The purpose of this assignment is to enter into a conversation with the sources we have discussed in class. You will use critical thinking skills as you respond to The Social Dilemma, McIntyre, Levitin, Graham, and/or Konnikova. This project will allow you to create an argument that is supported by critical thinking/reasoning as you engage with other texts (an important aspect of academic writing).
Assignment
Question: How is our relationship with / knowledge of environmental issues or science changing in a post-truth era? How do social media and the internet affect our ability to think about physical environments? What is at stake?
Write an essay that answers, in some way, the answer to the question above. You should discuss aspects of “post-truth,” “fake news,” and/or social media literacy/responsibility as it pertains to the way you understand, learned, or will know environmental spaces, issues, and/or policy. You will need to use at least 2 of the sources we have discussed and The Social Dilemma in class as a way to introduce the conversation, support your claims, and/or present your perspective.
Your thesis/essay must reflect the scope of the assignment, meaning you will need a thesis that you can adequately and fully argue/develop in 4-5 pages. Your claims/argument will need to be critically thinking based and will require you to explain your thought process to your reader throughout the essay.
Suggested Tasks
The first thing you will need to do is choose a more specific focus. What question will your thesis/essay answer? Are you more interested in specific issues or specific habits, for example? You will want to make sure that you are able to bring in at least 2 different sources we’ve discussed in class as you present and answer that question. These will be the ONLY sources you are allowed to engage at this point. The exception is any kind of context (a single additional source) that you think would be helpful for your reader’s understanding of your argument.
Once you choose your question and decide on the answer to that question (the focus of the essay), choose at least two texts + the doc. that address or comment on that focus and find specific passages, quotes, or sections that are especially relevant to your argument. Consider how you will use those texts. Will they primarily be a way to introduce the conversation? Will they be the main focal point of your argument? Will they be used as counterarguments or support for your own argument?
Requirements
- 1200-1500 words in length (This does not include the Author’s Note nor Works Cited page)
- MLA format 9th edition: 12-point, Times New Roman Font; 1″ margins; Works Cited page
- Must use at least 2 of the texts we have worked with so far this semester +The Social Dilemma. The paper needs to be research oriented – which means you need to engage with some details of the texts you use and use relevant quotations that support your point in that paragraph.(about 2 per paragraph)
- A unique title that accurately portrays your thesis
- A New Author’s Note with each draft (1. your final thesis, 2. your main points – structure 3. focus on the process – changes in the drafts – what worked, what did not)