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I completely agree that this course proposal has a heavy reading load.  However, I do not think that we should let the complexity of these topics deter us from trying to read some of the above selections.  I think that reading selections of the 9/11 report would be incredibly interesting considering that the report is an investigative approach to a powerful and emotional event that the members of the class experienced.  I think that the 9/11 report paired with the book Path to Paradise would be an interesting combination that might present a new perspective.  I really like the idea of incorporating documentaries, perhaps The Affluent Society and the TrueLife documentary that the other group suggested? Religious writing would be an interesting genre of nonfiction to approach and I think that "The Screwtape Letters"and "God is not Great"are interesting because they offer such different views on religion and faith.  After reading "The Ecology of Wisdom" I became very interested in environment, and how that affects the people who live in these spaces, having a book on New York and Los Angeles during eras that defined the identity of each city might explain the very different environments of each city.  I really like the comparison of "The Autobiography of Malcolm X"and "Temple Bombing" because it offers to different approaches to the Civil Rights Movement, which as these two books indicate was much more complex than the version that many of us learn.  I feel that the use of two texts for each topic allows the reader to form their own conclusions, this proposal is not about finding connections but forming your own.

Revised Syllabus:

Week 1:

9/11 Commission Report  - A Graphic Adaptation (we could also read the original text but this plays with form)

Path to Paradise: The Inner World of Suicide Bombers and Their Dispatchers  -

Week 2 and 3:

God is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything

The Screwtape Letters

Week 4:

Helluva Town

Metropolis in the Making

Week 5 and 6:

Autobiography of Malcolm X

Temple Bombing