For this video, choose one item that addresses a current issue and makes connections to class concepts. The item may be print or video—for example, an article from the current edition of a newspaper or magazine, a segment from a news or talk show, a YouTube video, vlog, or any program that features current affairs.
Your item (up to 2 minutes) will be embedded in a PowerPoint that you will use to supplement your presentation.
You may use clips of a video, pause a video as necessary to identify concepts, or use a clip for a full 2 minutes. However, you cannot use over two minutes of video in your own presentation.
Items cannot be more than 90 days old.
Clips and articles can be embedded in a PowerPoint that you will use to supplement your presentation or you can share your screen and show these separately during your presentation.
Remember, your PowerPoint is there to guide you during your presentation. Do not overload this with text.
Submit a 4-5 minute video in which you:
Use any software you are comfortable with, including Panopto, in order to record yourself speaking and presenting a PowerPoint at the same time. You and your PowerPoint must be visible during the entirety of the presentation. This cannot just be a recording of your face presenting and it cannot just be a voice over with your PowerPoint – Video and screen option should be selected on any media you use.
Clearly identify the argument. Present the premises and conclusion in your chosen article or video clip and explain their importance. Did the speakers/writers use deductive or inductive reasoning?
In your article or video clip, identify three of the following: vague/ambiguous language; credibility; cognitive bias; rhetoric; logical fallacies; generalizations; arguments from analogy; cause and effect reasoning; and value judgments about morality, law, or aesthetics.
Explain why you think the argument fits this concept. Also, identify if this was purposeful and why, and how this affects the strength of the argument.
Provide a conclusion to your video. Was the argument convincing? What is your position? (30 seconds max)
Length: 5 minutes maximum
You will be graded on:
Your ability to identify arguments made about relevant issues in our world today
How well you identify class concepts. Accuracy and a clear explanation are required
Your use of terminology from the textbook/class lectures
Your ability to showcase your critical thinking skills
Your ability to use Panopto, Screen cast-o-matic or any other media to complete your presentation
Your presentation skills and delivery
Please see the link below this is a video for example:
PHIL 341: Current Affairs Presentation (youtube.com)
Please select a debate topic for my PowerPoint presentation. I will provide my record later.
Week 6 Assignment FAQ/Explainer
Here’s an FAQ/Explainer on the week 6 assignment to hopefully help address some questions you may have about it (also, if you haven’t already reviewed the initial announcement on Week 6 (titled “Week 6 Begins!”), be sure to review that thoroughly first):
Does the video I choose to analyze have to be exactly two minutes or under?
No! It can be any length, but you’d just focus on an approximately 2-minute snippet of it.
Do the two minutes from the video I’ve chosen count toward my 4-5 minutes?
Yes! That means you’d only necessarily need to produce 2-3 minutes of content, plus the (up to) 2 minutes from the video you’re critiquing. If you choose a newspaper or magazine article instead, you can show that article on screen and read through the key parts that you’re focusing on for up to two minutes (be sure to provide a direct link to the article as well). Keep in mind, though, that this assignment is more about the quality and substance of your analysis of the critical reasoning in the video rather than about filling time, so I’d focus more on ensuring that you feel you’ve effectively covered each aspect of the prompt.
What if I go over 5 minutes?
That’s ok.
By like a lot.
It’s ok. Don’t feel like you need to – you should be able to cover all the essential items within 5 minutes, so you don’t need to go overboard and should still aim for the 5-minute target, but if you go over by a bit it’s no big deal. I just wouldn’t recommend going under 5 minutes, since that’s usually a sign that some aspects can be developed more fully.
Do I really have to show my face?
Yes – this assignment in part is focusing on professional presentation skills, since in your own future careers you may need to deliver presentations and we want to make sure you have practice in presenting at a professional level to connect meaningfully with the audience. If you run into major technical issues with doing so, though, let me know, since I recognize that sometimes systems make that difficult.
What topics are good to present on?
Again, any topic is fair game, really – the only limitation is that it needs to present an argument (which means a conclusion + one or more premises). I encourage you to choose something that interests you, though – obviously, given the times, there’s plenty of political topics out there, so that’s the low-hanging fruit, but there are a lot of other topics that are worth exploring as well, including health care, the environment, and social justice, including racial, class/economic, and gender/sex issues.
Some current hot-button issues include the conflicts in Gaza or Ukraine, student protests, cancel culture, universal basic income, student debt relief, the federal minimum wage, plus some important local and regional issues such as the homeless/housing problem in LA, how to address wildfires, and how to address the water drought (especially in the Central Valley, where farmers are heavily impacted), not to mention the perennial issues of gun rights, reproductive rights, and environmental action. That’s by no means an exhaustive list but just a very short set of examples of topics you might explore. You can also choose something like whether pineapple is acceptable on pizza, or whether Die Hard is a Christmas movie, or whether toilet paper should hang over or under the roll. While solving world peace would be nice, you don’t necessarily have to do it here, so feel free to aim for more light-hearted arguments too.
Does it have to be from a news source?
No – your argument can be taken from anywhere, including YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, Reddit, or any other social media platform. The only requirement is that it presents an argument about a current issue, which you can then analyze.
Where can I find something good to present on?
Good places to look include the opinion/editorial sections of nearly any newspaper (e.g. the Opinion page of the LA Times); these sections focus on presenting persuasive arguments rather than straightforward news. Additionally, the various cable news channels (CNN, Fox News, MSNBC) frequently have commentators or experts on to offer their opinion on some issue, or, like in the image above, several “experts” to argue with each other about some issue.
Don’t worry too much about whether the topic is “right” for the assignment. Any argument can be dissected, so as long as it’s something you’re interested in and as long as you demonstrate an ability to use and apply course concepts, you should be in good shape.
What should my critique focus on?
This assignment, much like the Signature Assignment, is primarily a showcase for you to demonstrate your understanding of & ability to apply course concepts, so the more you can show those off the better. These include:
Identifying whether the reasoning relies on inductive or deductive reasoning (or both), and explaining how – what makes the reasoning inductive or deductive. The reason why this matters is because it determines what kinds of evidence are needed to support the claims.
Identifying what assumptions the argument relies on in its movement from premises to claim. This is also known as unstated premises, and they are central to analyzing inductive reasoning (which is the primary form of reasoning used in most arguments). What are those unstated premises, and are they reasonable?
Rhetorical devices and logical fallacies – look through the lists of both from the textbook and try to find illustrations of them in the argument you’re critiquing. For each concept you apply, though, make sure you clearly explain how it applies and how the concept is illustrated by your example. For fallacies, make sure you identify both the premise and the conclusion that the premise is supporting – fallacies are errors in reasoning in the movement from premise to conclusion, so to help your reader understand specifically where that error occurs it’s important to show the landscape of the argument itself.
Examples of arguments from analogy – is the analogy appropriate (are the two things they’re comparing equal?); use of vague, ambiguous, or general language that can allow for multiple interpretations, whether intentionally or unintentionally; and/or value judgments based on morality, law, or aesthetics, and what are the foundational principles that inform that moral, legal, or aesthetic judgment.
Above all, show that you know how to use course concepts and apply them to current examples. Basically, the course is designed to hand you a bunch of tools to critique and analyze arguments, and this is an opportunity for you to show off your skills in using those tools.
Keep in mind that the course name is Critical Reasoning, and reasoning means the movement from premise to conclusion in an argument – does the premise really support the conclusion? Why or why not? Does it create the illusion of supporting the argument through the use of rhetoric or fallacies? If so, how? Are there assumptions that the argument is relying on in the jump from premise to conclusion, and if so, what are they and how legitimate are those assumptions?
What should I do in my conclusion? Just say whether it was convincing or not?
Not just that – you’re presenting your own argument here, and, as noted above, arguments consist of two key components – claims and premises. If you say that the argument is convincing, explain why – what evidence do you think was sufficient to make it convincing, and what makes it sufficient? You’re essentially presenting an argument of your own here, after your critical analysis – as with any argument, defend your conclusion with specific, substantive reasoning!
How do I create my video?
The university recommends Panopto – click on My Panopto Videos in the left-hand column in Canvas, and once you’re logged in, click the orange “+ Create” button in the upper left corner. Very important: make sure to make your file accessible by sharing it with me – otherwise I won’t be able to view it!
Do I have to use Panopto?
No. While it’s recommended, if you’re more comfortable with some other software program, you can use that (I often use QuickTime, and you could also use the video recording function in PowerPoint, or you may have your own preferred application).
