Homework Assignment #1:
I) Short Answers: For this assignment please see the list below of key concepts, terms, issues and articles from the first part of the class. You can use these as a study guide for your final exam. But for this assignment, choose ONE to write up. Your short answer description should explain:
A) What does this term/concept mean and where is it from? Be sure to refer to the assigned class material!!!
B) Why is it relevant to our understanding of U.S. Politics? Why is it important? How does it help us think about politics—either meaning “who get’s what, when, and how” or “the process of improving people’s lives”?
C) What other concepts/authors/terms in the class is it related to and how? Again, be sure to refer to the assigned class material. Demonstrate your understanding of the whole body of the assigned material and how it all fits together.
Note: The terms/ideas/articles below represent key concepts from the first couple of weeks of this class. If you understand these terms individually and how they relate to each other, you can better insure you understand core learning goals for the class. Also, any and all of these terms may appear on your final exam. So, it would be good idea for you to study and understand these core concepts.
II) Values Reflection: Now, at the very bottom, write a 50 to 75 word personal reflection on this question: Think about all of the material you read for these units of the class and not just the term you chose to write up. Each of the readings and videos for this part of the class had an actual point of view. They were grounded in particular political values with political norms, assumptions and goals, some of which are explicit and some of which are not stated. In other words, they were not just “objective” recitations of facts. Every writer and analyst picks which facts to present, and every reader has their own subjective point of view shaping their understanding of and reaction to facts and analyses. What we’d like to know now is what YOU think of these norms, values and goals? How did you feel about them? How did you react? Did you AGREE? DISAGREE? What is YOUR point of view and value structure? Make reference to the assigned material in your explanation.
III) General Directions:
· Length: Short Answer description should be between 150-200 words minimum/maximum; the Values Reflection should be between 50 and 100 additional words.
· Holiday Weeks? Note- even on weeks when class does not meet all homework is still due.
· Turning in Work: You will submit THIS assignment to turnitin. When you upload to www.turinitin.com be sure to submit using this assignment template.
IV) Terms to choose from:
ü Power and Power as not a Dirty Word- from Francis Moore-Lappe
ü Democracy- esp from the Politics of Power chapter 1 (from Unit #3- to choose this one, read ahead!)
ü Dollarocracy- McChesney and Nichols
ü The Money Media Election Complex- McChesney and Nichols
ü Manufacturing Consent- see Noam Chomsky videos
ü Empire vs. Earth Community and the Great Turning- Korten (from Unit #3- to choose this one, read ahead!)
ü The Nurturing Parent vs. the Strict Father—and Framing- Lakoff (from Unit #3- to choose this one, read ahead!)
ü Concision- see Noam Chomsky videos
ü The Stories of Self, Us and Now—and Public Narrative- Yes! Magazine articles and Marshall Ganz
ü Media Monopoly- Sanders interview, McChesney and Nichols, and Morrison and others
ü Food: The Weak Link- Lester Brown (from Unit #3- to choose this one, read ahead!)
ü “The Story of Stuff”
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Short Answer Term you chose: ______
Word Count for your short answer (150-200 word minimum/maximum): ______
Short Answer Response:
[Type your response to short term question here-150-200 WORDS MIN/MAX]
Values Response:
Word Count for your Values Response (50/75 word minimum/maximum): ______
[Type your response to the VALUES REFLECTION here-75 WORDS MAX—Be sure to read the directions above for this part of the Homework Assignment!!!]
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