ANALYSIS ASSIGNMENT 8%

ANALYSIS ASSIGNMENT 8%

Evaluation Assignment       Word count: 650-700 words

In daily life, we are bombarded by messages from social media, internet, news media, popular media and many other sources. Each of those sources tries to persuade us or at least to shape our attitudes and opinions.  Not all are transparent about it. As students, we are often told to evaluate each source we are considering using to determine if we really should include the source in our projects. Yet, we very often forget the lessons of the communications class when we move beyond essay assignments.

Things we are urged to consider include the following:

• The credibility (ethos) of the source and therefore its reliability
• The attitude of the target audience of the piece we are writing to the source we are considering using.
• The intended audience of the source we are considering, and how that has impacted what is included in their writing and how it is supported or represented.
• The attitudes, opinions, biases, values and beliefs represented by the source we are considering.
• The devices that are contained in the messages we read/hear that are intended to shape our thinking (ethos, pathos, logos, literary devices, figures of speech, word choice, tone and so on).

In this assignment you will select a periodical publication and evaluate it as indicated below.

For this assignment, you will evaluate a publication. Your evaluation should include identify the following:

• the kind of publication: trade journal, blog, popular magazine, newspaper, scholarly journal, and so on.
• the publisher of the periodical and show whether it is a for-profit or non-profit organization.
• the audience of the publication and the factors that lead you to that conclusion
• the purpose of the publication, and how the audience is expected to use it.
• the types of articles and regular features the publication includes.
• the political orientation or cause it advances if any, (please provide your reasoning).
• subject it to the TARES test.

This assignment may be written using APA format and citations (7^th ed.), or it may be presented as a recording, in which case the written version using APA format and citations (7^th ed.) must also be submitted.  Value: 8% DUE: At the beginning of your regularly scheduled class in the week beginning December 14^th, 2020 (the final week of classes; no extensions).