What I've entitled this blog post isn't terribly inventive or altogether accurate, but I'm thinking of this as something akin to Outside Reading: encouraging an engagement with current events by fostering a discussion. I'd like to begin this conversation within our group having to do with current events and a number of ideas that come up in our class. A good entry point into this conversation might be the recent debate around safe space vs. a free press, specifically as came up in the protests at the University of Missouri:
http://www.onthemedia.org/story/distrusting-media-missouri/
This idea of the media -- its purpose, bias, and perspectives; our perspectives or mistrust of it; the desire to control the narrative; how reporters sometimes benefit subjects but sometimes also use subjects to serve ulterior motives -- arose a little bit in our recent in-class conversations about recording people without their permission and why/when that is illegal, as well as learning something unflattering about the person you are writing a profile about.
This also involves ideas such as race, blacklivesmatter, the news, journalism, freedom of the press, safe space, and college life; all of that should be something we can weigh in on as part of the course.
First, what clarifying questions do you have? What is mentioned here that you need a little explanation or context for?
Second, what research have you done in this area? What information can you bring to this discussion? What would be useful for us to consider when looking at the events at the University of Missouri?
Potentially, students from different classes will be responding, so you will need to give some context to your responses in that the three classes are at differnet places in their readings and discussions.
And then there's this:
Is racism on the rise? More in U.S. say it's a 'big problem,' CNN/KFF poll finds
http://www.cnn.com/2015/11/24/us/racism-problem-cnn-kff-poll/index.html
(Initially, I asked you to respond over the Homework-Free Weekend as an actual homework assignment, but I'm re-thinking that. If you want to respond now, you can. As a homework assignment, a comment to this post will be due by the Thursday after Thanksgiving Break.)