Don Dyson
Taking Sides: Clashing Views in Family and Personal Relationships
Don Dyson
Taking Sides: Clashing Views in Family and Personal Relationships
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The Taking Sides Collection on McGraw-Hill Create® includes current controversial issues in a debate-style forma designed to stimulate student interest and develop critical thinking skills. This Collection contains a multitude of current and classic issues to enhance and customize your course. You can browse the entire Taking Sides Collection on Create or you can search by topic, author, or keywords. Each Taking Sides issue is thoughtfully framed with Learning Outcomes, an Issue Summary, an Introduction, and an "Exploring the Issue" section featuring Critical Thinking and Reflection, Is There…mehr
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The Taking Sides Collection on McGraw-Hill Create® includes current controversial issues in a debate-style forma designed to stimulate student interest and develop critical thinking skills. This Collection contains a multitude of current and classic issues to enhance and customize your course. You can browse the entire Taking Sides Collection on Create or you can search by topic, author, or keywords. Each Taking Sides issue is thoughtfully framed with Learning Outcomes, an Issue Summary, an Introduction, and an "Exploring the Issue" section featuring Critical Thinking and Reflection, Is There Common Ground?, Additional Resources, and Internet References. Go to the Taking Sides Collection on McGraw-Hill Create® at www.mcgrawhillcreate.com/takingsides and click on "Explore this Collection" to browse the entire Collection. Select individual Taking Sides issues to enhance your course, or access and select the entire Dyson: Taking Sides: Clashing Views in Family and Personal Relationships, 11/e book here http://create.mheducation.com/createonline/index.html#qlink=search%2Ftext%3Disbn:1260181545 for an easy, pre-built teaching resource. Visit http://create.mheducation.com for more information on other McGraw-Hill titles and special collections.
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Produktdetails
- Produktdetails
- Verlag: McGraw Hill LLC
- 11th edition
- Seitenzahl: 224
- Erscheinungstermin: 12. März 2019
- Englisch
- Abmessung: 272mm x 213mm x 10mm
- Gewicht: 476g
- ISBN-13: 9781260181548
- ISBN-10: 1260181545
- Artikelnr.: 54802588
- Herstellerkennzeichnung
- Libri GmbH
- Europaallee 1
- 36244 Bad Hersfeld
- 06621 890
- Verlag: McGraw Hill LLC
- 11th edition
- Seitenzahl: 224
- Erscheinungstermin: 12. März 2019
- Englisch
- Abmessung: 272mm x 213mm x 10mm
- Gewicht: 476g
- ISBN-13: 9781260181548
- ISBN-10: 1260181545
- Artikelnr.: 54802588
- Herstellerkennzeichnung
- Libri GmbH
- Europaallee 1
- 36244 Bad Hersfeld
- 06621 890
Don Dyson, PhD is an Associate Professor at WidenerUniversity's Center for Human Sexuality Studies. Dr. Dyson received his Masters in SocialService from Bryn Mawr Graduate School of Social Work and Social Research andhis Doctorate in Philosophy from the University of Pennsylvania in EducationalLeadership/Human Sexuality.
UNIT 1: What Makes a Family?
Issue: Are Traditional Families Better Than Nontraditional Families?
YES: Allan C. Carlson and Paul T. Mero, from "The Natural Family: A
Manifesto," Howard Center (2006)
NO: Mark Good, from "Nontraditional Families and Childhood Progress through
School," Original essay written for this volume (2012)
Allan Carlson is President of the Howard Center for Family, Religion &
Society and Distinguished Fellow in Family Policy Studies at the Family
Research Council in Washington, D.C. Paul Mero is President of the
Sutherland Institute and a Trustee of the ALS Foundation. Carlson and Mero
argue that America needs to return to a traditional family headed by a man
and woman. Mark Good is a Professor of Counselor Education at West Chester
University and the President of Opn-Wyd, a diversity and communication
company. Good argues that diversity in traditional and nontraditional
families is healthy. In fact, he argues that it can be damaging to hold up
the traditional family as the ideal familial structure.
Issue: Are Teenagers Too Young to Become Parents?
YES: The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy, from
"One in Three: The Case for Wanted and Welcomed Pregnancy," The National
Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy (2007)
NO: Simon Duncan, Claire Alexander, and Rosalind Edwards, from "What's the
Problem with Teenage Parents?" Tuffnell Press (2010)
The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy is dedicated
to reducing teenage pregnancy. Their research argues that teens face
significant consequences if they have unplanned pregnancy. Simon Duncan,
Claire Alexander, and Rosalind Edwards have written a chapter in a book
about teen pregnancy and parenting. This chapter, which takes a global
perspective by looking at another Western society, England, argues that
teenage pregnancy and parenting is not a problem.
Issue: Is Polyamory a Good Alternative for Relationships and Families?
YES: Elisabeth Sheff, from "What You Can Learn from Polyamory," Greater
Good (2017)
NO: Alan J. Hawkins, Betsy VanDenBerghe, and Lynae Barlow, from "The New
Math of 'Consensual Nonmonogamy'," National Review (2017)
Elisabeth Sheff, PhD, CASA, CSE is an educational consultant and expert
witness serving sexual and gender minorities. She is the author of The
Polyamorists Next Door and When Someone You Love Is Polyamorous, as well as
numerous academic and legal articles about polyamory, gender, families, and
sexual minorities. Sheff presents evidence that the basic tenets of
polyamory are not only healthy, but can teach monogamists skills for
healthier relationships. Alan J. Hawkins is a professor and Lynae Barlow an
undergraduate student in the Brigham Young University School of Family
Life. Betsy VanDenBerghe is a writer based in Salt Lake City. Hawkins and
VanDenBerghe are the authors of the National Marriage Project report
"Facilitating Forever." Hawkins, Barlow, and VanDenBerghe argue that power
dynamics, individual suffering, and preservation of family norms are all
key reasons why polyamory is untenable.
Issue: Should Same-sex Adoption Be Legal?
YES: Elizabeth A. Harris, from "Same-Sex Parents Still Face Legal
Complications," The New York Times (2017)
NO: Jules Gomes, from "Is Gay Adoption Wrong? The Children Say Yes,"
Anglican Ink (2017)
Elizabeth Harris has been a culture reporter at The New York Times since
2009. In her tenure at the times, she has written from a variety of
positions on issues from real estate to education foreign affairs. Harris
argues that although same-sex adoption is legal in most cases, there are
state-by-state laws that challenge potential parents and a shifting legal
landscape that can result in a parent being a legal stranger to their own
child simply by driving across a state line. Jules Gomes writes for The
Anglican Ink, a publication of Anglican Television Ministries in Milford,
Connecticut. Gomes reports on a study conducted in the United Kingdom by
Robert Oscar Lopez and Brittany Klein titled: Jepthah's Children: the
innocent casualties of same sex adoption. In his article, Gomes argues that
bearing children is not a right, but a responsibility and a gift. He states
that gay or lesbian adults should sacrifice their homosexuality and raise a
child in a home with both a husband and wife (for the good of the child) or
sacrifice their desire to have children.
Issue: Does Having a Transgender Parent Hurt Children?
YES: Brynn Tannehill, from "Here's What It's REALLY Like Having A
Transgender Parent," TheHuffingtonPost.com, Inc. (2016)
NO: Caitlin White, from "A Void Wider Than Gender: Here's What My Life Has
Been Like Since My Father Came Out as Trans," Vice (2015)
Brynn Tannehill graduated from the Naval Academy with a BS in computer
science in 1997. She earned her Naval Aviator wings in 1999 and served as a
campaign analyst while deployed overseas. In 2008, Brynn earned a MS in
Operations Research from the Air Force Institute of Technology and
transferred from active duty to the Naval Reserves. In 2008, Brynn began
working as a senior defense research scientist in private industry. She
left the drilling reserves and began transition in 2010. Since then she has
written for OutServe magazine, The New Civil Rights Movement, and Queer
Mental Health as a blogger and featured columnist. Brynn presents the
first-person narrative of her 8th-grade daughter about what it is like to
have a transgender parent. Caitlin White is a writer in Brooklyn, New York,
and a regular contributor to Brooklyn Magazine. Caitlin writes poignantly
about the challenges she experienced when her parent came out to her as
transgender. While an advocate of trans people, she writes about the
difficulties faced by a child whose parent changes their gender identity.
UNIT 2: Contemporary Issues in Relationships
Issue: Is Cybersex "Cheating"?
YES: Susan A. Milstein, from "Virtual Liaisons: Cybersex Is Cheating,"
Original essay written for this volume (2009)
NO: Crystal Bedley, from "Virtual Reality: Cybersex Is Not Cheating,"
Original essay written for this volume (2009)
Susan Milstein is a Certified Health Education Specialist and a Certified
Sexuality Educator. She is an Associate Professor in the Department of
Health Enhancement at Montgomery College in Maryland, as well as the Lead
Consultant for Milstein Health Consulting. Milstein contends that while it
is difficult to create a universal definition of cheating, the majority of
people feel that cybersex outside of a primary relationship is cheating.
Crystal Bedley argues that the anonymous nature of cybersex means that it
is not cheating.
Issue: Is the Hookup Culture on College Campuses Bad for Heterosexual
Girls?
YES: Amy Julia Becker, from "Hookup Culture Is Good for Women, and Other
Feminist Myths," Christianity Today (2012)
NO: Timaree Schmit, from "Hookup Culture Can Help Build Stronger
Relationships," Original essay written for this volume (2014)
Amy Julia Becker argues that hookup culture demeans women. From a Christian
perspective, she argues that sex leads to greater life fulfillment when
removed from the hookup culture. Timaree Schmit argues that hookup culture
is nothing new and that it can be healthy for people to have different
sexual experiences.
Issue: Are Open Relationships Healthy?
YES: Donald Dyson, from "Seeing Relationships Through a Wider Lens: Open
Relationships as a Healthy Option," Original essay written for this volume
(2009)
NO: Stanley Kurtz, from "Here Come the Brides: Plural Marriage Is Waiting
in the Wings," The Weekly Standard (2005)
Donald Dyson is an associate professor of human sexuality education at
Widener University and has served in leadership capacities at Widener
University's Center for Human Sexuality studies. Dyson argues that there
are essential qualities of a healthy relationship and that an open
relationship can be successful. Stanley Kurtz, a writer and senior fellow
at the Ethics and Public Policy Center, argues that allowing same-sex
marriage will create a slippery slope, eventually leading to plural
marriages. Kurtz contends that such marriages prove destructive to the
institution of marriage itself.
UNIT 3: Contemporary Issues in Parenting
Issue: Do Parents Have the Right to Deny Their Children Lifesaving Medical
Care Due to Their Religious Convictions?
YES: Calvin P. Johnson, from "Closing Statement for Parents: In Re the
Matter of the Welfare of the Child of Colleen and Anthony Hauser,"
Minnesota District Court, Fifth Judicial District (2009)
NO: John R. Rodenberg, from "Opinion of the Court: In the Matter of the
Welfare of the Child of Colleen and Anthony Hauser," Minnesota District
Court, Fifth Judicial District (2009)
Calvin P. Johnson, Esq., is the attorney for the parents, Colleen and
Anthony Hauser. Johnson argues that the government forcing medical care for
the Hauser child violates his religious liberty and is abusive to this
child. John R. Rodenberg is the District Court judge in this case.
Rodenberg argues that all parties are acting out of convictions for the
best interest of the child. He also argues that the state has a compelling
interest to act against Hauser's religious views for medical care since the
child is only thirteen years old.
Issue: Is Internet Pornography Harmful to Teenagers?
YES: Wayne Grinwis, from "Is Pornography Harmful to Teenagers? Yes!"
Original essay written for this volume (2009)
NO: Justin A. Sitron, from "Why Porn Is Not Harmful to Teens," Original
essay written for this volume (2009)
Wayne Grinwis has been a Sexual Health Educator for Planned Parenthood for
15 years. He is also Adjunct Professor in the Department of Health at West
Chester University. Grinwis credits Andrea Daniels for help with this
article. Grinwis argues that pornography is all right for adults, but for
teenagers, it can create unrealistic expectations about sex, provide a
negative and inaccurate sexuality education, and increase sexual violence
against women. Justin Sitron is an Assistant Professor of Education at
Widener University. Sitron argues that pornography has no negative impact
on teenagers and, in fact, has potential benefits. Sitron contends that
Internet pornography can be helpful in providing teens an opportunity to
see real bodies, a chance to learn about sex from seeing rather than doing,
and an open door for communication with parents.
Issue: Should There Be Harsh Penalties for Teens Sexting?
YES: Lisa E. Soronen, Nicole Vitale, and Karen A. Haase, from "Sexting at
School: Lessons Learned the Hard Way," National School Boards Association,
Inquiry & Analysis (2010)
NO: Julie Hilden, from "How Should Teens' 'Sexting'-The Sending of
Revealing Photos-Be Regulated?" Findlaw.com (2009)
Lisa E. Soronen, Nicole Vitale, and Karen A. Haase are writing on legal
issues for the National School Boards Association. This article encourages
administrators to hand over cell phone sexting cases to the appropriate law
enforcement agencies. Julie Hilden is a graduate of Harvard College and
Yale Law School. A former clerk for Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer,
she has more recently appeared on Good Morning America, Court TV, CNN, and
NPR. Hilden argues that harsh penalties are extreme and unjust.
Issue: Is Traditional Masculinity Harmful to Boys and Men?
YES: Brianna Attard, from "Toxic Masculinity: How Our Current System of
Gender is Harmful to People," The Sydney Feminists (2017)
NO: Paul Nathanson, from "A Requiem for Manhood," Australian Institute of
Male Health and Studies (2018)
Brianna Attard is a researcher and writer at The Sydney Feminists, Inc. She
wrote her first article for TSF on toxic masculinity. Brianna enjoys
volunteering and working for organizations that operate within a feminist
framework. She outlines Toxic Masculinity and its impact on women, men, and
interpersonal interactions. Paul Nathanson has a BA (art history), a BTh
(Christian theology), an MLS (library service), an MA (religious studies),
and a PhD (religious studies). Of particular interest to him is the
surprisingly blurry relation between religion and secularity: how religion
underlies seemingly secular phenomena such as popular movies and political
ideologies. Nathanson argues, through the use of cinematic examples, that
there is a need among men for creating identity through masculinity.
Issue: Should Parents Allow Puberty Blocking Hormones for Their Transgender
Children?
YES: Jacqueline Ruttimann, from "Blocking Puberty In Transgender Youth,"
Endocrine News (2013)
NO: Michelle Cretella, from "I'm a Pediatrician: Here's What I Did When a
Little Boy Patient Said He Was a Girl," The Daily Signal (2017)
Jacqueline Ruttimann is a freelance writer living in Chevy Chase, Maryland.
She argues that pubertal blockers allow transgender youth to carefully
consider transition and decreases the need for cross-sex hormones later in
life, which results in fewer health risks for the individual. Michelle
Cretella, MD, is the president of the American College of Pediatricians, a
national organization of pediatricians and other health-care professionals
dedicated to the health and well-being of children. She argues that no one
is born transgender, and that "gender confused" children should be
supported in their biological sex through puberty.
UNIT 4: Families and Systems
Issue: Should Illegal Immigrant Families Be Able to Send Their Children to
Public Schools?
YES: William Brennan, from Majority Opinion, Plyler v. Doe, U.S. Supreme
Court (1982)
NO: Warren Burger, from Dissenting Opinion, Plyler v. Doe, U.S. Supreme
Court (1982)
William Brennan is regarded as one of the greatest intellectual leaders of
the twentieth-century -Supreme Court. He was regarded for writing
extraordinarily forward-thinking opinions, especially regarding civil
rights and civil liberties. This case proves no exception, as he captures
an issue that seems even more pertinent today than when the Supreme Court
addressed it. Brennan believes that children who are in the country and
undocumented have a constitutional right to a public education. Warren
Burger was the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court during a time in which it
was slowly moving in a more conservative direction. He was an instrumental
voice in many cases before the Supreme Court that had a more conservative
outcome. Burger believes that undocumented immigrant children have no
constitutional right to an education.
Issue: Should Teachers in Schools Have Firearms?
YES: Michael W. Goldberg, from "I'm a School Psychologist - And I Think
Teachers Should Be Armed," Forward (2018)
NO: Eugene Scott, from "A Big Question in the Debate About Arming Teachers:
What About Racial Bias?" Washington Post (2018)
Michael W. Goldberg is a School Psychologist. He earned his Masters in
Psychology at SUNY New Paltz, and was born in Brooklyn in 1963, where he
was raised by his Orthodox Jewish grandparents. He argues that arming
specially trained teachers will decrease the likelihood of school shootings
as well as decrease subsequent trauma for students. Eugene Scott writes
about identity politics for The Fix. He was previously a breaking news
reporter at CNN Politics. Scott argues that in schools, where racial bias
among teachers has been well documented, arming teachers will likely result
in the unwarranted deaths of students of color.
Issue: Should Cyber-Bullies Be Prosecuted?
YES: Brianna Flavin, from "Is Cyberbullying Illegal? When Comments Turn
Criminal," Rasmussen College Blog (2017)
NO: J. Graffeo, from "People v Marquan M." New York State Law Reporting
Bureau (2014)
Brianna Flavin is a freelance writer, content marketer, adjunct professor,
and poet. She argues that cyberbullying is culturally pervasive and should
be criminalized to prevent tragedies such as teen suicide and school
shootings. The opposing view is presented by the verdict of the New York
Court of Appeals in a case that argued that the cyberbullying law enacted
was considered a violation of the defendant's First Amendment free speech.
Issue: Should Parents of School Shooters Be Held Responsible for Their
Children's Actions?
YES: Alia E. Dastagir, from "After a School Shooting, are Parents to
Blame?" USA Today (2018)
NO: John Cassidy, from "America's Failure To Protect Its Children From
School Shootings Is A National Disgrace," The New Yorker (2018)
Alia E. Dastagir is a reporter covering cultural issues, including gender,
race, and sexuality. She argues studies consistently show that teen
violence is mitigated by consistent, nurturing adult influence and that
those adults need to take their responsibility seriously. John Cassidy has
been a staff writer at The New Yorker since 1995. In 2012, he began writing
a daily column about politics and economics on newyorker.com. Cassidy
argues that the federal government, in its unwillingness to stand up to gun
lobbyists, is responsible for the ongoing epidemic of school shootings.
Issue: Is the Criminal Justice System Unfair to Black Families?
YES: Samantha Daley, from "The Criminal Justice System Is Failing Black
Families," Rewire.News (2014)
NO: Kay S. Hymowitz, from "Did Mass Incarceration Destroy the Black Family?
No, and Here's Why," City Journal (2015)
Samantha Daley is a reproductive justice activist and a supervisor at a
homeless shelter for youth and a writer in Echoing Ida, a project of
Forward Together. She argues that the criminal justice system's biased
treatment toward black families creates a system that passes down racial
disadvantage from generation to generation. Kay S. Hymowitz is the William
E. Simon Fellow at the Manhattan Institute and a contributing editor of
City Journal. She writes extensively on childhood, family issues, poverty,
and cultural change in America. She argues that issues within Black
families are an under-considered part of the mass incarceration problem.
Issue: Are Traditional Families Better Than Nontraditional Families?
YES: Allan C. Carlson and Paul T. Mero, from "The Natural Family: A
Manifesto," Howard Center (2006)
NO: Mark Good, from "Nontraditional Families and Childhood Progress through
School," Original essay written for this volume (2012)
Allan Carlson is President of the Howard Center for Family, Religion &
Society and Distinguished Fellow in Family Policy Studies at the Family
Research Council in Washington, D.C. Paul Mero is President of the
Sutherland Institute and a Trustee of the ALS Foundation. Carlson and Mero
argue that America needs to return to a traditional family headed by a man
and woman. Mark Good is a Professor of Counselor Education at West Chester
University and the President of Opn-Wyd, a diversity and communication
company. Good argues that diversity in traditional and nontraditional
families is healthy. In fact, he argues that it can be damaging to hold up
the traditional family as the ideal familial structure.
Issue: Are Teenagers Too Young to Become Parents?
YES: The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy, from
"One in Three: The Case for Wanted and Welcomed Pregnancy," The National
Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy (2007)
NO: Simon Duncan, Claire Alexander, and Rosalind Edwards, from "What's the
Problem with Teenage Parents?" Tuffnell Press (2010)
The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy is dedicated
to reducing teenage pregnancy. Their research argues that teens face
significant consequences if they have unplanned pregnancy. Simon Duncan,
Claire Alexander, and Rosalind Edwards have written a chapter in a book
about teen pregnancy and parenting. This chapter, which takes a global
perspective by looking at another Western society, England, argues that
teenage pregnancy and parenting is not a problem.
Issue: Is Polyamory a Good Alternative for Relationships and Families?
YES: Elisabeth Sheff, from "What You Can Learn from Polyamory," Greater
Good (2017)
NO: Alan J. Hawkins, Betsy VanDenBerghe, and Lynae Barlow, from "The New
Math of 'Consensual Nonmonogamy'," National Review (2017)
Elisabeth Sheff, PhD, CASA, CSE is an educational consultant and expert
witness serving sexual and gender minorities. She is the author of The
Polyamorists Next Door and When Someone You Love Is Polyamorous, as well as
numerous academic and legal articles about polyamory, gender, families, and
sexual minorities. Sheff presents evidence that the basic tenets of
polyamory are not only healthy, but can teach monogamists skills for
healthier relationships. Alan J. Hawkins is a professor and Lynae Barlow an
undergraduate student in the Brigham Young University School of Family
Life. Betsy VanDenBerghe is a writer based in Salt Lake City. Hawkins and
VanDenBerghe are the authors of the National Marriage Project report
"Facilitating Forever." Hawkins, Barlow, and VanDenBerghe argue that power
dynamics, individual suffering, and preservation of family norms are all
key reasons why polyamory is untenable.
Issue: Should Same-sex Adoption Be Legal?
YES: Elizabeth A. Harris, from "Same-Sex Parents Still Face Legal
Complications," The New York Times (2017)
NO: Jules Gomes, from "Is Gay Adoption Wrong? The Children Say Yes,"
Anglican Ink (2017)
Elizabeth Harris has been a culture reporter at The New York Times since
2009. In her tenure at the times, she has written from a variety of
positions on issues from real estate to education foreign affairs. Harris
argues that although same-sex adoption is legal in most cases, there are
state-by-state laws that challenge potential parents and a shifting legal
landscape that can result in a parent being a legal stranger to their own
child simply by driving across a state line. Jules Gomes writes for The
Anglican Ink, a publication of Anglican Television Ministries in Milford,
Connecticut. Gomes reports on a study conducted in the United Kingdom by
Robert Oscar Lopez and Brittany Klein titled: Jepthah's Children: the
innocent casualties of same sex adoption. In his article, Gomes argues that
bearing children is not a right, but a responsibility and a gift. He states
that gay or lesbian adults should sacrifice their homosexuality and raise a
child in a home with both a husband and wife (for the good of the child) or
sacrifice their desire to have children.
Issue: Does Having a Transgender Parent Hurt Children?
YES: Brynn Tannehill, from "Here's What It's REALLY Like Having A
Transgender Parent," TheHuffingtonPost.com, Inc. (2016)
NO: Caitlin White, from "A Void Wider Than Gender: Here's What My Life Has
Been Like Since My Father Came Out as Trans," Vice (2015)
Brynn Tannehill graduated from the Naval Academy with a BS in computer
science in 1997. She earned her Naval Aviator wings in 1999 and served as a
campaign analyst while deployed overseas. In 2008, Brynn earned a MS in
Operations Research from the Air Force Institute of Technology and
transferred from active duty to the Naval Reserves. In 2008, Brynn began
working as a senior defense research scientist in private industry. She
left the drilling reserves and began transition in 2010. Since then she has
written for OutServe magazine, The New Civil Rights Movement, and Queer
Mental Health as a blogger and featured columnist. Brynn presents the
first-person narrative of her 8th-grade daughter about what it is like to
have a transgender parent. Caitlin White is a writer in Brooklyn, New York,
and a regular contributor to Brooklyn Magazine. Caitlin writes poignantly
about the challenges she experienced when her parent came out to her as
transgender. While an advocate of trans people, she writes about the
difficulties faced by a child whose parent changes their gender identity.
UNIT 2: Contemporary Issues in Relationships
Issue: Is Cybersex "Cheating"?
YES: Susan A. Milstein, from "Virtual Liaisons: Cybersex Is Cheating,"
Original essay written for this volume (2009)
NO: Crystal Bedley, from "Virtual Reality: Cybersex Is Not Cheating,"
Original essay written for this volume (2009)
Susan Milstein is a Certified Health Education Specialist and a Certified
Sexuality Educator. She is an Associate Professor in the Department of
Health Enhancement at Montgomery College in Maryland, as well as the Lead
Consultant for Milstein Health Consulting. Milstein contends that while it
is difficult to create a universal definition of cheating, the majority of
people feel that cybersex outside of a primary relationship is cheating.
Crystal Bedley argues that the anonymous nature of cybersex means that it
is not cheating.
Issue: Is the Hookup Culture on College Campuses Bad for Heterosexual
Girls?
YES: Amy Julia Becker, from "Hookup Culture Is Good for Women, and Other
Feminist Myths," Christianity Today (2012)
NO: Timaree Schmit, from "Hookup Culture Can Help Build Stronger
Relationships," Original essay written for this volume (2014)
Amy Julia Becker argues that hookup culture demeans women. From a Christian
perspective, she argues that sex leads to greater life fulfillment when
removed from the hookup culture. Timaree Schmit argues that hookup culture
is nothing new and that it can be healthy for people to have different
sexual experiences.
Issue: Are Open Relationships Healthy?
YES: Donald Dyson, from "Seeing Relationships Through a Wider Lens: Open
Relationships as a Healthy Option," Original essay written for this volume
(2009)
NO: Stanley Kurtz, from "Here Come the Brides: Plural Marriage Is Waiting
in the Wings," The Weekly Standard (2005)
Donald Dyson is an associate professor of human sexuality education at
Widener University and has served in leadership capacities at Widener
University's Center for Human Sexuality studies. Dyson argues that there
are essential qualities of a healthy relationship and that an open
relationship can be successful. Stanley Kurtz, a writer and senior fellow
at the Ethics and Public Policy Center, argues that allowing same-sex
marriage will create a slippery slope, eventually leading to plural
marriages. Kurtz contends that such marriages prove destructive to the
institution of marriage itself.
UNIT 3: Contemporary Issues in Parenting
Issue: Do Parents Have the Right to Deny Their Children Lifesaving Medical
Care Due to Their Religious Convictions?
YES: Calvin P. Johnson, from "Closing Statement for Parents: In Re the
Matter of the Welfare of the Child of Colleen and Anthony Hauser,"
Minnesota District Court, Fifth Judicial District (2009)
NO: John R. Rodenberg, from "Opinion of the Court: In the Matter of the
Welfare of the Child of Colleen and Anthony Hauser," Minnesota District
Court, Fifth Judicial District (2009)
Calvin P. Johnson, Esq., is the attorney for the parents, Colleen and
Anthony Hauser. Johnson argues that the government forcing medical care for
the Hauser child violates his religious liberty and is abusive to this
child. John R. Rodenberg is the District Court judge in this case.
Rodenberg argues that all parties are acting out of convictions for the
best interest of the child. He also argues that the state has a compelling
interest to act against Hauser's religious views for medical care since the
child is only thirteen years old.
Issue: Is Internet Pornography Harmful to Teenagers?
YES: Wayne Grinwis, from "Is Pornography Harmful to Teenagers? Yes!"
Original essay written for this volume (2009)
NO: Justin A. Sitron, from "Why Porn Is Not Harmful to Teens," Original
essay written for this volume (2009)
Wayne Grinwis has been a Sexual Health Educator for Planned Parenthood for
15 years. He is also Adjunct Professor in the Department of Health at West
Chester University. Grinwis credits Andrea Daniels for help with this
article. Grinwis argues that pornography is all right for adults, but for
teenagers, it can create unrealistic expectations about sex, provide a
negative and inaccurate sexuality education, and increase sexual violence
against women. Justin Sitron is an Assistant Professor of Education at
Widener University. Sitron argues that pornography has no negative impact
on teenagers and, in fact, has potential benefits. Sitron contends that
Internet pornography can be helpful in providing teens an opportunity to
see real bodies, a chance to learn about sex from seeing rather than doing,
and an open door for communication with parents.
Issue: Should There Be Harsh Penalties for Teens Sexting?
YES: Lisa E. Soronen, Nicole Vitale, and Karen A. Haase, from "Sexting at
School: Lessons Learned the Hard Way," National School Boards Association,
Inquiry & Analysis (2010)
NO: Julie Hilden, from "How Should Teens' 'Sexting'-The Sending of
Revealing Photos-Be Regulated?" Findlaw.com (2009)
Lisa E. Soronen, Nicole Vitale, and Karen A. Haase are writing on legal
issues for the National School Boards Association. This article encourages
administrators to hand over cell phone sexting cases to the appropriate law
enforcement agencies. Julie Hilden is a graduate of Harvard College and
Yale Law School. A former clerk for Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer,
she has more recently appeared on Good Morning America, Court TV, CNN, and
NPR. Hilden argues that harsh penalties are extreme and unjust.
Issue: Is Traditional Masculinity Harmful to Boys and Men?
YES: Brianna Attard, from "Toxic Masculinity: How Our Current System of
Gender is Harmful to People," The Sydney Feminists (2017)
NO: Paul Nathanson, from "A Requiem for Manhood," Australian Institute of
Male Health and Studies (2018)
Brianna Attard is a researcher and writer at The Sydney Feminists, Inc. She
wrote her first article for TSF on toxic masculinity. Brianna enjoys
volunteering and working for organizations that operate within a feminist
framework. She outlines Toxic Masculinity and its impact on women, men, and
interpersonal interactions. Paul Nathanson has a BA (art history), a BTh
(Christian theology), an MLS (library service), an MA (religious studies),
and a PhD (religious studies). Of particular interest to him is the
surprisingly blurry relation between religion and secularity: how religion
underlies seemingly secular phenomena such as popular movies and political
ideologies. Nathanson argues, through the use of cinematic examples, that
there is a need among men for creating identity through masculinity.
Issue: Should Parents Allow Puberty Blocking Hormones for Their Transgender
Children?
YES: Jacqueline Ruttimann, from "Blocking Puberty In Transgender Youth,"
Endocrine News (2013)
NO: Michelle Cretella, from "I'm a Pediatrician: Here's What I Did When a
Little Boy Patient Said He Was a Girl," The Daily Signal (2017)
Jacqueline Ruttimann is a freelance writer living in Chevy Chase, Maryland.
She argues that pubertal blockers allow transgender youth to carefully
consider transition and decreases the need for cross-sex hormones later in
life, which results in fewer health risks for the individual. Michelle
Cretella, MD, is the president of the American College of Pediatricians, a
national organization of pediatricians and other health-care professionals
dedicated to the health and well-being of children. She argues that no one
is born transgender, and that "gender confused" children should be
supported in their biological sex through puberty.
UNIT 4: Families and Systems
Issue: Should Illegal Immigrant Families Be Able to Send Their Children to
Public Schools?
YES: William Brennan, from Majority Opinion, Plyler v. Doe, U.S. Supreme
Court (1982)
NO: Warren Burger, from Dissenting Opinion, Plyler v. Doe, U.S. Supreme
Court (1982)
William Brennan is regarded as one of the greatest intellectual leaders of
the twentieth-century -Supreme Court. He was regarded for writing
extraordinarily forward-thinking opinions, especially regarding civil
rights and civil liberties. This case proves no exception, as he captures
an issue that seems even more pertinent today than when the Supreme Court
addressed it. Brennan believes that children who are in the country and
undocumented have a constitutional right to a public education. Warren
Burger was the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court during a time in which it
was slowly moving in a more conservative direction. He was an instrumental
voice in many cases before the Supreme Court that had a more conservative
outcome. Burger believes that undocumented immigrant children have no
constitutional right to an education.
Issue: Should Teachers in Schools Have Firearms?
YES: Michael W. Goldberg, from "I'm a School Psychologist - And I Think
Teachers Should Be Armed," Forward (2018)
NO: Eugene Scott, from "A Big Question in the Debate About Arming Teachers:
What About Racial Bias?" Washington Post (2018)
Michael W. Goldberg is a School Psychologist. He earned his Masters in
Psychology at SUNY New Paltz, and was born in Brooklyn in 1963, where he
was raised by his Orthodox Jewish grandparents. He argues that arming
specially trained teachers will decrease the likelihood of school shootings
as well as decrease subsequent trauma for students. Eugene Scott writes
about identity politics for The Fix. He was previously a breaking news
reporter at CNN Politics. Scott argues that in schools, where racial bias
among teachers has been well documented, arming teachers will likely result
in the unwarranted deaths of students of color.
Issue: Should Cyber-Bullies Be Prosecuted?
YES: Brianna Flavin, from "Is Cyberbullying Illegal? When Comments Turn
Criminal," Rasmussen College Blog (2017)
NO: J. Graffeo, from "People v Marquan M." New York State Law Reporting
Bureau (2014)
Brianna Flavin is a freelance writer, content marketer, adjunct professor,
and poet. She argues that cyberbullying is culturally pervasive and should
be criminalized to prevent tragedies such as teen suicide and school
shootings. The opposing view is presented by the verdict of the New York
Court of Appeals in a case that argued that the cyberbullying law enacted
was considered a violation of the defendant's First Amendment free speech.
Issue: Should Parents of School Shooters Be Held Responsible for Their
Children's Actions?
YES: Alia E. Dastagir, from "After a School Shooting, are Parents to
Blame?" USA Today (2018)
NO: John Cassidy, from "America's Failure To Protect Its Children From
School Shootings Is A National Disgrace," The New Yorker (2018)
Alia E. Dastagir is a reporter covering cultural issues, including gender,
race, and sexuality. She argues studies consistently show that teen
violence is mitigated by consistent, nurturing adult influence and that
those adults need to take their responsibility seriously. John Cassidy has
been a staff writer at The New Yorker since 1995. In 2012, he began writing
a daily column about politics and economics on newyorker.com. Cassidy
argues that the federal government, in its unwillingness to stand up to gun
lobbyists, is responsible for the ongoing epidemic of school shootings.
Issue: Is the Criminal Justice System Unfair to Black Families?
YES: Samantha Daley, from "The Criminal Justice System Is Failing Black
Families," Rewire.News (2014)
NO: Kay S. Hymowitz, from "Did Mass Incarceration Destroy the Black Family?
No, and Here's Why," City Journal (2015)
Samantha Daley is a reproductive justice activist and a supervisor at a
homeless shelter for youth and a writer in Echoing Ida, a project of
Forward Together. She argues that the criminal justice system's biased
treatment toward black families creates a system that passes down racial
disadvantage from generation to generation. Kay S. Hymowitz is the William
E. Simon Fellow at the Manhattan Institute and a contributing editor of
City Journal. She writes extensively on childhood, family issues, poverty,
and cultural change in America. She argues that issues within Black
families are an under-considered part of the mass incarceration problem.
UNIT 1: What Makes a Family?
Issue: Are Traditional Families Better Than Nontraditional Families?
YES: Allan C. Carlson and Paul T. Mero, from "The Natural Family: A
Manifesto," Howard Center (2006)
NO: Mark Good, from "Nontraditional Families and Childhood Progress through
School," Original essay written for this volume (2012)
Allan Carlson is President of the Howard Center for Family, Religion &
Society and Distinguished Fellow in Family Policy Studies at the Family
Research Council in Washington, D.C. Paul Mero is President of the
Sutherland Institute and a Trustee of the ALS Foundation. Carlson and Mero
argue that America needs to return to a traditional family headed by a man
and woman. Mark Good is a Professor of Counselor Education at West Chester
University and the President of Opn-Wyd, a diversity and communication
company. Good argues that diversity in traditional and nontraditional
families is healthy. In fact, he argues that it can be damaging to hold up
the traditional family as the ideal familial structure.
Issue: Are Teenagers Too Young to Become Parents?
YES: The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy, from
"One in Three: The Case for Wanted and Welcomed Pregnancy," The National
Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy (2007)
NO: Simon Duncan, Claire Alexander, and Rosalind Edwards, from "What's the
Problem with Teenage Parents?" Tuffnell Press (2010)
The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy is dedicated
to reducing teenage pregnancy. Their research argues that teens face
significant consequences if they have unplanned pregnancy. Simon Duncan,
Claire Alexander, and Rosalind Edwards have written a chapter in a book
about teen pregnancy and parenting. This chapter, which takes a global
perspective by looking at another Western society, England, argues that
teenage pregnancy and parenting is not a problem.
Issue: Is Polyamory a Good Alternative for Relationships and Families?
YES: Elisabeth Sheff, from "What You Can Learn from Polyamory," Greater
Good (2017)
NO: Alan J. Hawkins, Betsy VanDenBerghe, and Lynae Barlow, from "The New
Math of 'Consensual Nonmonogamy'," National Review (2017)
Elisabeth Sheff, PhD, CASA, CSE is an educational consultant and expert
witness serving sexual and gender minorities. She is the author of The
Polyamorists Next Door and When Someone You Love Is Polyamorous, as well as
numerous academic and legal articles about polyamory, gender, families, and
sexual minorities. Sheff presents evidence that the basic tenets of
polyamory are not only healthy, but can teach monogamists skills for
healthier relationships. Alan J. Hawkins is a professor and Lynae Barlow an
undergraduate student in the Brigham Young University School of Family
Life. Betsy VanDenBerghe is a writer based in Salt Lake City. Hawkins and
VanDenBerghe are the authors of the National Marriage Project report
"Facilitating Forever." Hawkins, Barlow, and VanDenBerghe argue that power
dynamics, individual suffering, and preservation of family norms are all
key reasons why polyamory is untenable.
Issue: Should Same-sex Adoption Be Legal?
YES: Elizabeth A. Harris, from "Same-Sex Parents Still Face Legal
Complications," The New York Times (2017)
NO: Jules Gomes, from "Is Gay Adoption Wrong? The Children Say Yes,"
Anglican Ink (2017)
Elizabeth Harris has been a culture reporter at The New York Times since
2009. In her tenure at the times, she has written from a variety of
positions on issues from real estate to education foreign affairs. Harris
argues that although same-sex adoption is legal in most cases, there are
state-by-state laws that challenge potential parents and a shifting legal
landscape that can result in a parent being a legal stranger to their own
child simply by driving across a state line. Jules Gomes writes for The
Anglican Ink, a publication of Anglican Television Ministries in Milford,
Connecticut. Gomes reports on a study conducted in the United Kingdom by
Robert Oscar Lopez and Brittany Klein titled: Jepthah's Children: the
innocent casualties of same sex adoption. In his article, Gomes argues that
bearing children is not a right, but a responsibility and a gift. He states
that gay or lesbian adults should sacrifice their homosexuality and raise a
child in a home with both a husband and wife (for the good of the child) or
sacrifice their desire to have children.
Issue: Does Having a Transgender Parent Hurt Children?
YES: Brynn Tannehill, from "Here's What It's REALLY Like Having A
Transgender Parent," TheHuffingtonPost.com, Inc. (2016)
NO: Caitlin White, from "A Void Wider Than Gender: Here's What My Life Has
Been Like Since My Father Came Out as Trans," Vice (2015)
Brynn Tannehill graduated from the Naval Academy with a BS in computer
science in 1997. She earned her Naval Aviator wings in 1999 and served as a
campaign analyst while deployed overseas. In 2008, Brynn earned a MS in
Operations Research from the Air Force Institute of Technology and
transferred from active duty to the Naval Reserves. In 2008, Brynn began
working as a senior defense research scientist in private industry. She
left the drilling reserves and began transition in 2010. Since then she has
written for OutServe magazine, The New Civil Rights Movement, and Queer
Mental Health as a blogger and featured columnist. Brynn presents the
first-person narrative of her 8th-grade daughter about what it is like to
have a transgender parent. Caitlin White is a writer in Brooklyn, New York,
and a regular contributor to Brooklyn Magazine. Caitlin writes poignantly
about the challenges she experienced when her parent came out to her as
transgender. While an advocate of trans people, she writes about the
difficulties faced by a child whose parent changes their gender identity.
UNIT 2: Contemporary Issues in Relationships
Issue: Is Cybersex "Cheating"?
YES: Susan A. Milstein, from "Virtual Liaisons: Cybersex Is Cheating,"
Original essay written for this volume (2009)
NO: Crystal Bedley, from "Virtual Reality: Cybersex Is Not Cheating,"
Original essay written for this volume (2009)
Susan Milstein is a Certified Health Education Specialist and a Certified
Sexuality Educator. She is an Associate Professor in the Department of
Health Enhancement at Montgomery College in Maryland, as well as the Lead
Consultant for Milstein Health Consulting. Milstein contends that while it
is difficult to create a universal definition of cheating, the majority of
people feel that cybersex outside of a primary relationship is cheating.
Crystal Bedley argues that the anonymous nature of cybersex means that it
is not cheating.
Issue: Is the Hookup Culture on College Campuses Bad for Heterosexual
Girls?
YES: Amy Julia Becker, from "Hookup Culture Is Good for Women, and Other
Feminist Myths," Christianity Today (2012)
NO: Timaree Schmit, from "Hookup Culture Can Help Build Stronger
Relationships," Original essay written for this volume (2014)
Amy Julia Becker argues that hookup culture demeans women. From a Christian
perspective, she argues that sex leads to greater life fulfillment when
removed from the hookup culture. Timaree Schmit argues that hookup culture
is nothing new and that it can be healthy for people to have different
sexual experiences.
Issue: Are Open Relationships Healthy?
YES: Donald Dyson, from "Seeing Relationships Through a Wider Lens: Open
Relationships as a Healthy Option," Original essay written for this volume
(2009)
NO: Stanley Kurtz, from "Here Come the Brides: Plural Marriage Is Waiting
in the Wings," The Weekly Standard (2005)
Donald Dyson is an associate professor of human sexuality education at
Widener University and has served in leadership capacities at Widener
University's Center for Human Sexuality studies. Dyson argues that there
are essential qualities of a healthy relationship and that an open
relationship can be successful. Stanley Kurtz, a writer and senior fellow
at the Ethics and Public Policy Center, argues that allowing same-sex
marriage will create a slippery slope, eventually leading to plural
marriages. Kurtz contends that such marriages prove destructive to the
institution of marriage itself.
UNIT 3: Contemporary Issues in Parenting
Issue: Do Parents Have the Right to Deny Their Children Lifesaving Medical
Care Due to Their Religious Convictions?
YES: Calvin P. Johnson, from "Closing Statement for Parents: In Re the
Matter of the Welfare of the Child of Colleen and Anthony Hauser,"
Minnesota District Court, Fifth Judicial District (2009)
NO: John R. Rodenberg, from "Opinion of the Court: In the Matter of the
Welfare of the Child of Colleen and Anthony Hauser," Minnesota District
Court, Fifth Judicial District (2009)
Calvin P. Johnson, Esq., is the attorney for the parents, Colleen and
Anthony Hauser. Johnson argues that the government forcing medical care for
the Hauser child violates his religious liberty and is abusive to this
child. John R. Rodenberg is the District Court judge in this case.
Rodenberg argues that all parties are acting out of convictions for the
best interest of the child. He also argues that the state has a compelling
interest to act against Hauser's religious views for medical care since the
child is only thirteen years old.
Issue: Is Internet Pornography Harmful to Teenagers?
YES: Wayne Grinwis, from "Is Pornography Harmful to Teenagers? Yes!"
Original essay written for this volume (2009)
NO: Justin A. Sitron, from "Why Porn Is Not Harmful to Teens," Original
essay written for this volume (2009)
Wayne Grinwis has been a Sexual Health Educator for Planned Parenthood for
15 years. He is also Adjunct Professor in the Department of Health at West
Chester University. Grinwis credits Andrea Daniels for help with this
article. Grinwis argues that pornography is all right for adults, but for
teenagers, it can create unrealistic expectations about sex, provide a
negative and inaccurate sexuality education, and increase sexual violence
against women. Justin Sitron is an Assistant Professor of Education at
Widener University. Sitron argues that pornography has no negative impact
on teenagers and, in fact, has potential benefits. Sitron contends that
Internet pornography can be helpful in providing teens an opportunity to
see real bodies, a chance to learn about sex from seeing rather than doing,
and an open door for communication with parents.
Issue: Should There Be Harsh Penalties for Teens Sexting?
YES: Lisa E. Soronen, Nicole Vitale, and Karen A. Haase, from "Sexting at
School: Lessons Learned the Hard Way," National School Boards Association,
Inquiry & Analysis (2010)
NO: Julie Hilden, from "How Should Teens' 'Sexting'-The Sending of
Revealing Photos-Be Regulated?" Findlaw.com (2009)
Lisa E. Soronen, Nicole Vitale, and Karen A. Haase are writing on legal
issues for the National School Boards Association. This article encourages
administrators to hand over cell phone sexting cases to the appropriate law
enforcement agencies. Julie Hilden is a graduate of Harvard College and
Yale Law School. A former clerk for Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer,
she has more recently appeared on Good Morning America, Court TV, CNN, and
NPR. Hilden argues that harsh penalties are extreme and unjust.
Issue: Is Traditional Masculinity Harmful to Boys and Men?
YES: Brianna Attard, from "Toxic Masculinity: How Our Current System of
Gender is Harmful to People," The Sydney Feminists (2017)
NO: Paul Nathanson, from "A Requiem for Manhood," Australian Institute of
Male Health and Studies (2018)
Brianna Attard is a researcher and writer at The Sydney Feminists, Inc. She
wrote her first article for TSF on toxic masculinity. Brianna enjoys
volunteering and working for organizations that operate within a feminist
framework. She outlines Toxic Masculinity and its impact on women, men, and
interpersonal interactions. Paul Nathanson has a BA (art history), a BTh
(Christian theology), an MLS (library service), an MA (religious studies),
and a PhD (religious studies). Of particular interest to him is the
surprisingly blurry relation between religion and secularity: how religion
underlies seemingly secular phenomena such as popular movies and political
ideologies. Nathanson argues, through the use of cinematic examples, that
there is a need among men for creating identity through masculinity.
Issue: Should Parents Allow Puberty Blocking Hormones for Their Transgender
Children?
YES: Jacqueline Ruttimann, from "Blocking Puberty In Transgender Youth,"
Endocrine News (2013)
NO: Michelle Cretella, from "I'm a Pediatrician: Here's What I Did When a
Little Boy Patient Said He Was a Girl," The Daily Signal (2017)
Jacqueline Ruttimann is a freelance writer living in Chevy Chase, Maryland.
She argues that pubertal blockers allow transgender youth to carefully
consider transition and decreases the need for cross-sex hormones later in
life, which results in fewer health risks for the individual. Michelle
Cretella, MD, is the president of the American College of Pediatricians, a
national organization of pediatricians and other health-care professionals
dedicated to the health and well-being of children. She argues that no one
is born transgender, and that "gender confused" children should be
supported in their biological sex through puberty.
UNIT 4: Families and Systems
Issue: Should Illegal Immigrant Families Be Able to Send Their Children to
Public Schools?
YES: William Brennan, from Majority Opinion, Plyler v. Doe, U.S. Supreme
Court (1982)
NO: Warren Burger, from Dissenting Opinion, Plyler v. Doe, U.S. Supreme
Court (1982)
William Brennan is regarded as one of the greatest intellectual leaders of
the twentieth-century -Supreme Court. He was regarded for writing
extraordinarily forward-thinking opinions, especially regarding civil
rights and civil liberties. This case proves no exception, as he captures
an issue that seems even more pertinent today than when the Supreme Court
addressed it. Brennan believes that children who are in the country and
undocumented have a constitutional right to a public education. Warren
Burger was the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court during a time in which it
was slowly moving in a more conservative direction. He was an instrumental
voice in many cases before the Supreme Court that had a more conservative
outcome. Burger believes that undocumented immigrant children have no
constitutional right to an education.
Issue: Should Teachers in Schools Have Firearms?
YES: Michael W. Goldberg, from "I'm a School Psychologist - And I Think
Teachers Should Be Armed," Forward (2018)
NO: Eugene Scott, from "A Big Question in the Debate About Arming Teachers:
What About Racial Bias?" Washington Post (2018)
Michael W. Goldberg is a School Psychologist. He earned his Masters in
Psychology at SUNY New Paltz, and was born in Brooklyn in 1963, where he
was raised by his Orthodox Jewish grandparents. He argues that arming
specially trained teachers will decrease the likelihood of school shootings
as well as decrease subsequent trauma for students. Eugene Scott writes
about identity politics for The Fix. He was previously a breaking news
reporter at CNN Politics. Scott argues that in schools, where racial bias
among teachers has been well documented, arming teachers will likely result
in the unwarranted deaths of students of color.
Issue: Should Cyber-Bullies Be Prosecuted?
YES: Brianna Flavin, from "Is Cyberbullying Illegal? When Comments Turn
Criminal," Rasmussen College Blog (2017)
NO: J. Graffeo, from "People v Marquan M." New York State Law Reporting
Bureau (2014)
Brianna Flavin is a freelance writer, content marketer, adjunct professor,
and poet. She argues that cyberbullying is culturally pervasive and should
be criminalized to prevent tragedies such as teen suicide and school
shootings. The opposing view is presented by the verdict of the New York
Court of Appeals in a case that argued that the cyberbullying law enacted
was considered a violation of the defendant's First Amendment free speech.
Issue: Should Parents of School Shooters Be Held Responsible for Their
Children's Actions?
YES: Alia E. Dastagir, from "After a School Shooting, are Parents to
Blame?" USA Today (2018)
NO: John Cassidy, from "America's Failure To Protect Its Children From
School Shootings Is A National Disgrace," The New Yorker (2018)
Alia E. Dastagir is a reporter covering cultural issues, including gender,
race, and sexuality. She argues studies consistently show that teen
violence is mitigated by consistent, nurturing adult influence and that
those adults need to take their responsibility seriously. John Cassidy has
been a staff writer at The New Yorker since 1995. In 2012, he began writing
a daily column about politics and economics on newyorker.com. Cassidy
argues that the federal government, in its unwillingness to stand up to gun
lobbyists, is responsible for the ongoing epidemic of school shootings.
Issue: Is the Criminal Justice System Unfair to Black Families?
YES: Samantha Daley, from "The Criminal Justice System Is Failing Black
Families," Rewire.News (2014)
NO: Kay S. Hymowitz, from "Did Mass Incarceration Destroy the Black Family?
No, and Here's Why," City Journal (2015)
Samantha Daley is a reproductive justice activist and a supervisor at a
homeless shelter for youth and a writer in Echoing Ida, a project of
Forward Together. She argues that the criminal justice system's biased
treatment toward black families creates a system that passes down racial
disadvantage from generation to generation. Kay S. Hymowitz is the William
E. Simon Fellow at the Manhattan Institute and a contributing editor of
City Journal. She writes extensively on childhood, family issues, poverty,
and cultural change in America. She argues that issues within Black
families are an under-considered part of the mass incarceration problem.
Issue: Are Traditional Families Better Than Nontraditional Families?
YES: Allan C. Carlson and Paul T. Mero, from "The Natural Family: A
Manifesto," Howard Center (2006)
NO: Mark Good, from "Nontraditional Families and Childhood Progress through
School," Original essay written for this volume (2012)
Allan Carlson is President of the Howard Center for Family, Religion &
Society and Distinguished Fellow in Family Policy Studies at the Family
Research Council in Washington, D.C. Paul Mero is President of the
Sutherland Institute and a Trustee of the ALS Foundation. Carlson and Mero
argue that America needs to return to a traditional family headed by a man
and woman. Mark Good is a Professor of Counselor Education at West Chester
University and the President of Opn-Wyd, a diversity and communication
company. Good argues that diversity in traditional and nontraditional
families is healthy. In fact, he argues that it can be damaging to hold up
the traditional family as the ideal familial structure.
Issue: Are Teenagers Too Young to Become Parents?
YES: The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy, from
"One in Three: The Case for Wanted and Welcomed Pregnancy," The National
Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy (2007)
NO: Simon Duncan, Claire Alexander, and Rosalind Edwards, from "What's the
Problem with Teenage Parents?" Tuffnell Press (2010)
The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy is dedicated
to reducing teenage pregnancy. Their research argues that teens face
significant consequences if they have unplanned pregnancy. Simon Duncan,
Claire Alexander, and Rosalind Edwards have written a chapter in a book
about teen pregnancy and parenting. This chapter, which takes a global
perspective by looking at another Western society, England, argues that
teenage pregnancy and parenting is not a problem.
Issue: Is Polyamory a Good Alternative for Relationships and Families?
YES: Elisabeth Sheff, from "What You Can Learn from Polyamory," Greater
Good (2017)
NO: Alan J. Hawkins, Betsy VanDenBerghe, and Lynae Barlow, from "The New
Math of 'Consensual Nonmonogamy'," National Review (2017)
Elisabeth Sheff, PhD, CASA, CSE is an educational consultant and expert
witness serving sexual and gender minorities. She is the author of The
Polyamorists Next Door and When Someone You Love Is Polyamorous, as well as
numerous academic and legal articles about polyamory, gender, families, and
sexual minorities. Sheff presents evidence that the basic tenets of
polyamory are not only healthy, but can teach monogamists skills for
healthier relationships. Alan J. Hawkins is a professor and Lynae Barlow an
undergraduate student in the Brigham Young University School of Family
Life. Betsy VanDenBerghe is a writer based in Salt Lake City. Hawkins and
VanDenBerghe are the authors of the National Marriage Project report
"Facilitating Forever." Hawkins, Barlow, and VanDenBerghe argue that power
dynamics, individual suffering, and preservation of family norms are all
key reasons why polyamory is untenable.
Issue: Should Same-sex Adoption Be Legal?
YES: Elizabeth A. Harris, from "Same-Sex Parents Still Face Legal
Complications," The New York Times (2017)
NO: Jules Gomes, from "Is Gay Adoption Wrong? The Children Say Yes,"
Anglican Ink (2017)
Elizabeth Harris has been a culture reporter at The New York Times since
2009. In her tenure at the times, she has written from a variety of
positions on issues from real estate to education foreign affairs. Harris
argues that although same-sex adoption is legal in most cases, there are
state-by-state laws that challenge potential parents and a shifting legal
landscape that can result in a parent being a legal stranger to their own
child simply by driving across a state line. Jules Gomes writes for The
Anglican Ink, a publication of Anglican Television Ministries in Milford,
Connecticut. Gomes reports on a study conducted in the United Kingdom by
Robert Oscar Lopez and Brittany Klein titled: Jepthah's Children: the
innocent casualties of same sex adoption. In his article, Gomes argues that
bearing children is not a right, but a responsibility and a gift. He states
that gay or lesbian adults should sacrifice their homosexuality and raise a
child in a home with both a husband and wife (for the good of the child) or
sacrifice their desire to have children.
Issue: Does Having a Transgender Parent Hurt Children?
YES: Brynn Tannehill, from "Here's What It's REALLY Like Having A
Transgender Parent," TheHuffingtonPost.com, Inc. (2016)
NO: Caitlin White, from "A Void Wider Than Gender: Here's What My Life Has
Been Like Since My Father Came Out as Trans," Vice (2015)
Brynn Tannehill graduated from the Naval Academy with a BS in computer
science in 1997. She earned her Naval Aviator wings in 1999 and served as a
campaign analyst while deployed overseas. In 2008, Brynn earned a MS in
Operations Research from the Air Force Institute of Technology and
transferred from active duty to the Naval Reserves. In 2008, Brynn began
working as a senior defense research scientist in private industry. She
left the drilling reserves and began transition in 2010. Since then she has
written for OutServe magazine, The New Civil Rights Movement, and Queer
Mental Health as a blogger and featured columnist. Brynn presents the
first-person narrative of her 8th-grade daughter about what it is like to
have a transgender parent. Caitlin White is a writer in Brooklyn, New York,
and a regular contributor to Brooklyn Magazine. Caitlin writes poignantly
about the challenges she experienced when her parent came out to her as
transgender. While an advocate of trans people, she writes about the
difficulties faced by a child whose parent changes their gender identity.
UNIT 2: Contemporary Issues in Relationships
Issue: Is Cybersex "Cheating"?
YES: Susan A. Milstein, from "Virtual Liaisons: Cybersex Is Cheating,"
Original essay written for this volume (2009)
NO: Crystal Bedley, from "Virtual Reality: Cybersex Is Not Cheating,"
Original essay written for this volume (2009)
Susan Milstein is a Certified Health Education Specialist and a Certified
Sexuality Educator. She is an Associate Professor in the Department of
Health Enhancement at Montgomery College in Maryland, as well as the Lead
Consultant for Milstein Health Consulting. Milstein contends that while it
is difficult to create a universal definition of cheating, the majority of
people feel that cybersex outside of a primary relationship is cheating.
Crystal Bedley argues that the anonymous nature of cybersex means that it
is not cheating.
Issue: Is the Hookup Culture on College Campuses Bad for Heterosexual
Girls?
YES: Amy Julia Becker, from "Hookup Culture Is Good for Women, and Other
Feminist Myths," Christianity Today (2012)
NO: Timaree Schmit, from "Hookup Culture Can Help Build Stronger
Relationships," Original essay written for this volume (2014)
Amy Julia Becker argues that hookup culture demeans women. From a Christian
perspective, she argues that sex leads to greater life fulfillment when
removed from the hookup culture. Timaree Schmit argues that hookup culture
is nothing new and that it can be healthy for people to have different
sexual experiences.
Issue: Are Open Relationships Healthy?
YES: Donald Dyson, from "Seeing Relationships Through a Wider Lens: Open
Relationships as a Healthy Option," Original essay written for this volume
(2009)
NO: Stanley Kurtz, from "Here Come the Brides: Plural Marriage Is Waiting
in the Wings," The Weekly Standard (2005)
Donald Dyson is an associate professor of human sexuality education at
Widener University and has served in leadership capacities at Widener
University's Center for Human Sexuality studies. Dyson argues that there
are essential qualities of a healthy relationship and that an open
relationship can be successful. Stanley Kurtz, a writer and senior fellow
at the Ethics and Public Policy Center, argues that allowing same-sex
marriage will create a slippery slope, eventually leading to plural
marriages. Kurtz contends that such marriages prove destructive to the
institution of marriage itself.
UNIT 3: Contemporary Issues in Parenting
Issue: Do Parents Have the Right to Deny Their Children Lifesaving Medical
Care Due to Their Religious Convictions?
YES: Calvin P. Johnson, from "Closing Statement for Parents: In Re the
Matter of the Welfare of the Child of Colleen and Anthony Hauser,"
Minnesota District Court, Fifth Judicial District (2009)
NO: John R. Rodenberg, from "Opinion of the Court: In the Matter of the
Welfare of the Child of Colleen and Anthony Hauser," Minnesota District
Court, Fifth Judicial District (2009)
Calvin P. Johnson, Esq., is the attorney for the parents, Colleen and
Anthony Hauser. Johnson argues that the government forcing medical care for
the Hauser child violates his religious liberty and is abusive to this
child. John R. Rodenberg is the District Court judge in this case.
Rodenberg argues that all parties are acting out of convictions for the
best interest of the child. He also argues that the state has a compelling
interest to act against Hauser's religious views for medical care since the
child is only thirteen years old.
Issue: Is Internet Pornography Harmful to Teenagers?
YES: Wayne Grinwis, from "Is Pornography Harmful to Teenagers? Yes!"
Original essay written for this volume (2009)
NO: Justin A. Sitron, from "Why Porn Is Not Harmful to Teens," Original
essay written for this volume (2009)
Wayne Grinwis has been a Sexual Health Educator for Planned Parenthood for
15 years. He is also Adjunct Professor in the Department of Health at West
Chester University. Grinwis credits Andrea Daniels for help with this
article. Grinwis argues that pornography is all right for adults, but for
teenagers, it can create unrealistic expectations about sex, provide a
negative and inaccurate sexuality education, and increase sexual violence
against women. Justin Sitron is an Assistant Professor of Education at
Widener University. Sitron argues that pornography has no negative impact
on teenagers and, in fact, has potential benefits. Sitron contends that
Internet pornography can be helpful in providing teens an opportunity to
see real bodies, a chance to learn about sex from seeing rather than doing,
and an open door for communication with parents.
Issue: Should There Be Harsh Penalties for Teens Sexting?
YES: Lisa E. Soronen, Nicole Vitale, and Karen A. Haase, from "Sexting at
School: Lessons Learned the Hard Way," National School Boards Association,
Inquiry & Analysis (2010)
NO: Julie Hilden, from "How Should Teens' 'Sexting'-The Sending of
Revealing Photos-Be Regulated?" Findlaw.com (2009)
Lisa E. Soronen, Nicole Vitale, and Karen A. Haase are writing on legal
issues for the National School Boards Association. This article encourages
administrators to hand over cell phone sexting cases to the appropriate law
enforcement agencies. Julie Hilden is a graduate of Harvard College and
Yale Law School. A former clerk for Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer,
she has more recently appeared on Good Morning America, Court TV, CNN, and
NPR. Hilden argues that harsh penalties are extreme and unjust.
Issue: Is Traditional Masculinity Harmful to Boys and Men?
YES: Brianna Attard, from "Toxic Masculinity: How Our Current System of
Gender is Harmful to People," The Sydney Feminists (2017)
NO: Paul Nathanson, from "A Requiem for Manhood," Australian Institute of
Male Health and Studies (2018)
Brianna Attard is a researcher and writer at The Sydney Feminists, Inc. She
wrote her first article for TSF on toxic masculinity. Brianna enjoys
volunteering and working for organizations that operate within a feminist
framework. She outlines Toxic Masculinity and its impact on women, men, and
interpersonal interactions. Paul Nathanson has a BA (art history), a BTh
(Christian theology), an MLS (library service), an MA (religious studies),
and a PhD (religious studies). Of particular interest to him is the
surprisingly blurry relation between religion and secularity: how religion
underlies seemingly secular phenomena such as popular movies and political
ideologies. Nathanson argues, through the use of cinematic examples, that
there is a need among men for creating identity through masculinity.
Issue: Should Parents Allow Puberty Blocking Hormones for Their Transgender
Children?
YES: Jacqueline Ruttimann, from "Blocking Puberty In Transgender Youth,"
Endocrine News (2013)
NO: Michelle Cretella, from "I'm a Pediatrician: Here's What I Did When a
Little Boy Patient Said He Was a Girl," The Daily Signal (2017)
Jacqueline Ruttimann is a freelance writer living in Chevy Chase, Maryland.
She argues that pubertal blockers allow transgender youth to carefully
consider transition and decreases the need for cross-sex hormones later in
life, which results in fewer health risks for the individual. Michelle
Cretella, MD, is the president of the American College of Pediatricians, a
national organization of pediatricians and other health-care professionals
dedicated to the health and well-being of children. She argues that no one
is born transgender, and that "gender confused" children should be
supported in their biological sex through puberty.
UNIT 4: Families and Systems
Issue: Should Illegal Immigrant Families Be Able to Send Their Children to
Public Schools?
YES: William Brennan, from Majority Opinion, Plyler v. Doe, U.S. Supreme
Court (1982)
NO: Warren Burger, from Dissenting Opinion, Plyler v. Doe, U.S. Supreme
Court (1982)
William Brennan is regarded as one of the greatest intellectual leaders of
the twentieth-century -Supreme Court. He was regarded for writing
extraordinarily forward-thinking opinions, especially regarding civil
rights and civil liberties. This case proves no exception, as he captures
an issue that seems even more pertinent today than when the Supreme Court
addressed it. Brennan believes that children who are in the country and
undocumented have a constitutional right to a public education. Warren
Burger was the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court during a time in which it
was slowly moving in a more conservative direction. He was an instrumental
voice in many cases before the Supreme Court that had a more conservative
outcome. Burger believes that undocumented immigrant children have no
constitutional right to an education.
Issue: Should Teachers in Schools Have Firearms?
YES: Michael W. Goldberg, from "I'm a School Psychologist - And I Think
Teachers Should Be Armed," Forward (2018)
NO: Eugene Scott, from "A Big Question in the Debate About Arming Teachers:
What About Racial Bias?" Washington Post (2018)
Michael W. Goldberg is a School Psychologist. He earned his Masters in
Psychology at SUNY New Paltz, and was born in Brooklyn in 1963, where he
was raised by his Orthodox Jewish grandparents. He argues that arming
specially trained teachers will decrease the likelihood of school shootings
as well as decrease subsequent trauma for students. Eugene Scott writes
about identity politics for The Fix. He was previously a breaking news
reporter at CNN Politics. Scott argues that in schools, where racial bias
among teachers has been well documented, arming teachers will likely result
in the unwarranted deaths of students of color.
Issue: Should Cyber-Bullies Be Prosecuted?
YES: Brianna Flavin, from "Is Cyberbullying Illegal? When Comments Turn
Criminal," Rasmussen College Blog (2017)
NO: J. Graffeo, from "People v Marquan M." New York State Law Reporting
Bureau (2014)
Brianna Flavin is a freelance writer, content marketer, adjunct professor,
and poet. She argues that cyberbullying is culturally pervasive and should
be criminalized to prevent tragedies such as teen suicide and school
shootings. The opposing view is presented by the verdict of the New York
Court of Appeals in a case that argued that the cyberbullying law enacted
was considered a violation of the defendant's First Amendment free speech.
Issue: Should Parents of School Shooters Be Held Responsible for Their
Children's Actions?
YES: Alia E. Dastagir, from "After a School Shooting, are Parents to
Blame?" USA Today (2018)
NO: John Cassidy, from "America's Failure To Protect Its Children From
School Shootings Is A National Disgrace," The New Yorker (2018)
Alia E. Dastagir is a reporter covering cultural issues, including gender,
race, and sexuality. She argues studies consistently show that teen
violence is mitigated by consistent, nurturing adult influence and that
those adults need to take their responsibility seriously. John Cassidy has
been a staff writer at The New Yorker since 1995. In 2012, he began writing
a daily column about politics and economics on newyorker.com. Cassidy
argues that the federal government, in its unwillingness to stand up to gun
lobbyists, is responsible for the ongoing epidemic of school shootings.
Issue: Is the Criminal Justice System Unfair to Black Families?
YES: Samantha Daley, from "The Criminal Justice System Is Failing Black
Families," Rewire.News (2014)
NO: Kay S. Hymowitz, from "Did Mass Incarceration Destroy the Black Family?
No, and Here's Why," City Journal (2015)
Samantha Daley is a reproductive justice activist and a supervisor at a
homeless shelter for youth and a writer in Echoing Ida, a project of
Forward Together. She argues that the criminal justice system's biased
treatment toward black families creates a system that passes down racial
disadvantage from generation to generation. Kay S. Hymowitz is the William
E. Simon Fellow at the Manhattan Institute and a contributing editor of
City Journal. She writes extensively on childhood, family issues, poverty,
and cultural change in America. She argues that issues within Black
families are an under-considered part of the mass incarceration problem.