Synthesis Assignment: Charting Where the Authors Intersect

Description

This assignment is designed for a First Year Composition course and would take place after several lessons on synthesis and close readings of the 2 texts, which is used to help prepare them for an essay where they develop their own theory on the issue of news media objectivity. Part 1 of the assignment asks students for homework to complete a chart [Google doc] identifying where the two authors' ideas intersect, how/why they intersect, and then asks the student to draw conclusions; what they're noticing about the scholarly conversation; what's at stake or forms the disagreement. The two scholars utilized for this assignment are Jay Rosen’s “Beyond Objectivity” and Linda Greenhouse’s “Challenging ‘He Said, She Said’ Journalism”, however any 2 texts on any issue can be substituted. Part 2 and 3 can be adapted as an in-class learning activity, either for synchronous or asynchronous course, or f2f. Part 2: Students complete a Google Shared Chart, where each student adds 1 idea from their homework. Part 3: Using Google Jamboard students then discuss what they discover in their synthesis in 3 prompts.

QLT Objectives Met

• QLT Section 3: Instructional Materials and Resources Utilized
  • Objective: 3.5 There is a variety of instructional material types and perspectives, while not overly relying on one content type such as text.

Material: