Are you hoping to get a job where you do what you love for work? What sorts of working conditions would you be willing to accept, if it meant you could work your dream job? Low pay? Long hours? Short and flexible contracts? Younger generations of Americans face a lot of trade offs in the job market. Why are people experiencing so much job insecurity, today? Is that due to automation? Or to some mixture of other causes? Are people experiencing similar sorts of troubles in other wealthy countries? Or is there something exceptional about the American job market? What does it feel like to live in a world of gigs, hustles, and influencers? Why does it seem like everyone has to sell themselves, to promote themselves, or to be an entrepreneur, just to get by?
General instructions
Your reading response should be at least 300 words and refer to the readings for both of this week’s sessions.
To get started, please refer to the prompts and questions listed on the syllabus and reproduced above.
You do not need to answer all of the questions asked. However, you do need to show that you are engaging with the readings.
Summarize the authors’ arguments, define or clarify what you see as the key theoretical concepts used, and analyze key quotes from the readings. What did you not understand? What are your questions about the text?
Quote from readings and include relevant page numbers in parentheses.
Note that these are low stakes assignments. They are graded on a full-credit/half-credit/no-credit basis.
These responses should take about one hour to write.
