Humanities Homework Help

Topic 1: Suggestion in Media

Please read chapter 8 for discussing the first topic here. You can choose either question A or Question B to answer. Only one will be graded.

Question A:

Read the article titled “U.S. Mayor Uses Twitter to Help Snowbound” written by a British journalist (you can find the article under the Content tab). He discusses the growing use of social media by politicians. In the 2008 election, President Obama made extensive use of the Internet to get his message out, especially to young voters; since that time, both local and national politicians have sought new ways to tap into resources that communicate to their constituents.

Questions for discussion:
a. The author of this article says that politicians are now being judged by their mastery of social media rather than their stated positions on issues. To what extent do you agree with the author, and in what ways do you think that mastery of social media is important for politicians?

b. What is the best way for local politicians to inform their constituents of their viewpoints on issues? Which forms of media would you be most likely to access?

Question B:

Find an example of imbalanced reporting or editorializing, or for the use of misleading photographs. Write a short essay in which you explain the following:
a. How is the story, photograph, or editorial biased?
b. How could bias have been prevented? What would be a more fair representation of the information?

Topic 2: Fair-Mindedness
To complete the second topic discussion assignment, please read chapter 9 and choose either question A or B to answer.

Question A:
Fairmindedness and Opposing Viewpoints
a. Find an issue about which you have strong opinions, and cite several reasons for your position.
b. Then read some articles or listen to speakers who have a different opinion, and write about what you believe to be the best argument for the opposing viewpoints.
c. Explain whether this exercise caused you to be more or less convinced about your original position on this issue. What changes, if any, did you make in your perspective concerning the issue?

Question B:
Author and speaker Ravi Zacharias defines a person’s “worldview” as the cumulative answer to four questions: where did I come from? What is life’s meaning? How do I define right from wrong, and what happens to me when I die? Those are the fulcrum points of our existence. How do different individuals answer those questions? How would you define your own worldview?

 Please respond to at least 2 other people. ***At least one reply to each different topic.

1:

Question A –

Part A: I think the author of the article has a very good point in his rendering that politicians these days have moved from the old days of radio and television broadcasts to their use of social media. This has come with a change in the way that most constituents get their news. No longer does the majority get their news from radio and television has seen an incredible decline in its use. Now most people look to their Facebook, twitter, and other social media platforms for news and because of this we see the shift to political words coming from these platforms as well. In America especially we have seen the large shift to social media as a political platform thanks greatly to our last presidency and the extent that twitter was used and because of this we see that many other politicians have shifted to social media. The mastery of using these platforms is incredibly important for politicians to get their views and news out as the younger generation of voters use these platforms. It is the best way for there to be a dialogue between the people and politicians.

2:

. B. Individuals will respond to those four questions based on a variety of factors, the most important of which is religion, followed by culture and life experiences. As a Muslim, Islam is the foundation of my worldview. The Muslim holy book, the Quran, tells us about humanity’s common ancestors, Adam and Eve. In the Quran (Chapter 76- Al-Insan, Verses 1-5), God says: “Has there [not] come upon man a period of time when he was not a thing [even] mentioned?(1) Indeed, We created man from a sperm-drop mixture that We may try him; and We made him hearing and seeing.(2) Indeed, We guided him to the way, be he grateful or be he ungrateful.(3) Indeed, We have prepared for the disbelievers chains and shackles and a blaze.(4) Indeed, the righteous will drink from a cup [of wine] whose mixture is of Kafur,(5)…”. All four questions are answered in those five verses, but to make things easier, God created us with special abilities and consciousness to choose what to do with our lives; he pointed out what is right and wrong in the Holy Quran and the Sunah, so we do the right and avoid the wrong, and when we die, he will decide if we did the right, we will go to heaven; if we did the wrong, we will go to hell.