Q Reading Critically: Milgram & Fromm *Please post to this discussion only after you've read the texts. You'll need to have read the texts in order to meaningfully participate in the discussion. Critical reading is an important objective in English 1A. Advanced, college-level critical reading means not just passively absorbing and trying to memorize the writer's ideas. Instead, a critical reader engages in a dialogue with the text, assessing the writer's claims. In this discussion activity, you will practice and develop your critical reading skills by engaging with and assessing a key idea from either Milgram OR Fromm. Below is an example of how you might start your first discussion post. Milgram asserts that we are often blindly obedient, and that the majority of the time we are willing to commit acts of evil at the request of an authority figure—even if that authority figure has no real power over us. I disagree to an extent. Even though obedience is a powerful urge, people disobey all the time. Prisons are filled with people who disobey, and people have overthrown powerful governments throughout history. Disobedience isn't just possible; it's commonplace... Your Task STEP ONE: Make your first post (15 points, 100-150 words). • Write a brief summary of one point from Fromm OR Milgram (about obedience, authority, or a related phenomenon) that you think is interesting or important. Summarize the point using your own words. • Decide whether you agree or disagree with the point. Write a brief argument explaining your position using real-world examples as evidence. (Feel free to use examples from your own direct experience if they’re relevant.) STEP TWO: Respond to someone else's post (10 points, 75-100 words). Identify a post you find interesting and respond to it. You could agree with what the person has to say, and explain why. You could disagree and explain. Or, you could pick up where they leave off, adding to what they have to say. *Optional follow-up activity* Return to the section in your notes titled “Essay Notes/Synthesis Record,” or create this section. This is where you chose one Essay One Download Essay One Focus Question to free write in response to. Return what you've written, then add responses to the prompts below. Keep in mind that you're trying to build ideas for the upcoming essay by keeping track of how the writers are influencing your position. • How did these two texts (Milgram and Fromm) and our discussion influence your position? • Are there ideas in these texts you could use to support your position? • Are there ideas in these texts that contradict your position?