essay complicates Scott's and Gladwell's ideas. Conversely, you could also construct an argument in which you talk about how Scott's ideas complicate Tannen and Gladwell, or how Gladwell complicates the other two. Make sure to examine specific examples from all three essays in your project.  

Stephanie André, Rutgers University, Spring 2005

From Behavior: Power and Context.

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Gladwell, Scott, and Faludi: Behavioral Determinants

In "The Power of Context," Gladwell suggests that "behavior is a function of social context." He explains crime as a product of environmental factors, especially "little things" like broken windows, graffiti, and trash (294). Unlike psychological models, which insist that fundamental character traits and genetics work together to produce behavior, Gladwell emphasizes the significance of "situation" (296). Scott and Faludi also examine several influences on human behavior. Scott discusses the impact of unequal power relations on the behavior of both dominant and subordinate groups, and Faludi suggests that the hazing practiced by upperclassmen on cadets is a product of the tradition of a fourth-class system.

Do these writers have similar or irreconcilable understandings of human behavior? For this paper, you must use Gladwell, Scott, and Faludi to come to a conclusion about the most significant determinants of behavior. What are the practical implications of your understanding of behavior in terms of crime, violence, war, or any other focus of your choosing?

Carrie Preston, Rutgers University, Spring 2003

From Re-Vision, Tradition and Public Life.

In our first two papers, we examined factors affecting human behavior. We thought about James C. Scott's assertion that our actions and speech are significantly influenced (if not determined) by the power differentials in our social interactions. We also analyzed Susan Faludi's observation of the linkage between masculinity and domination at The Citadel. In "The Power of Context," Malcolm Gladwell suggests that the environment surrounding people plays even more of an important role in determining their behavior than their own psychological profiles. In what ways do Scott and Faludi confirm, complicate, or contradict this theory? How much freedom of choice do individuals have when outside factors play such a strong role in determining a person's options?  

Questions to get you started:

What is the Power of Context? Does Gladwell's theory imply that humans "are freer than previously thought or that their behavior is more fully determined than previously thought possible?" (Gladwell 301). Would Scott and Faludi agree with Gladwell's assertion that character is less significant than previously thought?

Molly Burke, Rutgers University, Spring 2005

From Identity and Agency.

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Malcolm Gladwell and Susan Faludi

In "The Power of Context," Gladwell suggests that: "behavior is a function of social context." Do you believe Faludi would agree or does her essay suggest other truths about our society? If so, what would they be? What is your understanding of the most significant determinants of human behavior?

Jack Jarmon, Rutgers University, Spring 2005

Tensions between the Public, the Private, and the Personal (Assignment 5)

In “the Power of Context: Bernie Goetz and the Rise and Fall of New York City Crime,” Malcolm Gladwell proposes a new theory of behavior: that rather than fixed character traits or motivational stimuli, subtle shifts in the environment may determine behavior on individual and social levels. In “The Naked Citadel,” Susan Faludi provides an interesting situation in which to test Gladwell’s ideas. The culture of the Citadel promotes a certain set of values and notions about male identity that are encouraged and enforced by certain rules, norms and customs.

In your essay, use the world of the Citadel as Faludi describes it as a test case for Gladwell’s ideas about change. In formulating your project, decide whether or not a change is called for at The Citadel. If so, what concepts and examples from Gladwell would be effective in this military setting? Which would not? If you think change is not called for at The Citadel, explain why and show how Gladwell’s ideas explain the environment of the school.

Consider the following:

  • Can Shannon Faulkner be considered a “tipping point?”
  • How do conditions in the Citadel resemble the mock prison example?
  • Can solutions for a subway system be applied to a military academy?
  • Are gender and language significant aspects of context?

Laura Smith, Rutgers University, Fall 2005

From Tensions between the Public, the Private, and the Personal.

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Tensions between the Public, the Private, and the Personal (Assignment 6)

Both Susan Faludi and Beth Loffreda describe situations that could be considered tipping points: situations that challenged accepted stereotypes of male identity, that resulted in violence, that were taken up by the media, and that became the catalyst for greater public awareness of the issues of women’s equal opportunity, and gay rights, respectively.

In this essay, you are asked to examine the parallels between The Citadel and the world of Laramie, Wyoming, using Gladwell’s theory of social change. Note the key people, messages and situational cues at work. Consider the following:

  • What are the parallels between Matt Shepard and Shannon Faulkner?
  • How did the media act as a tipping point in each case?
  • Which situational factors led to violence?
  • How did female and gay identities go against accepted norms of “male” identity? How did stereotypes function to challenge and maintain identities?
  • How are larger social tensions reflected in these episodes?

Laura Smith, Rutgers University, Fall 2005

From Tensions between the Public, the Private, and the Personal.

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Malcolm Gladwell and Jon Krakauer

In your last paper you were asked to consider the possible motivation behind Chris McCandless's decision to abandon conventional knowledge. For this paper we are going to examine the excerpt from Krakauer's book in a new light-in relation to Malcolm Gladwell's ideas. In his chapter, "The Power of Context," Malcolm Gladwell argues for another way to understand one's relation to "meaning" and knowledge. While Gladwell looks at the epidemic of crime in New York City in the mid 1980s and the dramatic drop in crime rates a decade later and Jon Krakauer ruminates on a young man's "strange spiritual quest" (Krakauer 420) into the Alaskan wilderness, both authors contemplate the nature of "character".  One seemingly incidental connection between both essays is the description of graffiti in the context of this contemplation of "character." For this paper, I would like you all to engage in some contemplation of your own on this particular connection. Why do you think each author chooses a visual representation such as graffiti to embody his ideas about character?

Stephanie André, Rutgers University, Spring 2005

From Behavior: Power and Context.

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The Future of American Militarism

According to Mary Kaldor, America is transitioning to a new kind of militarism, one aimed at allowing us to fight wars without casualties. At the same time, the US is becoming a major player in various multinational peacekeeping efforts. Evaluate the tensions between these two roles for the American military by using Kaldor's ideas to examine "America's Army," the video game released online by the US Army (http://www.americasarmy.com). You can examine either the video game itself, or the variety of texts surrounding it, such as its forum.

Drafts must be 3 pages long. Final papers must be 4 pages long.

Barclay Barrios, Rutgers University, Fall 2002

From War and Global Change.

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Something Mysterious and Inexplicable (Assignment 1)

[T]he controversy concerning identity is not merely a dispute of words. For when we attribute identity, in an improper sense, to variable or interrupted objects, our mistake is not confined to the expression, but is commonly attended with a fiction, either of something invariable and interrupted, or of something mysterious and inexplicable, or at least with a propensity to such fictions

—David Hume, A Treatise of Human Nature, Book I, Part IV

Writing Prompt and Question:

The “empathy gap” in Gertner and the “power of context” in Gladwell, respectively emphasize the emotional and social conditions that influence our decisions and actions. Gladwell argues at one point that “[c]haracter is more like a bundle of habits and tendencies and interest, loosely bound together and dependent, at certain times, on circumstance and context.” In what ways do the ideas in Gertner, complicate, complement or contradict Gladwell’s statement? How do social and emotional contexts determine and limit individual agency and choice in both essays? How do these contexts change our understanding of an individual’s agency in and responsibility for the commission of crimes and acts of violence?

Getting Started:

  • When developing your project, keep in mind the important differences between the two essays. In particular, you might consider what difference it makes that Gertner emphasizes the impact of emotional states (rather than social conditions) on decision making. Does the category of individual identity remain relatively intact in Gertner?
  • What type of agency, if any, does the individual have in each essay?

Carrie Hyde, Rutgers University, Fall 2005

From Something Mysterious and Inexplicable.

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Something Mysterious and Inexplicable (Assignment 3)

Writing Prompt and Question

Towards the end of “How to Tell a True War Story” O’Brien says, “A thing may happen and be a total lie; another thing may not happen and be truer than the truth” (396). The essay is full of complicated and seemingly contradictory statements like this that dramatize the difficulty of making sense of war and violence. How does the context (Gladwell) of war complicate truth? How does the telling of a war story (its public and or hidden transcripts) further complicate these questions of truth and meaning in the essay? Using the arguments about the “power of context” (Gladwell) and the public and hidden transcripts (Scott) to create a frame for interpreting “How to Tell a True War Story,” address the following question/issue: What is the relationship between the experience of war and the representation of it?

Getting Started:

  • Based on Gladwell’s theory of the “power of context,” how might the context of the war shape meaning and truth in “How to Tell a True War Story”?
  • The following question from the making connections section following Scott’s essay is a great starting point for thinking about O’Brien in relationship to Scott: “In ‘How to Tell a True Story,’ Tim O’Brien insists that the story he has to tell is true, even though that story comes from O’Brien’s collection The Things they Carried, which he explicitly labels a work of fiction. Is O’Brien providing ‘the public transcript’ or the hidden transcript of what it means to go to war? If one accepts Scott’s terminology, it is possible to speak definitively of ‘truth’ and fiction’ or do all accounts become subject to the charge that their authors are interested, biased, or invested in a certain point of view? In fact, is it even possible to tell a true war story’?” (536).
  • When working through these questions of truth, keep in mind the subjectivity of experience and interpretation, as well as the way writing is shaped by imperatives of social performativity?
  • Also, as always, when creating your theoretical frame for the essay, remember to take into account the differences between Scott and Gladwell as well as the limits of applying either to O’Brien’s essay.

Carrie Hyde, Rutgers University, Fall 2005

From Something Mysterious and Inexplicable.

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Power, Civilization, and the Self (Assignment 4)

In “The Ganges’ Next Life,” Alexander Stille writes about India as a traditional country that offers no resistance to outside influence, and yet somehow remains “impregnable” (549). In “The Power of Context,” Malcolm Gladwell writes that “the reason most of us [as individuals] seem to have a consistent character is that most of us are really good at controlling our environment” (191). Basing your ideas on the evidence presented in both essays, address the following: What is the relationship between control and character, when it comes to a country? In what ways, and to what extent, is the character of a society influenced by the control that that society attempts to exert, both over its own members and over external influences?

Remember to play “devil’s advocate.” That is, at some point in your paper discuss the position that is the opposite of the position you are arguing.

To get started with the assignment, do some writing on the following questions:

1. What does Stille mean when he writes that India is “impregnable”?

2. What is Gladwell’s “power of context” argument, exactly? What is a “tipping point”?

3. Do you think that Gladwell’s power of context argument supports Stille’s idea that a “wide-open” society like India can remain “remarkably itself”? Why or why not?

Anthony Alms, Rutgers University, Fall 2005

From Power, Civilization, and the Self.

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Power, Civilization, and the Self (Assignment 5)

In the selections from The Ape and the Sushi Master, Frans de Waal writes of a continuity between “humanity’s heroic combat against forces that try to drag us down” and “the doctrine of original sin” (661). The dualistic outlook that would place civilization at odds with instinct, de Waal maintains, is the same outlook that views morality as a struggle against a sinful human nature. Yet based on various examples of unpremeditated altruism in animals and humans, it appears that civilization and morality may reflect not so much a struggle against evil as a conformity to some essential “goodness.” Moral behavior, in this view, is “firmly anchor[ed]…in the natural inclinations and desires of our species” (663). Basing your argument on the evidence presented in both essays, address the following: What is the relationship between civilization and human nature? Does civilization reflect an essential goodness on the part of humans, or does it exist to rein in a natural tendency toward destructive behavior?

In your paper, be sure to draw equally on both authors.

Anthony Alms, Rutgers University, Fall 2005

From Power, Civilization, and the Self.

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Power, Civilization, and the Self (Assignment 6)

By beginning his essay with a reference to the expression “Speak truth to power,” James C. Scott seems to imply (albeit in retrospect, after defining his terms) that a hidden transcript is a more truthful expression of self than its corresponding public transcript is. The “truth,” suggests Scott, is influenced in some way by the domination of those in power. De Waal and Gladwell likewise suggest that the truth about a given phenomenon may be other than what is typically presented. Using concepts and examples from each author, address the following: How does the current distribution of power, wealth, and status in the United States affect the way in which “truth” is represented here?

Consider the following questions in your prewriting:

1. What are some of the alternative views that Scott, de Waal, and Gladwell argue for, and what accepted views do they argue against?

2. Does each author make a convincing case for the “correctness” of his respective position? That is, do you think the new “truths” presented by each author irrevocably supersede the positions they argue against? Why or why not? 3) Do you think these new views will become commonly accepted as truths? Why or why not?

Anthony Alms, Rutgers University, Fall 2005

From Power, Civilization, and the Self.

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