Observe what happens in a contemporary coffeehouse, consider similarities and differences between contemporary and early-modern coffeehouses, and assess whether contemporary coffeehouses function as a public sphere in a Habermasian sense.

In this assignment, you will observe what happens in a contemporary coffeehouse, (Starbucks or independent), consider similarities and differences between contemporary and early-modern coffeehouses, and assess (that is, make and support a claim) whether contemporary coffeehouses function as a public sphere in a Habermasian sense. Your essay should be written for a college-educated reader who may not be familiar with Habermas’s concept, so please be sure to define what a public sphere is. Explain to your reader what features of seventeenth-century coffeehouses led Habermas to claim that they constituted one of the first historical examples of a public sphere,describe what you observe in your coffeehouse and explain what factors of the contemporary coffeehouse experience lead you to your conclusion. Be sure to articulate how contemporary coffeehouses are similar to and how they differ from the early modern examples Habermas discusses and to explain how these relate to your conclusion.