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May 2016 1 THEMATIC UNIT: RELATIONSHIPS Thematic Unit: Relationships English 2201 Name: __________________________

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Page 1: Thematic Unit on Relationships - Alison Edwards Web viewThematic Unit: Relationships. Thematic Unit ... is using a coat hanger to pry open a door of a late-model Ford sedan. ... meaning

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Thematic Unit: Relationships

May 2016

Thematic Unit: Relationships

English 2201

Name: __________________________

May 2016May 2016May 2016May 2016May 2016May 2016May 2016May 2016May 2016May 2016May 2016May 2016May 2016

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ESSAY: The Bystander Effect by Dorothy Barkin

It is a pleasant fall afternoon. The sun is shining. You are heading toward the parking lot after your last class of the day. All of a sudden, you come across the following situations. What do you think you’d do in each case?

Situation One: A man in his early twenties dressed in jeans and a T- shirt is using a coat hanger to pry open a door of a late-model Ford sedan. An overcoat and a camera are visible on the back seat of the car. You’re the only one who sees this.

Situation Two: A man and woman are wrestling with each other. The woman is in tears. Attempting to fight the man off, she screams, “Who are you? Get away from me!” You’re the only one who witnesses this.

Situation Three: Imagine the same scenario as in Situation Two except that this time the woman screams, “Get away from me! I don’t know why I ever married you!”

Situation Four: Again imagine Situation Three. This time, however, there are a few other people (strangers to you and each other) who also observe the incident.

Many people would choose not to get involved in situations like these. Bystanders are often reluctant to intervene in criminal or medical emergencies for reasons they are well aware of. They fear possible danger to themselves or getting caught up in a situation that could lead to complicated and time-consuming legal proceedings. There are, however, other, less obvious factors which influence the decision to get involved in emergency situations. Complex psychological factors, which many people are unaware of, play an important part in the behavior of bystanders; knowing about these factors can help people to act more responsibly when faced with emergencies.

To understand these psychological phenomena°, it is helpful to look at what researchers have learned about behavior in the situations mentioned at the beginning of this article.

Situation One: Research reveals a remarkably low rate of bystander intervention to protect property. In one study, more than 3,000 people walked past 214 staged car break-ins like the one described in this situation. The vast majority of passers-by

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completely ignored what appeared to be a crime in progress. Not one of the 3,000 bothered to report the incident to the police.

Situation Two: Another experiment involved staging scenarios like this and the next situation. In Situation Two, bystanders offered some sort of assistance to the young woman 65 percent of the time.

Situation Three: Here the rate of bystander assistance dropped down to 19 percent. This demonstrates that bystanders are more reluctant to help a woman when they believe she’s fighting with her husband. Not only do they consider a wife in less need of help; they think interfering with a married couple may be more dangerous. The husband, unlike a stranger, will not flee the situation

Situation Four: The important idea in this situation is being a member of a group of bystanders. In more than fifty studies involving many different conditions, one outcome has been consistent: bystanders are much less likely to get involved when other witnesses are present than when they are alone.

In other words, membership in a group of bystanders lowers the likelihood that each member of the group will become involved. This finding may seem surprising. You might think there would be safety in numbers and that being a member of a group would increase the likelihood of intervention. How can we explain this aspect of group behavior?

A flood of research has tried to answer this and other questions about bystanders in emergencies ever since the infamous case of the murder of Kitty Genovese.

In 1964 in the borough of Queens in New York City, Catherine “Kitty” Genovese, 28, was brutally murdered in a shocking crime that outraged the nation. The crime began at 3 a.m. Kitty Genovese was coming home from her job as manager of a bar. After parking her car in a parking lot, she began the hundred-foot walk to the entrance of her apartment. But she soon noticed a man in the lot and decided instead to walk toward a police call box. As she walked by a bookstore on her way there, the man grabbed her. She screamed.

Lights went on and windows opened in the ten-story apartment building.

Next, the attacker stabbed Genovese. She shrieked, “Oh, my God, he stabbed me! Please help me! Please help me!”

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From an upper window in the apartment house, a man shouted, “Let that girl alone!”

The assailant, alarmed by the man’s shout, started toward his car, which was parked nearby. However, the lights in the building soon went out, and the man returned. He found Genovese struggling to reach her apartment—and stabbed her again.

She screamed, “I’m dying! I’m dying!”

Once more lights went on and windows opened in the apartment building. The attacker then went to his car and drove off. Struggling, Genovese made her way inside the building.

But the assailant returned to attack Genovese yet a third time. He found her slumped on the floor at the foot of the stairs and stabbed her again, this time fatally.

The murder took over a half hour, and Kitty Genovese’s desperate cries for help were heard by at least thirty-eight people. Not a single one of the thirty-eight who later admitted to having witnessed the murder bothered to pick up the phone during the attack and call the police. One man called after Genovese was dead. Comments made by bystanders after this murder provide important insight into what group members think when they consider intervening in an emergency.

These are some of the comments:

“I didn’t want my husband to get involved.”

“Frankly, we were afraid.”

“We thought it was a lovers’ quarrel.”

“I was tired.”

The Genovese murder sparked a national debate on the questions of public apathy and fear and became the basis for thousands of sermons, editorials, classroom discussions, and even a made-for-television movie. The same question was on everybody’s mind—how could thirty-eight people have done so little?

Nine years later, another well-publicized incident provided additional information about the psychology of a group witnessing a crime.

On a summer afternoon in Trenton, New Jersey, a twenty-year-old woman was brutally raped in a parking lot in full view of twenty-five employees of a nearby 4

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roofing company. Though the workers witnessed the entire incident and the woman repeatedly screamed for help, no one came to her assistance.

Comments made by witnesses to the rape were remarkably similar to those made by the bystanders to the Genovese murder. For example, one witness said, “We thought, well, it might turn out to be her boyfriend or something like that.”

It’s not surprising to find similar excuses for not helping in cases involving a group of bystanders. The same psychological principles apply to each. Research conducted since the Genovese murder indicates that the failure of bystanders to get involved can’t be simply dismissed as a symptom of an uncaring society. Rather, the “bystander effect,” as it is called by social scientists, is the product of a complex set of psychological factors.

Two factors appear to be most important in understanding the reactions of bystanders to emergencies.

First is the level of ambiguity involved in the situation. Bystanders are afraid to endanger themselves or look foolish if they take the wrong action in a situation they’re not sure how to interpret. A person lying face down on the floor of a subway train may have just suffered a heart attack and be in need of immediate medical assistance—or he may be a dangerous drunk.

Determining what is happening is especially difficult when a m a n is attacking a woman. Many times lovers do quarrel, sometimes violently. But they may strongly resent an outsider, no matter how well-meaning, intruding into their affairs. When a group of bystanders is around, interpreting an event can be even more difficult than when one is alone. Bystanders look to others for cues as to what is happening. Frequently other witnesses, just as confused, try to look calm. Thus bystanders can mislead each other about the seriousness of an incident.

The second factor in determining the reactions of bystanders to emergencies is what psychologists call the principle of moral diffusion. Moral diffusion is the lessening of a sense of individual responsibility when someone is a member of a group. Responsibility to act diffuses throughout the crowd. When a member of the group is able to escape the collective paralysis° and take action, others in the group tend to act as well. But the larger the crowd, the greater the diffusion of responsibility, and the less likely someone is to intervene.

The more social scientists are able to teach us about how bystanders react to an emergency, the better the chances that we will take appropriate action when faced with one. Knowing about moral diffusion, for example, makes it easier for us to escape it. If you find yourself witnessing an emergency with a group, remember that everybody is waiting for someone else to do something first. If

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you take action, others may also help.

Also realize that any one of us could at some time be in desperate need of help. Imagine what it feels like to need help and have a crowd watching you suffer and do nothing. Remember Kitty Genovese.

VOCABULARY CHECK

Circle the letter of the word or phrase that best completes each of the following four items.

1. In the sentence below, the word scenario meansa. question.b. relationship.c. sequence of events.d. quotation.

“Imagine the same scenario as in Situation Two except that this time the woman screams, ‘Get away from me! I don’t know why I ever married you!’ ” (Paragraph l)

2. In the sentences below, the word assailant meansa. observer.b. bystander.c. victim.d. attacker.

“Next, the attacker stabbed Genovese. . . . From an upper window in the apartment house, a man shouted, ‘Let that girl alone!’ . . . The assailant, alarmed by the man’s shout, started toward his car. . . . ” (Paragraphs 10–12)

3. In the sentences below, the word ambiguity meansa. argument.b. uncertainty.c. lack of interest.d. crowding.

“First is the level of ambiguity involved. . . . Bystanders are afraid to endanger themselves or look foolish . . . in a situation they’re not sure how to interpret.” (Paragraph 29)

4. In the sentence below, the word cues means

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a. laughs.b. hints.c. blame.d. danger.

“Bystanders look to others for cues as to what is happening.” (Paragraph 31)

READING CHECK

1. Which sentence best expresses the central point of the entire selection?a. People don’t want to get involved in emergencies.b. Kitty Genovese was murdered because no one came to her

assistance or called the police.c. People don’t care what happens to others.d. Understanding why bystanders react as they do in a crisis can

help people act more responsibly.

2. Which sentence best expresses the main idea of paragraph 27?a. A number of factors, not a simple lack of caring, keeps bystanders

from getting involved.b. Bystanders always have the same excuses for not helping.c. There has been research on bystanders since the Genovese

murder.d. The “bystander effect” is a symptom of an uncaring society.

3. The sentence that makes up paragraph 28 states the main idea ofa. paragraph 29.b. paragraphs 29–30.c. paragraphs 29–31.d. paragraphs 29–32.

4. Bystanders are most likely to helpa. a woman being attacked by her husband.b. a woman being attacked by a stranger.c. when property is being stolen.d. in any emergency when others are around.

5. According to the author, when there is a group of bystanders,a. everyone is more likely to help.b. it is easier to understand what is happening.c. the people in the group do not influence each other at all.d. each is more likely to act after someone else takes action.

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6. The author supports her statement that “bystanders are much less likely to get involved when other witnesses are present” (paragraph 4) witha. opinions.b. quotations from experts.c. research and examples.d. no evidence.

7. The reading suggests that people tend to believea. theft is justified.b. loss of property is worse than bodily harm.c. bodily harm is worse than loss of property.d. rape is worse than murder.

8. From the article, we can conclude that Kitty Genovese’s killera. knew his victim.b. was unaware of the witnesses.c. stabbed her too quickly for her to get help.d. kept attacking when he realized no one was coming to help her.

9. In which of the following situations can we conclude that a bystander is most likely to get involved?a. A man passes a clothing store with a smashed window from

which people are carrying away clothes.b. A college student sees a man collapsing on a street where no one

else is present.c. A neighbor sees a father and son fighting in their yard.d. A softball team sees the coach angrily yelling at and shoving his

wife.

10. The main purpose of this article, as suggested in the closing paragraphs, is toa. inform people of the existence of the phenomenon called “the

bystander effect.”b. inform readers that Kitty Genovese and others like her could

have been saved if bystanders had taken action.c. entertain readers with vivid stories involving crisis situations.d. persuade people to recognize the bystander effect and be on

guard against it in their own lives.

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CONSTRUCTED RESPONSE

1. What type of essay is this selection? What methods does the author use to develop this piece?

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2. Using specific examples, explain which methods the author has used to develop coherence.

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PERSONAL RESPONSE

In your experience, is it true that people take less responsibility when they are in a group than when they are alone? What examples can you think of to support this idea? Explain in a personal narrative response.

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POEM/SONG: There's Always Someone Cooler Than You" (edited) By Ben Folds

SmileLike you've got nothing to proveNo matter what you might doThere's always someone out there cooler than you

I know that's hard to believeBut there are people you meetThey're into something that is too big to beExpressedThrough their clothesAnd they'll put up with all the poses you throwAnd you won'tEven know

That they're not sizing you upThey know your mom messed you upOr maybe let you watch too much TV

But they'll still look in your eyesTo find the human insideYou know there's always something in there to seeBeneathThe veneerNot everybody made the list this year

Make me feel tiny if it makes you feel tallBut there's always someone cooler than youYeah, you think you’re itBut you won't be it for longOh, there's always someone cooler than youYeah, there's always someone cooler than you

Now that I've got the diseaseIn a way I'm relievedCause' I don't have to stress about it like you doI might just get up and danceOr buy some acid washed pantsIf you don't careThen you got nothing to lose

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And I won'tHesitateCause every moment life is slipping awayIt's ok

Make me feel tiny if it makes you feel tallBut there's always someone cooler than youYeah, you think you’re itBut you won't be it for longOh, there's always someone cooler than youYeah, there's always someone cooler than youOh, there's always someone cooler than

Life is wonderfulLife is beautifulWe're all children ofOne big universeSo you don't have to beA chump

And you knowThat I won'tHesitateCause every moment life is slipping awayIt's ok

Make me feel tiny if it makes you feel tall'Cause there's always someone cooler than youYeah, you think you’re itBut you won't be it for longBut there's always someone cooler than youOh yeah, there's always someone cooler than youBecause there's always someone cooler than you

Nerds gone wild!!!!Yeah yea

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SELECTED RESPONSE:

1. What is the ‘disease’ of which he writes?a. Acneb. Fatal case of tie-dye overexposurec. Not caring what people thinkd. Not wanting to stand out

2. Which literary device is best shown through “Make me feel tiny if it makes you feel tall”?

a. Hyperboleb. Juxtapositionc. Metaphord. Simile

3. Which literary device is best shown through “I might just get up and dance/Or buy some acid washed pants”

a. Alliterationb. Clichéc. Imageryd. Metaphor

4. “Chump” best demonstrates which type of language?a. Formalb. Informalc. Slangd. Terabian

CONSTRUCTED RESPONSE

5. What is the theme of this poem? How does Folds use diction to help achieve this theme? Discuss, with two references from the poem.

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MEDIA VISUAL: MCDONALD’S AD

NOTE: Small text on the bottom states:

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‘Nor Swedes, South Koreans or Norwegians. We hire individuals. We don’t care what your surname is. Because ambition and determination have nothing to do with your nationality. McDonald’s is one of the most integrated companies in Sweden, with as many as ninety-five nationalities working for us. Join us a mcdonalds.se’

SELECTED RESPONSE

1. Which is the dominant media strategy of this ad?a. Emotional Appealb. Facts and Figuresc. Shock Appeald. Testimonials

2. Who is the intended audience of this visual?a. Childrenb. General Publicc. Potential Employeesd. United Nations

3. What is the focal point of this visual?a. Blank Spaceb. Large Textc. McLogod. Small text

4. What is the form of the visual?a. advertisementb. brochurec. product placementd. web page

CONSTRUCTED RESPONSE

5. What is the subtext of this visual? How are two visual elements used to help develop the subtext?

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SHORT STORY: Racing Home by Chris Clemente

1. My dad paced around my bike. He abruptly stopped in front of me.2. “Are you ready to go?” he asked. Instead of responding, I gave him a lame

thumbs-up and lied. I don’t think I had ever been ready for this race.3. I felt like I was in an exotic fish tank. People around me were dressed in bright

neon colored jerseys and matching tights. They all rode stationary bicycle trainers. Their legs moved up then down, up then down. It was cold, more so than I expected. I slipped on a winter hat even though it was in the middle of the summer. My cleats clicked, tightening around my feet. They were wet with dew. I nearly slipped as I hopped on my bike. A slight breeze flapped my plastic race number against the bike’s front tire. I turned up Dave Matthews Band on my iPod. I began to pedal like I had practiced so many times before. One foot up, one foot down I thought. It was the only rhythm I could get into. I stared up at the mountain and took a deep breath. When will this race be over? I asked.

4. Six months ago Shakira’s song “Hips Don’t Lie” blasted from my cell phone. I absentmindedly searched the floor with a limp hand. I brushed over a plate with old pizza crusts in it before finding the phone.

5. “Hello,” I mumbled in my just-woke-up-from-a-deep-sleep rasp.6. “Hey Chris! We’re all signed up,” my dad chattered.7. “What time is it?”8. “Five after six. I didn’t think we’d get into the race, but I logged in extra early

to make sure. They only allow 300 entries, and just think, you’ll be one of that small number of lucky people to make the most famous hill climb in the northeast.”

9. “Dad, what are you talking about?”10. “I signed you up for the Mt. Washington Bicycle Hill Climb. You know that

annual bike race up the Mt. Washington Auto Road? It’s only seven miles long with an average grade of twelve percent. Of course, it gets a little steeper at the top of the hill with the twenty-two percent grade. Oh, wow, it says on the website that winds have been so severe near the summit that they have actually blown riders off the bikes,” he rambled on.

11. “Cool, Dad.”12. “Yep, it’s only three hundred dollars.” I heard an exasperated “WHAT?” in the

background from my mother. “We only have 180 days to get ready for it. I gotta get ready for work. I’ll talk to you later.”

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13. “Bye,” I slipped in, as the phone fell from my ear. My eyes shut to go back to sleep. I guess I wasn’t concerned about a bicycle race up a 6,288 foot summit that holds the record for the worst weather ever recorded on earth. Six months is a long way away, I thought.

14. My training felt like I was in a montage of a Rocky movie. I woke up every morning at 5:45. I gulped down a quick glass of OJ and hit the road for a twenty mile bike ride. I know now that riding a bike through the hilly roads of New Hampshire is like riding a roller coaster without having fun. It was a constant struggle against gravity. Luckily these hills were maybe 1/100 of the steepness and size of Mt. Washington. I have to admit though, I did enjoy the wind whipping in my face as I tucked down a hill, and the sensation that I got when I “raced” a car from a traffic light. I went pedal to the metal to see how long I could keep up with them.

15. The most important part of my training was the “strategy” sessions with my dad. He would sit me down in the living room and go over every inch of the auto road of Mt. Washington. I listened and wolfed down leftovers from dinner. He lectured about how much water I should be drinking in the first two miles. He mentioned how a good cadence (revolution of the pedals) helps get you into a rhythm. He advised me what to do if someone were to nudge me on a curve (“Nudge ‘em back!”). And most importantly, he explained how I could finish the race with a sprint. His eyes always lit up when he talked about his own experience in the race. He was a short guy, but built with a large upper chest that made him the “perfect” ratio for climbing on a bicycle. His hair was short and curly. But back in the day, he sported a large afro and a moustache. The look made my grandfather mistake him for a Puerto Rican (He’s a 100% Italian). He talked with his hands in constant motion. He always stood up when he got to the finish of the race and the end of the story.

16. I felt like he hurled a rock of pressure on me every day. He remembered exact details about his race. Like how it took him forty-two minutes and thirty-seven seconds from start to finish. Of course, he blamed this time on the poor bike technology available in the 1970s. He was confident that I would shatter his record. When he signed me up, I was excited to race just to say I did it. But with every pep talk, I felt like I had to be the first one up the mountain.

17. I was stranded in the backseat of our Chevy Blazer on the only road to the base of Mount Washington. I felt like the car was a skateboard driving in the middle of a half pipe built of mountains. My head was pressed to the side window. It was difficult to see out of it so early in the morning. The usual lush trees and

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brush that seem to be glued on to every visible surface on the side of the range were a dark, shadowy gray. The car barreled onwards with my bike strapped firmly to the roof.

18. “Frank, are you sure he shouldn’t be wearing a parachute?” my mother asked in a serious tone. She was concerned that the winds would sweep me straight off the bike. I would’ve laughed but my dad told me to save energy. I chomped on a bagel and slurped on some coffee. My dad reminded me that I should probably wear a light windbreaker over my jersey to battle the winds. We approached the entrance to the bottom of the auto road of the mountain. It was marked by a lonely hut that sells touristy sweatshirts and bumper stickers. They said “I Heart Mt. Washington” and “This Car Has Climbed Mt. Washington.” We turned into a grass field for parking. I could tell he was nervous. He wasn’t talking much, and he kept asking me if I wanted more coffee.

19. I lined up at the starting line. My dad tapped me on my helmet. Oh great, another strategy before the ride I thought. He motioned for me to unplug my headphones.

20. “I love you, Chris,” was all he said. He walked away to drive the car up the mountain to pick me up from the top when I was finished. I was stuck in the middle of many riders, just waiting for the gun. I watched all the cars drive up the mountain to wait at the top like a funeral procession. I could see my mom from the side of the road. She didn’t make me feel comfortable. Her eyes were shifting from side to side. I could only guess that she was imagining a large tornado blowing me off the road like Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz. Some water beaded up on my sunglasses. I wiped them on my white and blue jersey. I looked down and noticed that my right foot was twitching a bit. The bike moved side to side. I peered up the road and tried to visualize the course in my mind. I couldn’t get past the first hairpin turn. I felt my ears prickle with warmth. Any second now. Closing my eyes, I just waited for the sound of the gun to pierce the air.

21. Instead of a gun shot, I heard a large megaphone. I turned to my left to see a man stand on a table. I loosened my headphones.

22. “Excuse me, racers, my name is Billy Fontaine, and I’m the director of the race this morning,” the man on the table said. “I hate to inform you that today’s race has been cancelled due to inclement weather at the top of the mountain. Please return your racing tags to the baskets, and I apologize again for the inconvenience.” I kicked the ground hard with my cleats, and clenched my jaw.

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The training, the preparation, the pressure, the hype. The race had been held for over thirty years. This was the first year that they had ever cancelled it. My mother looked relieved. It was painful waiting for Dad to come down from the top with the car. At last, I saw him descending down the road. He parked in the same place where we were before. He walked over to us in the tent. His pace was slow. He avoided making eye contact with me. His legs zig-zagged side to side like a zombie. Turning around, he looked at the mountain. Then, he turned his gaze toward the ground. I wanted to bolt away with my bike. I wanted to race the car all the way home.

Selected Response1. What two literary devices are used in the statement “zig-zagged side to

side like a zombie” (par. 22)a. Alliteration and simileb. Assonance and metaphorc. Cacophony and similed. Euphony and metaphor

2. What is the point of view?a. First personb. Second personc. Third person limitedd. Third person omniscient

3. What is the purpose of the dashes in, “Hello,” I mumbled in my just-woke-up-from-a-deep-sleep rasp.

a. Create settingb. Develop emphasisc. Establish characterizationd. Set the tone

4. In the context of paragraph 14, what is the meaning of the word montage?a. collectionsb. combinationc. Excerptsd. Mixture

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Analytical EssayHow does the author create voice? You may wish to refer to Informal language, diction and allusion.

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Thematic Unit: Relationships

Page 22: Thematic Unit on Relationships - Alison Edwards Web viewThematic Unit: Relationships. Thematic Unit ... is using a coat hanger to pry open a door of a late-model Ford sedan. ... meaning

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Thematic Unit: Relationships