Contemporary Topics 1

Links and Keywords for Additional Research

You can use these links to find more information about the topics of each unit in Contemporary Topics 1.

When you are doing a search for other sites or through other reference books, the keywords for each unit will get you started.

Unit 1          Happiness

Links

Read ten suggestions for living a happier life.
http://davidmyers.portfoliocms.com

See the results of a survey on the happiness of lottery winners.
http://www.mori.com/polls/1999/lottery.shtml

Take a psychology test that rates your personality.
http://www.outofservice.com/bigfive/

Keywords: happiness, well-being, quality of life, personality test

Unit 2          New Kinds of Food

Links

Find answers to common questions about genetically modified food.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/special_report/1999/02/99/
food_under_the_microscope/280868.stm

Find out how some common foods are genetically modified.
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/harvest/coming/

Keywords: genetically modified food, genetically engineered food, environmental protection

Unit 3          Public Art

Links

This site provides links to web sites about public art in cities around the world.
http://public-art.shu.ac.uk/weblinx.html

The ArtCyclopedia provides a list of pop artists.
http://www.artcyclopedia.com/history/pop.html

ArtLex is a dictionary that defines words used in art, with links to examples of art.
http://www.artlex.com/

Keywords: public art, sculpture, realism, surrealism

Unit 4          Journey to Antarctica

Links

Learn more about the journey of the Endurance.
http://www.amnh.org/exhibitions/shackleton/expedintro.html

See photographs and film taken on the Endurance, read a diary written by a crew member, and learn more about Antarctica.
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/shackleton/

See photographs taken by Frank Hurley, an Endurance crew member, during the journey.

Learn more about Antarctica and the scientist who study it today.
http://www.exploratorium.edu/origins/antarctica/place/index.html

Keywords: Endurance, Ernest Shackleton, Antarctica, arctic exploration

Unit 5          Violence on TV

Links

Read some suggested rules for TV-watching.
http://www.cnn.com/HEALTH/9908/20/kids.tv.effects/

See statistics about TV-watching.
http://www.med.umich.edu/1libr/yourchild/tv.htm
(More statistics can be found at http://www.tvturnoff.org/, in PDF format.)

Read quotes about TV.
http://www.abelard.org/tv/tv.htm

Learn about the Nielsen TV ratings, which shows what TV shows are most popular.
http://www.nielsenmedia.com/FAQ/index.html

Keywords: television + violence, children + television, cartoons + violence


Unit 6          Critical Period

Links

See a timeline showing how children learn their first language.
http://www.departments.bucknell.edu/linguistics/
lectures/timeline.html

Learn about "feral children" who grow up without learning any language.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A269840

Learn how a baby seal quickly learns to recognize its mother's voice.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/1513858.stm

Keywords: critical period, language acquisition, linguistics

Unit 7          Are We Alone?

Links

"Hunt for Alien Worlds" from NOVA.
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/worlds/

Look at pictures of UFOs (Unidentified Flying Objects) and guess what they really are.
http://www.iwasabducted.com/ufogallery/

Play an interactive game about the search for extraterrestrial life.
http://www.seti.org/epo/fun_n_games/games/

Take a virtual tour of a radio telescope.
http://www.vlba.nrao.edu/antennatour/

Learn about the SETI@Home project, a project for analyzing SETI data on your home computer.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/classic/A193231

Keywords: SETI, radio astronomy, extraterrestrial life, outer space + intelligent life

Unit 8          Do the Right Thing

Links

Learn about a framework for making an ethical decision.
http://www.scu.edu/ethics/practicing/decision/framework.html

See video of classroom lectures on ethics.
http://ethics.acusd.edu/video/Hinman/Theory/index.html

Read cases (examples) of ethical problems and join online discussions of the cases.
http://www.scu.edu/ethics/practicing/focusareas/cases.cfm

Keywords: ethics, individual rights, common good

Unit 9          A Good Night's Sleep

Links

Find information on many aspects of sleep from the National Sleep Foundation. (http://www.sleepfoundation.org).

See statistics about accidents caused by sleepy drivers.
http://www.mercola.com/2000/nov/12/sleep_driving.htm

View and listen to an interactive tutorial on sleep disorders.
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/tutorials/sleepdisorders.html

Keywords: sleep, sleep disorders, sleep deprivation

Unit 10          Negotiating for Success

Links

Read suggestions for negotiating in business.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio1/onelife/work/development/negotiate.shtml

Learn negotiation tips to turn "no" into "yes."
http://midcareer.monster.com/articles/negotiationtips/notoyes/

See guidelines for "fair fighting" that can help in a conflict.
http://crnhq.org/fightingfair.html

Learn seven techniques to reduce conflict.
http://www.abetterworkplace.com/104.html

Keywords: negotiation, conflict resolution, negotiation techniques

Unit 11          Risking It

Links

Understand the mathematics of probability, or the chance that something will happen.
http://www.learner.org/exhibits/dailymath/playing.html

See the results of a study on how teenagers perceive the risks of smoking.
http://www.rwjf.org/reports/grr/037045.htm#Findings

Take a questionnaire to find out your risk of getting cancer.
http://www.yourdiseaserisk.harvard.edu/hccpquiz

See risk statistics for skydiving versus other activities.
http://www.afn.org/skydive/sta/stats.html

Keywords: risk analysis, risk perception

Unit 12          The Electronic Brain

Links

See a virtual museum exhibit on John Mauchly and the development of the ENIAC computer.
http://www.library.upenn.edu/special/gallery/mauchly/jwmintro.html

See a timeline of computer history from 1945 to the present.
http://www.computerhistory.org/timeline/

Learn more interesting facts about the ENIAC computer project.
http://www.annonline.com/interviews/990629/facts.html

Keywords: ENIAC, history of computing, history of technology