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PHIL 1101: Introduction to Philosophy (Keenan): Assignment Description

Fall 2018

Assignment Description

Assignment Description

You will write a 4-page, typed, double-spaced analysis of “power and privilege.”  Select a topic on race in the United States (e.g., incarceration, housing, drug laws, employment opportunities, healthcare, etc.).  Find two media sources from significantly differing perspectives that have covered this topic.  The two media sources must come from the following list:

Chronicles (paleoconservative)

National Review (conservative)

The Wall Street Journal editorial pages (conservative)

The Weekly Standard (neoconservative)

The New York Times editorial pages (liberal)

The Nation (liberal)

Jacobin (radical)

Staple the two media sources to your analysis.  The analysis must include 3 distinct labelled sections:

  • What do the two sources have in common?  For example, do they agree/disagree on the facts?  How do the two sources differ?  For example, if they agree on the facts, do they differ on the interpretation of the facts? (1 page)
  • Analyze the two articles through the lens of the “Dynamics of Racism” considered by DiAngelo in “Why Can’t We All Just be Individuals?”  Use one (perhaps two) of the “Dynamics of Racism” in the analysis.  Identify the stated and (more importantly) unstated presupposition of each article; that is, does the argument presuppose the individual or the group (as a unit of analysis and as a lens of understanding)? (2 pages)
  • What is the take-away for you?  Demonstrate that you are able to reflect critically on philosophical questions in the context of your own life. (1 page)

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Media Bias Chart

Media Bias Chart

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New York Times

New York Times Editorial Pages

There are several ways to search and access the New York TimesTo discover content, you can search through the New York Times through ProQuest's historical database (link below), or use Google by using one of these strategies:

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Wall Street Journal

Wall Street Journal

Access the Wall Street Journal by signing up using your Fairfield NetID. See the guide below for instructions. You can discover content in the Wall Street Journal through a Google Search, but a lot of their content is hidden behind a paywall, which is why we suggest signing up for an account.

  • your keyword site:www.wsj.com [make sure that your article comes from the Opinion section]

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The Nation & Weekly Standard

The Nation & Weekly Standard

Use Google to discover articles. If you access them online, try one of the links at the bottom of this box or place a request through interlibrary loan: https://fairfield.illiad.oclc.org/illiad/logon.html.

Search Google following this format:

  • The Nation: keyword site:www.thenation.com — example: guns site:www.thenation.com
    • Be careful not to confuse The Nation founded in New York in 1865 for other newspapers called the Nation from around the world

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Chronicles, Jacobin, & National Review

Chronicles, Jacobin, & National Review

Use Google to discover articles. If you can't access them online, request it through interlibrary loan: https://fairfield.illiad.oclc.org/illiad/logon.html.

Search Google following this format: 

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