Student Survival Kit

Essay Outline: "Social Media & Democratic Participation"
PoliSci 201 — 2,000 words

THESIS: Social media democratized speech but its algorithms undermine informed participation via echo chambers.

I. INTRO (200 words)
• Hook: Americans see 34 political posts/day but can't name their state rep
• Context: Social media as "democratizing force" (Arab Spring)
• Pivot to reality

II. THE PROMISE (400 words)
• "Social media eliminated gatekeepers of political speech."
• Evidence: Pew data on engagement rates
• Example: #MeToo as democratic mobilization

III. THE PROBLEM (500 words)
• "The same algorithms that connect us sort us into silos."
• MIT study: false news spreads 6x faster
• Define "epistemic closure"

IV. COUNTERARGUMENT (400 words)
• Steel-man: "Users choose what to follow"
• Response: Choice architecture shapes behavior (Thaler & Sunstein)

V. CONCLUSION (200 words)
• Propose algorithmic transparency legislation
• The tool isn't the problem; the invisible hand is

📚 Organic Chemistry Midterm (Ch. 1-6)

🔴 HIGH PRIORITY:

1. SN1 vs SN2
• SN1: 2 steps, carbocation, racemization, favors 3°
• SN2: 1 step, backside attack, inversion, favors 1°
• 🧠 "SN2 = Strong Nucleophile, 2gether"
• 🧠 "SN1 = Slow Nucleophile, 1 at a time"

Exam Q: "Predict product: (CH₃)₃CBr + CH₃OH"
→ SN1 (tertiary, weak nucleophile). Product: (CH₃)₃COCH₃, racemic.

2. Stereochemistry
• R/S: priority by atomic number
• 🧠 "R = clockwise = Right turn"
• Meso: chiral centers + internal mirror = optically inactive

🟡 MEDIUM: Acid/base pKa trends, Newman projections
🟢 IF TIME: Hybridization, formal charge