Current Events (Due on the 2nd class)
Typed, printed, and stapled,
and due at the beginning of class.
Format
Sources: (Total of 4 articles
and 4 CE reports)
1) CNN (select 2 articles)
Site: www.cnn.com
a)
Select one article from the “Politics” Section
b)
Select one article from the “World” Section
2) NY Times (Op-Ed section): (select 1 article)
Site: http://www.nytimes.com/pages/opinion/index.html
Click
on the “Columnists” tab on the left side
· Select one article from either Paul Krugman,
David Brooks, Thomas Friedman, or Nicholas
Kristof
(Op-Ed articles are opinion pieces, so
expect their writers to have biases)
3) The Nation (select 1 article)
– MAKE SURE THAT YOU CREATE AN ACCOUNT
Site: www.thenation.com
· Select an article from one of the following
categories: “Home,” “Politics,” “Economy,”
or “Food Issue”
**You need to create an account (which is free) to gain
access to all of their articles.**
*Articles should be recent:
For CNN and The Nation, select articles written
within the last week
For the NY Times Op-Ed
articles, select articles within the last three weeks
Please use the following
template:
1. Title, date, and site web link:
2. Who are the people / places discussed in the
article?
3. What is the main idea of the article?
4. When did the event occur or is it ongoing?
5. Identify at least one question you have
after reading the article? (For example, you might write, “Why is
unemployment so high?”)
Summary in your own words: (A minimum of 6
sentences, but no more than 2 paragraphs)
In your summary answer the
following questions:
Why
did you select the article?
What
are the key points?
Is
the author biased? What are their opinions, judgments, critiques?
Do
you agree or disagree with any of their arguments? What are your
opinions?
Does
it relate to other events?
* * * When you quote
directly from the article, make sure to use quotations marks (“…”.
For example,
Thomas Friedman
suggests that “America’s credit-driven capitalist model has suffered a warning
heart attack and needs a total rethink.”
Below is a good example of student work. This
is quality I expect for every current event analysis and summary.
1. Make sure that you re-read your work, correct spelling and
grammatical errors, and submit college level work.
2. Your summaries should be at least 6-8 sentences, which are
analytical and address specific elements of the article.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. The title of the article is: “CNNPoll: Social Security
Needs Changes, But It’s Not a Failure”, which was written on
September 13, 2011 on:
http://www.cnn.com/2011/POLITICS/09/13/cnn.poll.social.security/index.html?iref=allsearch
2. The people discussed in the article include: Rick Perry
(Governor of Texas), Mitt Romney (Former Governor of Massachusetts),and Keating
Holland (Poll Direction for CNN). The issue was taking place withinthe poll
ratings on CNN which led to a heated debate between the two governors.
3. The main idea of the article is: although the social security
issue arises controversy among the people, the younger generation is more prone
to call for a new, more modern system, as they become more alienated from the
traditional American ways.
4. The poll ratings and the debate between Romney and Perry
regarding the Social Security controversy occurred on September 13, 2011.
5. If the Social Security system will be altered, will the
federal government create tax reductions?
Summary
I selected this article because many people are not content with
the idea of additional taxation. The key points of this article are introduced
by Perry, who referred to Social Security as the “Ponzi Scheme” and Romney who
was protecting the program as it is the way for seniors to be protected by the
government. Keating Holland brought up a significant point about our
generation. Because the United States is undergoing rapid industrial changes,
the younger generation is automatically more prone for the changes and creation
of new programs for the future.
The author sticks to the objective side as he is more of a
mediator exposing all sides of the argument. I agree with the opinion that the
Social Security program should be altered so that hard-working middle class
families will not have to pay so many taxes to the federal government. This
directly relates to today’s world, as Democrats and Republicans are in the
midst of the heated debate about taxation and its effect on the lower, middle,
and upper members of the society.
