Faux Friendship (William Deresiewicz) UNIV 100 Classroom Exercise (Fall, 2012)

Team 1. Q1. What does the term faux mean? Q2. What language does this term originate from? Q3. Who in society determines the meaning(s) of the word “friendship”? How is the meaning of a word created, negotiated, and altered? Q4. Identify the five most difficult words in this essay.

Team 2. What part(s) of this essay does your team agree with the most and why?

Team 3. What part(s) of this essay does your team agree with the least and why?

Team 4. Dr. Deresiewicz suggests that character is the most important element of friendship. Provide one or more arguments (if any) that support this premise. Provide one or more arguments (if any) that challenge this premise.

Team 5. Dr. Deresiewicz suggests that “…the people that you know when you are 18…are not the people you should know when you are 40.” Provide one or more arguments (if any) that support this premise. Provide one or more arguments (if any) that challenge this premise.

Team 6. An important trend in virtual, online technology is “social networking”. Q1. How do the individuals in your team go about choosing whom to friend in a virtual, online “social” network? That is, what attributes of the person are the most important? Q2. What are the strengths (if any) and weaknesses (if any) to virtual, online “social” networks?

Team 7. An important trend in virtual, online technology is “social networking”. We presume, therefore, that “social” networking provides “social” value. It could also be that there are other important values as well. Q1. How do the individuals in your team go about choosing whom to friend in an “intellectual” network (online or off-line)? Q2. How do the individuals in your team go about choosing whom to friend in an “economic” network (online or off-line)?

Team 8. Q1. In your seven weeks at CSUN, describe how any kind of “social”, “intellectual”, and “economic” networking technology has helped or hindered your academic success. Q2. In your seven weeks at CSUN, describe how the individuals in your team have changed how they make (online or off-line) friends. Q3. Open question. If your team could change anything—anything at all—about the University, what would it be and why?