General paper guidelines
Each paper MUST be a minimum of 1500 words and should not exceed 2500 words. All papers must be written in a paragraph format, typed double spaced, with one inch margins, a 12 cpi times new roman font, do NOT fully justify the paper, using in-text citations, including page numbers, and a references page. Each paper will have a minimum of two sources not counting the text book, encyclopedias and dictionaries do not count as sources. Direct quotes should be kept to a minimum, on average a sentence or two or about four lines per page. Only PDF or DOC files may be uploaded. If papers cannot be read on Canvas they will not be read. No papers will be downloaded for the purposes of being graded.
Papers are due on November 28th, late papers will receive a 10 point penalty per day up to 7 days, papers will not be accepted more than 7 days after the due date. PAPERS THAT DO NOT MEET THE 1500 WORDS REQUIREMENT, IS NOT IN PARAGRAPH FORMAT, OR DO NOT HAVE A REFERENCES PAGE WILL NOT RECEIVE A PASSING GRADE.
Content instructions
Students should approach this paper from an issue perspective first. I cannot emphasize enough the importance of picking the right issue for this paper. The issue should be controversial, one where there are clearly differences of opinion regarding the policy. The issue needs to be an American government policy that has been enacted or proposed in the last 3 months. Once the issue is found then media outlets that have differing perspectives about the issue should be consulted. The bulk of the paper will focus on how the media outlets cover the issue. The media outlets should be clearly identified along with a compare and contrast approach to describing the coverage of the issue. Lastly, the student should provide their opinion on not only their perspective on the issue but also on the coverage by the media outlets.
Paper Expectations:
Section headings are an important tool for writing an effective paper. Section headings accomplish two goals, first they help the writer organize the paper in a logical fashion. Secondly, they help the reader know what they are reading.
Section 1. Similar to an introduction, section one should discuss a brief overview of the issue and a brief summary of how the two media outlets cover the issue (reliance on the media section in the course is a key here). This section should be 1.5 pages in length or roughly 25% of the paper.
Section 2. This will be the bulk of the paper where the paper will compare and contrast how the media outlets cover the issue. Both similarities and differences in the coverage should be addressed in this section. Detail is important in this section be as precise as possible. This section should be 3 pages in length and be about 50% of the paper.
Section 3. This will be the section where the student can share their opinion what they believe is the ‘truth’ about the issue. Often the ‘truth’ can be discovered by looking at both sides and discerning what is agreed upon and what is left out. If one side leaves something out that is damaging to their argument then that is something that should be given more weight in the judgment of the ‘truth’. This section should be 1.5 pages in length and be about 25% of the paper.
**Note each section should be multiple paragraphs.
In Other Words
The purpose of this paper is two fold, one is to get both sides of an issue. The second purpose is for an analysis of the differing media outlets. Keep these two purposes in mind while writing the paper, lack of attention to either may result in a lower grade.
FAQ
Help me pick an issue
The professor will not help you pick an issue, part of the assignment is for you to be aware of issues in the news and find one that is covered differently by different media outlets. Students can always ask if the issue they have selected is appropriate for the paper.
Pick a controversial issue
The assignment will be a lot easier if the topic that you choose is controversial this will make it easier to identify the differences in coverage by the liberal/conservative media.
What are examples of biased media
Conservative Liberal
Foxn MSNBC
Newsmax CNN
Wall Street Journal NY Times
The National Review Newsweek
**there are thousands of media outlets, it may be a good idea to check with the professor to make sure you have media that are from different perspectives.
What is analysis?
Analysis goes beyond summarizing an issue. Analysis looks at all aspects of the issue, and uses critical thinking to develop an opinion about the effectiveness of the policy proposal. This paper is a critical thinking paper and being able to analyze both the issues you discuss is necessary for a good grade.
Critical thinking
It is important to be able to show critical thinking skills by being able to analyze a controversial issue by condensing information from different perspectives. Students should not be afraid to be critical. Make sure you focus on the ideas and not the people or groups that hold those ideas.
Waiting till the last minute
This is not an assignment that should be put off till the last day. The same stories are not always covered on the same days by media outlets. For this assignment it may be necessary to monitor several news outlets for several days or longer. Coverage of the issue on different days could be a very important part of the analysis, as one of the roles of the media is as agenda setter. How does setting the agenda fit in your analysis?
Plagiarism and turn-it-in?
Turn-it-in will be used for papers a Turn-it-in scores of 35% or higher will trigger a closer look by the professor. If the paper is plagiarized the student will be notified via email along with the Dean for Student Discipline.
What is paragraph structure?
A paragraph contains one idea. Each section of the paper should be more than one paragraph as there are multiple issues per each section of the paper. A paper that is 4 or fewer paragraphs will NOT receive a passing grade.
What is full justification?
Full justification is when the text runs to both margins. This paragraph is fully justified and you can see the difference with the rest of this page. As you can see the text is squared off at both margins and there are larger gaps between the words. Full justification is hard for me to read since I am a speed reader and those little gaps in the words throw me off, several points will be taken off if the paper is fully justified.
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