English 102

In recent years, fake and misleading news has been consumed from television, in print and social media. Americans receive their news from printed and online newspapers, blogs, journals, email chains, and according to the Pew Research Center, 40 percent of news is consumed from social media sources like Facebook and Twitter. Looking at these sources, though, how do you know what is fake and what is real? With the genres of news and opinion constantly overlapping, what makes a good source? In this course, we will break down news and media sources to recognize bias, and students will think critically about their roles as perceptive news consumers.

On a daily basis, students will analyze key elements of current news articles, including weight of evidence and credibility, judging reliable news versus propaganda, knowing the differences between news and opinion and realizing the divide between bias versus fairness. Students will be asked to share daily local, regional, national and international news stories and judge them based on the key elements of good journalism. 

During the semester, students will read news, watch videos, films and other media to be able to know what is and isn’t a credible source. Students will then take these concepts into their research for several papers and projects that will include interviewing, investigative, editing and formatting skills. When the course has concluded, students will be able to log into the internet, watch broadcasts and read news with a new outlook on what is and isn’t reliable.