Assignment #1:  Introduction 

• Assignment: [ One page minimum double spaced] Read the Introduction of Fact Vs. Fiction, and Chapter 1.
  • Answer the questions at the end of the sections in the book.  Use the Google Doc® provided 1 page minimum double spaced
  • Complete all interactions throughout the book at the end of the chapter.
  • Discuss why you have decided to take this course. 
  • What are you hoping to obtain by the end of the course 

Assignment #2: Education and the Role of Media Literacy

• Assignment:[ One page minimum double spaced ] Read the Article: Education and the Role of Media in Education. Using the Google Doc® provided respond to the following questions:
  • How important is media to education in the 21st century?
  • What did John Dewey feel about the media's role in education?
  • What are the problems with using media in the classroom?
  • Could social media be a valid source of information and if so, how?

Assignment #3: Thinking Exponentially

• Read Chapters 2 & 3 Using the Google Doc® provided answer the following questions[ 1 page minimum double spaced] 
  • What are the issues with confirmation bias as explained by Peter Watson?
  • How did historical figures “strike when the iron is hot”, and why is this important for consumers of information to understand?
  • Why is it dangerous to deem all news as fake, so nothing is true?
  • Discuss the importance of social media access to marginalized students through an equity lens.
  • If there isn’t equitable access to information, how does that challenge the idea of democracy, and what can be done about this?
  • What strategies, or concepts can you implement in your class to better serve students in deciphering information in the 21st
  • Century?

Assignment #4:  The Propaganda Model

• Read the article entitled: The Propaganda Model.  Then answer the following questions: 
  • What are the five news “filters” that make up the Propaganda Model?
  • Which of these “filters” do you find most relevant, or important, and why?
  • With the government and large corporations controlling what media is presented to citizens, how are we able to become informed when what is being shown can lead to citizens being misinformed? 
  •  How applicable is the Propaganda Model in the 21st Century, and does it hold true?
  • How does the Propaganda Model expand on the information you’ve covered in Fact Vs. Fiction?

Assignment #5: How do we evaluate information?

• Read Chapter 4 and then answer the following questions:
  • What is the importance of researching the information obtained from media outlets? 
  • In what ways can we educate students in deciphering information as fact vs opinion using social media?
  • What tools can be used in the classroom to help students evaluate information from multiple sources? 

Assignment #6: How Real is Fake News?

• Read and take the self assessment in Chapter 5 , use the following questions to guide you: 
  • What role has the internet & social media played in our understanding of information?
  • Give examples of how major companies such as Google and Facebook use their powers against citizens that they are meant to connect with ? 
  • What are ways that we can prevent ourselves from falling into the trap of fake news?
  • How can we live functional lives when we are being told how to function and think?
  • What is the importance of being able to distinguish facts and opinions? 

Assignment #7: News Reflection

• Read Chapter 6 and respond to the following assignment: 
  • Watch the multiple major news stations (CNN, Fox, MSNBC, etc.) for a couple of days.  Keep a log of what stories are being presented, whether they appear across all stations or not, and if there is an agenda of some sort involved
  •  Provide several examples of what you feel is accurate, factual reporting and others that are biased in one way or another.
  • What features and signals indicate the use of an agenda?
  • Did you find your own biases determining what information you felt was more factual than others? 

Assignment #8: Movie Review 

• Read Chapters 7 & 8, then pick a film from the choices below: 
• Movies: 
  • Clooney, George, et al. Good Night, and Good Luck. Warner Bros., 2005.
  • Donaldson, Roger, director. No Way Out. Orion Pictures, 1987.
  • Levinson, Barry, director. Wag the Dog. Entertainment in Video, 1999.
• Write a review of the film using the reading and the following questions to guide you.
• How does being able to control the narrative give certain groups power over the hearts and minds of citizens?
• What is the difficulty in questioning the narrative when the majority fall in line with it?
• Why is it so difficult for us to detect governmental, or outside influences in the media?
• Why might we be more impacted by cinema than we are when it comes to mainstream media sources?

Assignment #9: Cold War 2.0

• Watch the episode of VICE on the current climate of the Cold War : 
  • Cold War 2.0 (VICE on HBO: Season 3, Episode 14)
  • Respond to the following questions: 
    • How do governments use events to push their agenda(s) through media outlets?
    • What is the significance of Ukraine in the conflict between the United States and Russia through the lens of organized media outlets?
    • Give examples of how the rhetoric used in both countries contribute to the relations between these two powers, and act as a way to promote citizen support for their government’s position.

Assignment #10: Wag the Dog

• Read the article entitled : Wag the Dog.  Then answer the questions below:
  • Discuss the relevance of this article to what you have read in Chapter 3 on the use of propaganda, disinformation, and bias challenging
  • In what ways does this article bring relevance to the Propaganda Model discussed in assignment #4?
  • Give examples of where governmental reach over its citizens was pushed back in the USA in the last 30 years.
  • Can you think of other examples through your life where our government, or others, have “wagged the dog"?