For the Final, you should be able to perform the following tasks: - You should be able to explain what Frankfurt's goal is in "On Bullshit."
- You should be able to explain Frankfurt's criticism of Black's definition of "humbug."
- You should be able to explain the difference between Bullshit and Lying.
- You should be able to explain why Frankfurt thinks Bullshit is worse than a lie.
- You should be able to explain why Frankfurt thinks there is so much Bullshit.
- You should be able to describe the Standard Model of the Media.
- You should be able to Describe the Alternative Model of Democracy.
- You should be able to explain the five filters that make up the Propaganda Model of Media.
- You should be able to define and give examples of Mainstream and Alternative Media and explain some of the issues that arise in assessing the credibility of them.
- You should be able to explain what a video news release is and how it functions.
- You should be able to articulate some examples of the role played by Public Relations firms in shaping public policy.
- You should be able to explain what a Front Group is and some of the roles they play in shaping public policy.
Lastly, you will be given a description of a potentially pseudoscientific product or practice, and you will then write a short essay evaluating that product or practice using the tools we have developed over the course of the semester. You will need to employ the SEARCH method, as well as your understanding of science and the fallacies..
To earn an A, your responses provide evidence of the ‘B’ standards below, plus that you have really thought about the concepts covered in the reading and lectures: - You use very original examples to illustrate the concepts of the reading.
- You apply very specific events or discussions from the reading to some new situation.
- Your writing is excellent and/or your style is very interesting
To earn a B or higher, your responses provide evidence of your having read and comprehended the material. In addition to the ‘C’ standards below:
- You apply ideas from the reading to correspondent ideas presented in the classroom.
- You use examples from the lectures to illustrate the concepts in the reading.
To earn a C or higher, your responses provide evidence of your having read and comprehended the material.
- You answer correctly all basic questions about the main ideas and characters.
- You show recognition of all main ideas or characters’ names and their respective associations.
- You correctly identify all concepts introduced or reviewed in the reading.
- You correctly identify and apply all terms from the reading and lectures.
- Your writing is relatively free from spelling and grammatical errors.
- You use examples from the reading or lectures to illustrate your answers.
To earn a D or higher, your responses provide some evidence of your having read, thought about, and comprehended the material:
- You answer correctly some but not all basic questions about the main ideas.
- You show some recognition of main ideas or characters’ names.
- You correctly identify some but not all concepts introduced or reviewed in the reading and lectures.
- You correctly identify and apply some but not all terms introduced or reviewed in the reading and lectures.
To earn an F, you provide hardly any or no evidence of having read, considered, and comprehended the material. | 