– What is a principle reason why people become submissive to authority even when the submission can potentially harm them, either physically or emotionally? This might become a psychological study.
– Why do some people take advantage of their positions in society and abuse their power? Focus on one specific authority figure, one specific way that person abuses his/her power, and one specific reason why that person takes advantage of his/her position. This also lends itself to a psychological study.
– What is a specific consequence of an abuse of power, either to the person/people abused or to the person/people doing the abuse?
– Erich Fromme writes that disobedience to authority is important in specific circumstances. Do you agree/disagree with that idea? If you agree, focus on a specific circumstance where disobedience is important and explain why. If you disagree, explain why people need to always obey.
Your paper must be a minimum of 3-4 pages and you must clarify/support your point of view with two sources: both sources may be from the MCC Library Guides, Obedience to Authority, which appears under the category Power, Privilege, and Responsibility, or one source may be from Obedience to Authority and the other from an online site, either a .edu, .org, or .gov site. Avoid .com and .net sites. Do not use reference sites such as encyclopedia or dictionary.
Note that you can access the Library Guides through the Library icon in Canvas. Then click on English Class Readings (Lib Guides) in the green box, and then on Eng 121 & Eng 122.
Paper 1 Reading List – All the essays are in the MCC Library Guides, Power, Privilege, and Responsibility, Obedience to Authority
Week One – Erich Fromme, “On Disobedience”
– Ta-Nehisi Coates, “Nonviolence as Compliance
Week Two – Jerry M. Burger, “Replicating Milgram”
– You might also consider Stanley Milgram, “The Perils of Obedience”
Week Three – Craig Haney et.al, “Interpersonal Dynamics in a Simulated Prison”
– Maria Konnikova, “The Real Lesson of the Stanford Prison Experiment
– Consider John M. Grohol, “What We can Learn from the Stanford Prison Experiment”
Week Four – Chris Abani, “The Lottery”
– George Orwell, “Shooting an Elephant,” – This article appears under Prejudice and Discrimination in Power, Privilege and Responsibility.
