HOMEWORK: Comparing Media Coverage DUE MONDAY 4/4

Your job is to watch the news this weekend. It doesn’t matter which news you watch, but you need to watch at least 30 minutes of the same news or news channel. Example: the PBS NewsHour, the KTLA morning news, 30 minutes of whatever is on FOX or MSNBC. Some of these programs, and others, are available online as well, either live or recorded. While you watch, pay attention to the stories, topics, or people the program/channel is focused on.

Read all the questions BEFORE you start to watch so you can take notes that directly address the questions. After the program or time is up, answer the questions below:

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1.      What program or channel did you watch and at what time of day/night?

2.      What were some of the stories or topic did the program/channel discuss? Also, identify which topics or stories were national news and which were local or state news?

3.      What kinds of political topics were presented? (Other than the Election or the candidates)

4.      Was the Election covered? And if so, what was it mostly in regard to (i.e., lots of focus on Trump, a story about Sander’s ‘momentum’). Did you feel that one candidate received more coverage than others? Did the coverage focus on who is “winning” or “losing” the race?

5.      Do you normally watch this program or channel? If so, how often. If not, why did you pick this channel or program?

6.      What story or topic were you most interested in? Which story/topic were you the least interested in. Why or why not?

7.      If there were any advertisements or commercials while you watched, what were they for? What does this tell you about the target audience for the program/channel? (For instance, if there were lots of commercials for action figures and dolls, you were definitely watching the news on Nickelodeon and the network assumes you are a child).

Due Monday 4/4

Results Quiz 07 The Courts

Nice codenames. Batman and Lebron James rocking my class now.

Quiz 8 - The Media DUE Friday 4/1

>>LINK: Quiz 8 The Media & Politics<<

Due Friday 4/1 by 11:59 PM

 

I think I misspoke in class this morning: Quiz 7 on the Courts is now closed. Quiz 8 will be due on Friday instead of this coming Wednesday like it say on the syllabus.

Quiz 07 - The Courts Due Monday 3/28 at Start of Class

>>LINK: Quiz 07 - The Courts<<

Chapter 14 of the Textbook

Due Monday 3/28 at Start of Class

 *Do this quiz. There is no HW assignment for the lesson on the Courts.*

Results: Quiz 06 The Presidency

Homework: Ranking the Presidents

>>Link: HW - Ranking the Presidents<<

Due Wednesday 3/23 at start of class.

Read through the packet and complete the questions on the first page. I don't recommend printing it.
Questions, please email me.

Results: Quiz 05 Congress

Quiz 06 - President -- Due Wednesday 3/23 at 7:30 AM

>>LINK: Quiz 06, The President Chp. 12<<

Due Wednesday March 23 at 7:30 AM

Hope Spring Break is going well. If you already started Chapter 12 on the Presidency and were wondering "where is the quiz...I love the quiz" then wonder no longer: I'm posting it now.

And it is now due a few days later, on Wednesday right before class begins. After today the quiz schedule will once again correspond to the syllabus.

At this point in the semester, you need to be taking every quiz. Just guess if you are having trouble.

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In other news:

Midterms are graded. You should have them back on Monday.

**If you did not submit a Midterm I recommend that you email me or submit something to me ASAP. A low score is better than no score.**

Extra Credit - Due Monday 3/21 - Directions below

Extra Credit: Due Monday, 3/21
MUST BE TYPED. NO EXCEPTIONS. 
10 pts.

“Who Represents You?” 
Assessing Your Congress Member in the House of Representatives

Start by searching for “YOUR TOWN/CITY” and “Congressional District”. If that doesn’t give you a clear result, do a general search for “California’s congressional districts” or by visiting the Wikipedia page detailing California's districts. Once you’ve figured out what district you are in, answer the following questions.

1. Find your Congressperson and note the District you live in (ex. “Sondra Smith, District 55”)

2. What other cities or towns are in your district (name a few, must be within the district boundaries)

3. Incumbency: how long have they been in office? Since what year?

4. Go to their website. Discuss the following:

     a. What are some of the “constituent services” offered on their website?

     b. What committees are they members of?

     c. What are some of the positions they take on key issues? Find three. For example, what is their stance on immigration, housing & development, or taxes? Any three issues are fine.

     d. Do you agree with their positions on these issues? Why or why not? You must answer this question in a thoughtful manner or you will receive a very low score.

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Note: Spring Recess threw a curve-ball into the schedule, so be sure to keep up with the course syllabus with the following in mind:

Reading & Quiz on Congress, Chp. 11, Due Sunday 3/13 at 11:59 PM
Reading & Quiz on the President, Chp. 12, Due Monday 3/21 at 7:40 AM
 

Quiz 05: Congress, Chp. 11 Due Saturday March 12

>>Link: Quiz 05, Congress, Chp. 11<<

Priority this weekend is to work on your Midterm exam. I'm not going to expect you to have started Chapter 11 on Congress for Monday's class. But use this opportunity to get your Midterm started -- or even finished.

Quiz is due March 12 at 11:59 PM.

A moment of perspective:
This is the fourth mandatory quiz (fifth overall). If you have done no quizzes up until now, or have a combination of ZEROs and low scores, you need to start taking these quizzes every week from this point on. Remember, there are 11 mandatory quizzes total, and I'll take your top 8 scores when generating your overall quiz score at the end of the term.

Midterm - Due Wednesday 3/9 @ start of class

>>Link: Midterm Questions<<

Read through the directions and the essay prompts. Remember, you are to answer 2 of the 6 questions.

I recommend making an outline before you write your answers. And more importantly, skim through your notes and the textbook before you sit down to type.

Email me if you have any concerns or questions.

Good luck.

PS: look to the sidebar when logged in to this site on your computer and download the summary slides for the Three Theories of American Democracy. They will help.

Update: I revised the due date time. It should have said 7:51 AM, not 9:51 AM. 

Housekeeping

Hope everyone is getting caught up on the readings. I've finished the midterm questions and will post those tomorrow promptly after class. I should also have your grade-benchmarks ready tomorrow as well.

Also, I have a slight -- but positive -- change I am making to this week's reading assignment and quiz. If you look on the syllabus, I have you all both working on the midterm and doing the usual reading & quiz.

That's too much, so I'm going to split the difference:

1. Your midterm is still due Wednesday 3/9 at the start of class.

2. But you still need to read Chapter 11 on Congress. Try to have at least half of it done for Monday's class.

3. There is still a quiz, which I'll post tomorrow, but it will close on Saturday 3/12 instead of Wed 3/9.  The quiz is still mandatory, just due later in the week.

I'll announce this again tomorrow.