Position paper: Media and Society

Assignment 1: Position Paper One – Media and society 

Imagine that you are running for a state office (e.g., governor, senator, or Congressional representative) and you have to prepare a position paper for a debate on controversial issues in the news. (Select one (1) of the topics addressed in the first four weeks of this class.) Remember that you are addressing a significant segment of your state’s population and you want to be elected to public office, so your topic will have to have a broad appeal, such as the importance of family values, the fair treatment of women in the workplace (equal pay for equal work), the treatment of minorities, and the media and one’s self-image. 

You will want your position paper to demonstrate critical thinking, sound logic, valid claims, personal passion, and credible support that is cited correctly because the paper will be provided to the news media before the debate and will be scrutinized by the media and reported on regarding these criteria.

Write a two to three (2-3) page (500 to 750 words) paper in which you:

Introduce your position using a thesis statement in the first paragraph, including a quote, question, or statistic from your reliable sources and an overview of the main points you will cover. (It’s important to grab the audience’s interest and inform the audience of what the main and support points are.) 

Provide two or three (2-3) major points to support your thesis statement. (Put each major point in a separate paragraph.)

Provide one (1) paragraph in which you identify and answer an expected argument against your view. 

1. Organize arguments and support your claims effectively. 
2. Demonstrate personal passion for your position and critical thinking with persuasive language, sound logic, valid claims, and credible support for the claims. 
3. Use the Strayer University Library at https://research.strayer.edu to locate and provide two to three (2-3) credible and reliable sources (in addition to the textbook) about current events, which have been published in the last five (5) years and are cited correctly in the position paper. (Wikipedia, dictionaries, and encyclopedias are unacceptable and will not count toward your number of credible sources.)

   THE 4 TOPICS TO CHOOSE FROM ARE:

4. Do Media Influence Society?
5. Debate It – Take a position on this statement: American values are shaped by the mass media. Support your views with two or three reasons and/or examples
6. “The Media and Race”Debate It – Take a position on this statement: Representation of race in the media affects our perceptions of individuals. Support your views with one or two reasons and / or examples. (Cite any sources you referenced.)
   “Body Image” 

Debate It – Take a position on this statement: Media cause individuals to develop negative and unrealistic body images. Support your views with two or three reasons and/or examples. (Cite any sources you referenced.)

Product Placement” 

Is product placement as popular in new media as it has been in traditional television and film content? Do you think over time audiences become anaesthetized to this type of advertising? Support your views with two or three reasons and/or examples. (Cite any sources you referenced.)