Module 2 – Case

DIVERSITY BREEDS SIMILARITY

Case Assignment

How is the market for books affected by the race and gender of buyers? Since differences in willingness to read are affected by role identification, how are age and gender role identifications learned?

Answer the questions and defend the positions you take in each of your answers.

Ensure that you repeat the assignment question (in bold above) in full and verbatim on the title sheet of your paper.

Submit your 3-4 page paper by the module deadline.

The Situation

If boys don’t like to read, publishers are trying to encourage boys to read by recommending book content.

Assignment Expectations

In preparing your CASE2 you must demonstrate your learning of the concepts and frameworks for analysis outlined in the modular learning objectives. In particular, you are expected to define the following environmental concepts:

• culture,
• social class,
• family,
• reference groups, and
• demographics.

In preparing your 3-4 page paper, note that the problem is getting young boys to read for pleasure. Although a new trend in publishing books for this age group has had success in encouraging young males to read, the new literature aimed at young boys has changed the interest in reading from the traditional literature that teachers and parents hope will become part of the students’ literary background to an informal, less desirable type of reading material. What effect will this change of reading habits have on the future education of students? Is this an important issue? Why or why not? Is this a sincere effort on the part of the publishers to increase reading which might broaden into reading more traditional literature or is it merely an opportunity for them to increase sales?

Note that this assignment does NOT require you to prepare a detailed essay. Instead use section headings for each of the topics you address in your paper followed by a discussion of that topic.

Case Reading

Hechinger, John (2008, August 8). Problem: Boys Don’t Like to Read. Solution: Books That Are Really Gross. ‘Vlad the Impaler’ Strikes a Chord; ‘Mom, This Is a Great Book.’ Wall Street Journal(Eastern edition). New York, N.Y. Page A1. Available March 7, 2013

Teachers and parents, frustrated by the unwillingness of boys to read, are at once relieved to know that booksellers are marketing gory and gross books that appeal to young male readers in an effort to make them more literate. To that end, there has been a tremendous increase in the number of books published recently, and particularly aimed at young males. Is this a solution to the problem of reading?

Rev. March 7, 2013