Assignment:
Critical Thinking case study for Business students
You have been recently hired as Public Relations Director by Smart Media Education, a non-profit organization whose mission is to educate youth and parents on a critical approach to consuming modern media. In one month your first big event is to present to a group of the nation's high school juniors and seniors at the annual Youth Leadership Conference in Washington D.C. Approximately five students from each of the 48 contiguous states will be in the audience.
Your objective is two-fold:
1) Demonstrate that media consumption requires a critical thinking approach and
2) Explain the impact of media on society.
The assignment: In this assignment you will prepare for your presentation in Washington D.C.
Part One: the first part of your presentation objective
Identify two television commercials that each uses a different logical fallacy to persuade consumers. You must provide a link to video of the commercial.
For each commercial
• Quickly summarize the commercial. What is happening and what is the commercial specifically convincing the audience to think?
• Identify the logical fallacy used in the commercial and support your choice with details from the commercial.
• Present your findings in an essay of two pages minimum.
Part Two: the second part of the objective
Find some research/statistics about media's impact on society. There are many areas to consider, so choose an area you believe has a significant impact. (examples: advertising, movies, television, video games, social media, etc.)
• Summarize the research. Who prepared and published it? What does it say?
• Describe the validity of the source. How do you know the source is credible?
• Explain why you chose this research. Why should your audience care? (See the story in the project introduction.)
• Present your findings in an essay of two pages minimum.
Part Three: the presentation
Now it's time to pull together the preparation you've done for your event in Washington D. C. In this section of the assignment you will a speaker's outline for your presentation and a sample of your presentation itself.
1. Your speaker's notes should be completed in a Word document. These will be your notes as you present so make sure they are complete and include the following:
o An introduction
o An overview of what you'll be presenting and why. (Why should these high school students care what you have to say?)
o Your findings on television commercials
o Your findings on the impact of media on society
o A conclusion that summarizes and reinforces the reasons that it's important to use critical thinking when consuming media
2. Create a PowerPoint presentation from your notes. Using screen capture software, record your presentation and submit a link to the recording along with your speaker's notes.
o There are many free versions of screen capture software. Ask your instructor for recommendations if you don't have a favorite.