Web Exercise #1: “The First Rule of Fight Club . . .”

The 1999 movie “Fight Club” portrayed a highly exclusive club desirable to applicants and members: “The first rule of Fight Club is you do not talk about Fight Club.” Joining Fight Club also included extreme initiation rituals. Create a Padlet and share your favorite examples of popular groups and initiation rituals. Share the Padlet with your group and discuss common themes of initiation rituals as well as how rituals make some groups distinct.

Web Exercise #2: “The Power and Danger of Online Crowds”

Reflect on “participatory journalism” or “citizen journalism” that crowdsources news on the internet. Watch the TED Talk “The Power and Danger of Online Crowds” by James Surowiecki. What are the advantages and limitations of this form of journalism?