English 1C: Critical Thinking and Composition<<Final Research Paper: Pro

English 1C: Critical Thinking and Composition<
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Final Research Paper: Propaganda and Bias<
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Overview: As discussed in my “Inspiration for the Critical Research Paper,” the main goal I am hoping for here is for you all to utilize the critical thinking strategies at your disposal to identify, explore and deconstruct propaganda. This will not only be an exercise in unpacking how propaganda operates, but ultimately, you will be creating a claim centered on the vital importance of being a critical thinker when digesting the vast amount of information at our disposal in our current digital age.<
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To begin, I will ask that you use Iulian Vamanu’s “Fake News and Propaganda: A Critical Discourse Research Perspective” as one of your primary sources when defining and creating a criteria of evaluation for propaganda. In addition, at least four other scholarly sources should be used to support your purpose/thesis.<
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Please choose from one of the following critical research paper prompts and create an essay of a full 6-7 pages minimum:<
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Building from my inspiration for this unit and critical research paper, engage the research question that a few have already asked: should PragerU be classified as propaganda? Remember: being a true critical scholar means that you should do your best to eliminate your own biases (as I stated earlier… this isn’t easy!). I am not looking for a simple “yes” answer here. If you feel that PragerU is not propaganda or that this is too severe an accusation – use your critical thinking apparatus and sound research to prove so!<
If PragerU is not your cup of tea, that’s fine! Substitute “PragerU” for anything else that could be classified as propaganda. Some examples include: certain news outlets or websites, art and other various mediums (George Orwell wrote a book titled “All Art is Propaganda”), advertisements, political slogans/campaigns, social movements, etc.! Keep in mind that an examination of propaganda does not have to be framed in a negative light. You can be creative in your approach here, but please make sure this exploration is scholarly and there is enough research to support your claim effectively.<
Thoughts and Tips:<
The Annotated Bibliography is a useful assignment that helps you write about your research, while also helps with keeping a valuable research log. The Annotated Bibliography is due Friday 12/10 and the Final essay is due 12/13.<
Keep in mind that “Application of Critical Thinking Concepts” is a crucial category in our essay-grading rubric. While not every concept is required, be critically selective and use all concepts that help support your claim and teach the reader.<
Work from every essay you have written in this class (and others) and evolve! Work to isolate areas for improvement and sharpen them for this final paper.<