Content and Expectations. In a 3-4 page, APA or Chicago Style citations, Times Roman, 12point-double spaced essay, discuss analyze The Social Dilemma using the four approaches to media literacy. Your paper must introduce, compare and contrast the four approaches to media literacy noting how each approach would interpret The Social Dilemma. The essay should propose lesson plans, lectures, or related activities that an adherent of each pedagogical approach may suggest for using The Social Dilemma in the classroom. Students will be graded on how well they demonstrate their knowledge of the course content (especially each of the four approaches) and documentary, organization and execution of their podcast, and creativity of ideas related to the assignment and course content.
Citations and Sources. Students will be graded on how well they demonstrate an understanding of the course content. The essay should be written at a college level (grammar, spelling, style, word diversity, etc). No outside sources will be allowed. You are expected to have a minimum of 15 citations at least 5 course assigned sources.
Formatting: In college there is a very specific to write an essay. Anything short of these basic expectations will not be considered an essay. They include:
An opening Paragraph.
Your opening paragraph should summarize the essay and have a strong underlined one sentence thesis.
The opening paragraph should provide a road map of what you are arguing and how you will prove it.
Body paragraphs.
Topic sentences that tie your evidence to the thesis
Make sure the language of each topic sentence is taken directly from the thesis
The topic sentence explains how the evidence supports a part of the thesis, thus, the topic sentence should never be something that is or can be cited.
Conclusion
Summarizes main arguments of the essay
Formatting:
Your paper should always have your name and course, etc, as well as page numbers. Your citation style will also tell you how to format these.
Please don’t manipulate spacing or margins – extra spaces between paragraphs make it look like you are trying to pad your paper. Similarly with larger or smaller margins. Your paper should be double-spaced with 1-inch margins and size 12 Times New Roman font.
In-text citations:
Cite every fact or idea you reference from the course material. If you say “Fake news started in the 1700s..” how do you know? Cite the source in a parenthetical citation.
Your in-text parenthetical citations should also follow APA or Chicago style and these differ according to what type of media they come from (book, film, canvas, lectures, etc)
All direct quotes should include a page number (text) or time stamp (films) in the parenthetical citation so the reader can find that exact quote themselves.
In-text citations go inside the period of the sentence they are referring to.
References:
Check the formatting of your reference page. References should follow the citation style, which usually means double-spaced hanging indentation.
You can’t just copy references from Canvas into your reference page. You can start with these to get relevant information but you must check these according to your citation style.
Other notes:
Tone of an academic paper: these essays are a chance to practice your formal academic writing. Discussing the content persuasively and clearly.
What is a thesis? Not an overview (that’s another part of the paragraph) but the main point you want to make.
Strong Thesis Example: “Fake news has developed from a history of racial domination that continues in racially biased coverage today.”
Weak thesis example: “In this paper, I will discuss how fake news was developed, racism was part of the development, and its effects today.”
COMMON NOTES I MAKE TO STUDENTS:
PLEASE UNDERLINE YOUR STRONG THESIS!
Have a thesis – it must argue something (vague langue and value judgment will receive 0 credit – make an argument)
A strong UNDERLINED thesis (a thesis is one sentence).
12 point times roman font double spaced
Cite the required content in text
Topic sentences that tie your evidence to the thesis (Make sure the language of each topic sentence is taken directly from the thesis!)
Do not use contractions (can’t, couldn’t etc)
Only capitalize a word if necessary
Do not give a book report, it is an essay
No quotes or citations in a topic sentence
Do not include cited material in the opening paragraph
Take a stand, no weak thesis or topic sentences
Use synonyms to diversify the words in the essay
Use the proper tense.
Include direct quotes that are less than two lines long that support your answer.
Write a sentence or two to explain each quote.
Conclusion paragraph should explain how the evidence and findings support your thesis.
