The following four areas of inquiry may be especially fruitful of excellent discussions: classic (Sophoclean/Aristotelian) ideas of human tragedy and responsibility; the American Jewish experience as represented in fiction; "passing" as a survival strategy among African Americans; and the nature of the American academic community at the end of the twentieth century. In each of these general areas, the questions of individual responsibility and the consequences of one's actions seem dominant. While society and the Zeitgeist exert pressure on individuals, minorities such as Jews, African Americans, and women have struggled to achieve acceptance and success in the United States, but often at great costs and often with serious but unintended consequences for the individual and his or her family and community.

1. Is Coleman Silk a tragic figure? Explain why or why not. Is he a victim of prejudice, be it racial, gender, or age-based?

What...