Discussion Directions: Each weekly module will have a class discussion, with questions posed about the key concepts covered in that module and/or about an activity posted in that module. The purpose of the discussion forum is to foster student engagement and interaction.
You will be expected to post an initial comment as well as post a comment or reply to ONE other student’s post, for a total of 2 posts each week. There are a total of 5 Discussion Forum Posts and Replies, each worth 85 points, for a total of 425 points (42.5% of overall grade). Each weekly forum is worth up to 70 points for the initial post and 15 points for the reply comment to one other student’s post. Keep in mind that your discussion forum postings will be seen by other members of the course. Care should be taken when determining what to post.
Please review the discussion requirements for this course below.
You can submit a podcast instead of writing a response, if you’d like, BUT your podcast must be between 2.5-5 minutes and be well organized and verbally/orally cite concepts and sources from class.
Discussion Requirements:
1. Weekly Discussion Forums are set to begin on Sunday mornings and end on Saturday evenings.
a. You are expected to post an initial comment in the discussion forum by Thursday, 11:59 p.m. and then post at least one comment/reply to one other student’s post later in the week, but no later than Saturday evening by 11:59 p.m. Make sure to include the name of the student to whom you are responding.
b. The LATE POLICY applies to Discussion Forum posts – NO Late work is accepted.
2. The approximate length of the initial post should be 600-1000 words,
3. The approximate length of the one reply comment should be 150–250 words.
4. In general, the following criteria will be used to grade these discussion posts:
a. Good grammar and punctuation will be graded.
b. The key to these postings and responses will be in demonstrating that you are familiar with the week’s assignment and reviewed the posted lecture materials and can then apply this information to historical/cultural/current events (real-world) contexts related to mass media/communication &/or to pose your own commentary about real-world cases as they relate to that week’s readings.
5. The expected turn-around time for instructor grades is 1 week following the deadline date.
6. Connect your Discussions to one or more of the 7 Secrets of the Media in chapter 1 (pages 20-27).
DISCUSSION 1: What do we talk about when we talk about fake news?
The following exercise draws on material that was used to create the opening vignette on fake news for Chapter 1.
Over the last couple of years we’ve seen a lot of talk about fake news going on. Some of this “fake news” is satire (ie, The Onion), some of it is news people don’t like so they call it fake, and some of it is genuinely made-up news. For this week’s discussion assignment, I want you all to read a three-part blog post the author, Hanson, wrote in conjunction with a conference presentation. Budget a bit of time for this.
You don’t need to read all of the links but you’ll need many of them to complete your discussion. Also, read the an article published in The Medium about: “Television’s Reinvention and the Era of Post-Enlightenment.” (Links to an external site.)Also, read this article in the local Albany newspaper about fake news and the first amendment: https://www.timesunion.com/news/article/Fake-news-and-First-Amendment-experts-talk-World-13820961.php (Links to an external site.).
Read this article on implicit biases: https://www.inverse.com/article/21442-implicit-bias-debate-hillary-clinton?link_uid=49&utm_campaign=inverse-daily-2019-05-15&utm_medium=inverse&utm_source=newsletter (Links to an external site.)
The goal with this discussion is to get you to move beyond politics and start thinking and talking about what all this talk about fake news is really about and how we may believe fake news -in part -due to our implicit biases.
Read Author’s blog: https://www.ralphehanson.com/tag/what-do-we-talk-about (Links to an external site.)
Read: A Citizen’s Guide to Fake News: https://cits.ucsb.edu/fake-news (Links to an external site.)
In an essay of at least 600-1000 words, discuss the following issues and connect your discussion to this weeks readings in the textbook & academic journal articles, and connect the discussion to the links in this discussion:
• How has the meaning of fake news changed over the years? Discuss with examples.
• Is “fake news” always a bad thing? Why or why not?
• Discuss at least two types of current fake news, with examples. Make sure you describe the form the fake news is taking and why it exists. (Confused? Look at the Part 3 entry in this series of blog posts).
• How do you think our media world is being changed by people routinely using the term “fake news” as a way of insulting news they don’t like?
– How may our implicit biases influence whether or not we, ourselves, believe fake news? How may our implicit biases influence our decision to discredit and not believe “credible/factual” news? What are potential negative consequences of this?
-How can we actively work against our implicit biases from influencing whether or not we believe fake news over credible/factual news?
In your response, make connections to the readings and to chapters 1-3. In addition to the assigned readings, you should include and reference at least one recent outside article from a nonpartisan, credible source. Make sure you reference all the articles you use in your homework using APA format/style – see Owl Purdue website as a resource for proper formatting: https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/apa_style/apa_formatting_and_style_guide/general_format.html (Links to an external site.)
Here is how you will be evaluated on ALL Discussion Posts & Replies:
Weekly Discussion Post & Reply Rubric
Level of Content: Content indicates synthesis of ideas, in-depth analysis and conveys original thought and support for the topic. Discussion post includes fully developed ideas & does not just re-state summary of textbook/readings (i.e. connects to readings/articles, current events, personal connection, cultural connection, etc.). – _____/35 pts
Organization and Structure: Writing shows high degree of attention to logic and reasoning of points. Unity of ideas clearly leads the reader to the conclusion. The reflection flows in a logical and coherent manner, where there is a clear summary and then a reflection. – ______/17.5 pts
Format & Correct Grammar: Meets length requirement, all prompt questions are answered and prompt is free of punctuation, spelling and grammatical errors—______/17.5 pts
Critical Reply to Peer: The content of the reply is critical by adding to or extending the discussion, offers different perspectives, &/or provides explanations for agreeing/disagreeing. Responds using proper grammar and punctuation. ______/15 pts
Total Points: _______/85 pts
