Choose One
1. Read the Code of Ethics of the American Association of Political Consultants and chapter 10 of Randy Bobbitt, Exploring Communication Ethics: A Socratic Approach (New York: Routledge, 2020 (ON SAKAI). Pick at least two video attack ads from 2022 onward. Evaluate the ethics of each ad. That is, was it a "clean hit" or dirty politics? Remember that a text without a context is a pretext. You must do research on the context of the campaign and the issues in the ad.
2. Reread "Political Consequences of Late Night Humor" (ON SAKAI). Analyze two Saturday Night Live political "cold opens" from 2023. What was each about? What political knowledge did it assume on the part of the audience? How might it affect audience knowledge and attitudes? Aside from comedic exaggeration and invention, did it leave a misleading impression? As with the first option, you must do research on the context. What person or event was the object of the sketch?
3. After reading chapter 14 of Dunaway, identify a media problem and identify a solution. It could be a recommendation to Congress or to a media company. Whatever you choose, make your recommendation specific, clear, and understandable. Handle obstacles fairly and summarize legitimate opposing arguments.
4. Write on any relevant topic of your choice, subject to my approval.
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- Essays should be typed (12-point), double-spaced, and no more than four pages long. I will not read past the fourth page.
- Please submit all papers in this course as Word documents, not pdfs.
- Cite your sources. Please use endnotes in the format of Chicago Manual of Style. Endnotes do not count against the page limit. Please do not use footnotes, which take up too much page space.
- Do not use ChatGPT or any other generative AI. Misrepresenting AI-generated content as your own work is plagiarism.
- Watch your spelling, grammar, diction, and punctuation. Errors will count against you.
- Return essays to the class Sakai dropbox by 11:59 PM on Monday, December 11. I reserve the right to dock papers one gradepoint for one day’s lateness and a full grade after that.
