Media and Conflict Final Paper The papers should present an argument about a text or several texts we have discussed in class, or about texts you have read outside class and raise with me prior to writing. I do not expect you to refer to secondary sources, but you may of course do so if your argument requires it. The usual requirements about producing original work apply; you may use any citation style you like, as long as it is easy for me to check your sources. 13-17 double spaced pages, please highlight argument and support it throughout the essay. Create an argument relative to journalism. You might consider the questions below: • How does this text establish its authority, and is it successful? • How is war correspondence different and similar to other types of journalism, and what are the effects of these differences? • What is the role of narrative form, and what are the effects of innovation in this area? • What forms of persuasion, either explicit or implicit, are employed in war journalism, and how (well) do they work? However, these questions are far from exhaustive, and as always, you should follow your interests, insofar as they pertain to the class, and not feel constrained by the topics listed above. I would like for the argument to be related to reporting in the world of terrorism. I place a premium on clear prose and forceful argumentation, so please write carefully and well. Al Qaida and ISIS. Read/watch: • o Adam Shatz, “Moral Clarity (Links to an external site.),” London Review of Books o Graeme Wood, “What ISIS Really Wants (Links to an external site.),” The Atlantic o VICE, The Islamic State (Links to an external site.) (watch the whole documentary, approximately 43 minutes) • https://www.cjr.org/tow_center_reports/coverage_terrorism_social_media.php Discussion: • o What is the role of ideas, and how do journalists write about them? o How do journalistic ethics depend on context and timing?
