Government Assignment 3

Course-Level Student Learning Outcomes (SLO)

For all Assessments, the following general requirements hold:

(1) Assignments should be 2-3 double-spaced pages, with reasonable (12 pt.) font and reasonable (1 inch) margins.

(2) Citations to the material are required; in-text citations are preferred (MLA style).

(3) Assignments should be turned into eCampus (for the collection of artifacts for scoring)

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Assignment Three:

SLO #3: News Media: How (and why) to spot “fake” news. 70% of students will successfully research and evaluate the news media in an effort to identify reputable journalism containing more accurate political content. [SLO #3 fulfills the following Program Level Outcomes: Communication, Critical Thinking, Social and Personal Responsibility, as well as the following Course Level Outcomes: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8.]

Activity for Assessment:

Read the following:  http://www.factcheck.org/2016/11/how-to-spot-fake-news/ and Watch the following:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UYc-hd1QSwA

Take this quiz: https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2017/politics/cognitive-biases/?tid=sm_tw&utm_term=.9b2747fd076b  ( right click and choose “open link on incognito window”)

• If you had to help someone spot “fake news,” what would you tell them?  Choose a news article from a reputable media outlet and compare it to an online story that you know is fake.
• Using the checklist provided on the fact check website, compare the two.  Although the fake news is not new, it seems harder to distinguish and more accepted now.  Why?  How will this acceptance of fake news impact our democracy?
• How has the idea of “fake news” impacted our ability to be really informed on the important topics of the day?  What steps can we take to become informed with legitimate information?
• Is “fake news” really all that recent, or do we hear more about it as a result of the recent election cycle and events that have followed?
• What are your thoughts on the quiz you took?

This assignment must follow MLA guidelines, be typed in Times New Roman, 12 pt. font, and be a minimum of 1000 words with works cited page.  The works cited are not included in the minimum word count. Any articles/links/videos given in the assignment prompt MUST be cited in your paper and works cited.  You may also use other sources, but these are the minimum required.  Without all of them, your paper is a 0.   

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Program-Level Objectives met with this assignment:

1: Communication Skills-to include effective development, interpretation and expression of ideas through written, oral and visual communication

2: Critical Thinking Skills-to include creative thinking, innovation, inquiry, and analysis, evaluation and synthesis of information

5: Personal Responsibility-to include the ability to connect choices, actions, and consequences to ethical decision-making

6: Social Responsibility-to include intercultural competence, knowledge of civic responsibility, and the ability to engage effectively in regional, national, and         global communities

Course-Level Objectives met with this assignment:

5. Evaluate the role of public opinion, interest groups, and political parties in the political system.

6. Analyze the election process.

7. Describe the rights and responsibilities of citizens

8. Analyze issues and policies in U.S. politics