In Unit 1, you have learned about various academic habits of mind and seen how McGhee uses them to engage in a process of inquiry. From the beginning, she is motivated by the question “Why can’t we have nice things?” (xi). She is referring to things like a good education, a fair criminal justice system, responsive healthcare, and functional infrastructure. In conducting research, she realizes that people’s actions are more influenced by their values than by facts and numbers. That is, our beliefs about the world are shaped by the stories we hear and tell ourselves, even if the stories are not true, and these beliefs can lead to policies (rules and laws) that have harmful consequences for everyone.
Essay Prompt
Write an essay in which you answer the central question, “How do we rethink the harmful stories and beliefs we’ve been taught?”
Sources
USE OUR PRIMARY TEXT:
McGhee, Heather. The Sum of Us (Introduction and Chapters 1-3)
USE AT LEAST ONE OF THESE TEXTS:
“Habits of Mind,” from the Framework for Success in Postsecondary Writing
Briceno, Eduardo. “The Power of Belief”
Cornwall, Gail “How to Instill a Growth Mindset in Kids”
Hilton, Adriel “Prominent Scholar Calls Growth Mindset a ‘Cancerous’ Idea, in Isolation” Steele, Claude. “Stereotype Threat”
