Listen to the Prologue and Act One This American Life, Episode 444: Gossip, at least twice before:

http://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/episode/444/gossip,

and answer the discussion questions below.

On Tuesday, we will be having an interactive Discussion Board regarding the topic of Gossip and the responses that you have given.

After you have finished listening, consider the following questions for your Discussion on Wednesday:

1. Do you think that Gossip can be used for good and honorable purposes? If so, explain how and why.

2. If you lived in one of the villages presented in this episode, would you gossip? Do you think that the gossip in these villages helped to prevent the spread of HIV? How can you relate this piece to Nicholas Christakis's discussion?

3. How might Gossip be harmful to a Social Network? Give some concrete examples of how Gossip might be used to hurt an individual, and then consider how this might hurt their Social Network. Give this idea true consideration...

4. Have you ever had someone spread Gossip about you, either good or bad? If so, how did it affect you and your Social Network? If not, have you ever spread Gossip? Be honest here!

5. How does the topic of Gossip relate to Emotional Intelligence? Use terminology from the handout that I gave you when responding to this question.