Week 6 (Aug 17-23) Chapters 11 and 12

1. Does our responsibility as citizens change in time of visible crisis, like in the wake of the September 11th attacks? If so, why and how?
2. What does Loeb mean by "radical patience"? How did Nelson Mandela, Martin Luther King, and Susan B. Anthony exemplify this?
3. How would you answer Rabbi Hillel's question, "If not now, when?" in terms of how you've lived your life, and how you want to live it from this point on?

Week 5 (Aug. 10-16) Chapters 9 and 10

1. Loeb talks about the "necessary discomfort" of working with people who don't agree with us or have widely differing experiences. Have you seen people with different political beliefs work together on a cause? Did it work out?
2. Loeb calls vulnerability both an asset and a limitation. He suggests there's a fine line between being vulnerable enough to listen, ask for help, and accept that you don't know everything, and being so vulnerable you give up hope of being able to achieve anything. Is such a balance required to be effective in public life and, if so, how do you achieve the correct balance?
3. Have you ever felt burned out while involved in a social cause? What about other community activities? Does fear of burnout hold you back from social involvement?
4. What can we learn from Hazel Wolf about overcoming burnout and keeping on for the long haul?

Week 4 (Aug. 3-9) Chapters 7 and 8

1. Loeb suggests that parents set models of community involvement or withdrawal for their children. What models did you get from your family?
2. How do you balance work, family and community involvement? Who do you respect for successfully balancing all three?
3. Do you find it hard to talk about critical public issues with people who aren't already activists-like with your neighbors or fellow students? How would you begin such a conversation?

July 27-August 2, 2009 (Chapters 5 and 6)

1.Was Derrick Bell foolish to resign his tenured position at Harvard Law School? Can you think of other examples where people have paid a real cost for standing up for their beliefs, yet feel their actions were worth it?
2. What about whistle blowers? Should they be considered social activists? Why or why not?
3. What kind of results do you expect from social activism? What would help you do this work if the fruits of your efforts weren't visible?
4. How would you write your own political autobiography? What stories and influences would frame your community involvement or reluctance to be involved?

Week 2 (July 20-26) Chapters 3 and 4

1. When Los Angeles activist Suzy Marks (p.61) hid behind her peace sign, did this evoke a familiar feeling for you? Have you ever felt like hiding and becoming invisible while trying to speak out?
2. Did you know about Maine's Clean Elections initiative (p.64)? What about Deborah Prothrow-Stith's success in stopping your violence in Boston or the other examples given in Chapter 3? Are there ways we can get such inspiring stories into common awareness?
3. "America's prevailing culture of cynicism, "Loeb writes, "insists that nothing we do can matter. It teaches us not to get involved in shaping the world we'll pass on to our children." Do you agree with Loeb's characterization of contemporary cynicism as a key corrosive force in our culture? Why or why not?
4. Have you ever become actively involved in an issue, only to become discouraged? What happened?