HELPING AND ALTRUISM

For this assignment, in “Class Notes,” you will read about two different instances in which someone needs
help.
Questions: Based on the situation described, answer the following questions.
• Who is more likely to be disadvantaged by the bystander effect?
• Define this effect (bystander effect), and what quotation provides evidence of it?
• Identify two factors likely …
Class Notes:
Jesse and Geoff are taking a course like this, only it is on-campus with lectures and at a university in a
large metropolitan area. Both know that in the middle of the semester, they will have to be gone for two
weeks (one for vacation, one for work). They will need help from someone in the class during that time, at
least to get copies of lecture notes. Geoff may also need someone to help explain the material to him.
At the end of the first day of class, as students are introducing themselves before the final bell, one studentmentions she needs a ride home that night and another student immediately volunteers to drive her. When
it is his turn, Jesse announces to the class of 50 students that he needs to borrow notes for material that he
will have to miss when he has to be gone two weeks in the middle of the semester for a job commitment he
cannot reschedule. There is an awkward silence. Then, people continue introducing themselves in hopes of
finishing before the end of class. Jesse didn’t explicitly ask for an answer then, but he and many others felt
it was very awkward.
Geoff also had to miss some days of class. However, he waited to ask for help until a few weeks into the
semester. He was talking alone during a class break to Mark, a friend he had made. They often talked and
sat near one another, they both were from the same high school, and they were both business majors. Just
the week before, the teacher had asked Mark a tough question in class, and Mark clearly got embarrassed
because he didn’t know the answer. Geoff spoke up, answering the question and diverting attention to
himself. Tonight, as they chatted during break, Geoff told Mark that was going on vacation the next two
weeks up until just before the big test. He then asked if he could borrow Mark’s class notes when he
returned. He also said that he doesn’t understand the material well and asked Mark if he could go over the
notes with him when he returned. Mark reluctantly said, “Sure, I’ll help.”
Writing/Rhetorical Goals:
A good essay for this assignment will probably require roughly 1-2 pages. Do not just list the questions and
respond to them in a list. Your essay should look like an essay with a broad introduction that sets the
context and a broad conclusion that pulls the various elements together and provides a summary or
closure. It should be organized into paragraphs with related content together in the same paragraph and
with transitions and paragraph headings that help convey your narrative or your argument.
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Learning Objectives:
1. Who is more likely to be disadvantaged by the bystander effect? Define this effect, and what quotation
provides evidence of it? (10 points)
2. Identify two factors likely to lead Geoff to get help based on altruism and provide a quotation that
illustrates each. (15 points)
3. Identify two factors likely to lead Jesse to get help based on altruism and provide a quotation that
illustrates each. (15 points)
4. One condition makes the bystander effect impossible. What is that condition, what text provides
evidence of it, and for which person does it occur? (10 points)