First, ask yourself if you are going to be asking real questions in class. You can make a statement that all students should read the book to get a better understanding of race and culture in American society. The book does address these topics in an interesting way.
The book shows how race and culture are woven into our daily lives and influences us deeply. It also helps students understand and discuss the issues without feeling as though they are learning in a classroom. The College Board has some very good examples of social media postings by the candidates and it provides an interesting perspective.
The second issue is whether you want to take a look at how students interact with each other socially and culturally. Your view may be that this may be an issue, but you need to consider the impact of having different people in different races and cultures. The professors’ views do not change much in the book, so the authors certainly have a great deal to say about this topic.
You may ask why you would want to take a look at how different students interact when your focus is on a student’s life outside of school. The authors do discuss this in the book, too. That is, you can use the book as a tool to show the reader how race and culture are taking root in the world.
The fact that the authors’ views are controversial is something that can be difficult to swallow. In fact, many parents will think it is funny that the authors were questioned about their opinions. As parents, we love to see our children enjoy learning, but we want to know what is being taught. If it is in the context of race and culture, then we can accept it.
Another problem is that the authors, after being questioned by the New York Times, did not respond with much respect. Perhaps they feel as though they have to defend their positions. That may be a valid reaction if you want to change how the country views on race and culture.
In this situation, you need to be careful to ensure that you are responding only to potential students. If you are talking to your parents, consider the issues raised in the paper and respond accordingly. Otherwise, you may end up annoying the parents of potential students who are interested in your particular course.
Another concern for many parents is whether the book can actually help them prepare their college text. The authors do make recommendations in the book for content analysis and knowledge development. As far as the curriculum is concerned, it remains to be seen how effective the book is and whether it really provides the experience that you wanted.
For example, the new edition of “The Quest” does not include any Exam Help Online. The new edition includes more accurate exams and more flashcards. Yet, most students would agree that the new version doesn’t provide enough insight into the SAT or ACT exam.
It seems that many students in the discussion are assuming that the text is going to help them prepare for comprehensive exams. Although that may be true in some cases, the text doesn’t provide enough information for most students to prepare for the College Board’s standardized tests.
In addition, the text does not address the issues of race and culture that are becoming a part of our lives through social media and the news. Again, this is where the edition may come across as a good resource for preparing for the exam, but not so much on other areas of interest.
