As the authors of the introductory essay to the TED Education series Cyber-Influence and Power point out, our ability to produce and widely distribute information constitutes a revolutionary change in media production and consumption patterns (Campbell and Stevens).
Applying what you have learned about the complexities and challenges of ethical, credible, and persuasive argumentation, craft a well-informed argumentative essay that develops and supports your stance in response to the following question:
While some digital communications experts such as Clay Shirky laud the democratization of media brought about by information and communication technologies (ICTs) and social media platforms, more skeptical critics like Tom Nichols caution against what they perceive as a growing trend towards anti-intellectualism that will result in short-circuiting democracy.
Based on your research and findings, are ICTs and social media leading to a positive democratization of media that results in a better-informed and empowered citizenry? or are these technologies leading to a rise in anti-intellectualism that will denigrate both our democracy and its citizenry?
You will explore this question in order to develop a complex, insightful, and well-informed original thesis. You will develop and support that thesis in a persuasive argument essay that synthesizes information from credible sources appropriate to college-level critical thinking and writing.
Learning outcomes and grading criteria:
The composition process that culminates in your final Essay #3 will demonstrate your ability to:
read academic texts critically
use academic research strategies to identify credible and relevant secondary sources
use inductive reasoning to analyze and evaluate evidence in order to identify patterns or trends in that data in order to develop an arguable thesis that makes a prediction or assertion based on that analysis.
establish your purpose and context, creatively engage and invest your intended audience, explain necessary background information, and present your stance (your thesis) with an engaging introduction
develop body paragraphs that contain persuasive lines of reasoning and that are supported with compelling and appropriate evidence
synthesize secondary sources in order to develop and support an argument. Your essay must include citations from the following sources
o One of the Writing Spaces Chapters weve read and discussed this quarter to help incorporate information or ideas about a rhetorical concept or strategy
o One of the TED Talks from the TED Series Government and Politics: Cyber-security and Power
o A specific social media post by a public figure, appropriately cited
o A primary philosophical text written and published prior to January 1, 1983 (considered the official birthday of the Internet)
o One secondary source from the WWU Library EBSCOhost Academic Search Premier database
build common ground with skeptical readers who do not (yet) agree with your stance, and acknowledge and engage with the opposing point of views perspective.
