For this assignment, you will be critically analyzing and discussing a recent news article related to one (or more) of the topics we have covered in the first half of the class (globalization & neoliberalism; commodities & TNCs; labor; or money & finance). The article you select should be a substantive piece of reporting rather than a generic news brief, and should come from a reputable source in the popular press. This could be a newspaper like the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, or the Washington Post; a news magazine like the Economist, the Atlantic, or the New Yorker; or a reputable online news source. Use the UW Libraries’ online guides below to evaluate news sources or consult the instructor if you are unsure whether a particular article is appropriate for this assignment:
http://guides.lib.uw.edu/bothell/evaluatingsources
http://guides.lib.uw.edu/c.php?g=345687&p=2331865
This assignment will require you to practice critically reading and analyzing the way different authors, different ways of studying the world, and different genres of writing shape the ways we think about global processes, social relations, and power. To help you practice this skill in preparation for your final essay, this worksheet requires you to answer some critical questions about your news article. Submit your typed answers on Canvas. For each short answer question, include at least 5-6 sentences. Your worksheet will be graded according to its substance, thoughtfulness in your choice of article, and demonstrated critical reflection in your answers. Your answers must be double-spaced, 12-point Times New Roman font, one-inch margins.
1. Provide an APA style citation for your article.
Example: Salam, R. (2016, July 01). There’s a Better Way to Help American Workers. Retrieved August 30, 2017, from http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/moneybox/2016/07/trump_has_a_point_about_globalization_but_there_s_a_better_way_to_do_economic.html
For more details on APA style and citation, see http://guides.lib.uw.edu/research/citations/apa-style
2. What real world event or situation is the article reporting? What facts does the author provide about this event or situation?
Note: Pay attention to the distinction between factual description and interpretation. “More than ten thousand migrants have moved to the city within the past year,” is a factual description, assuming it is based on valid sources. “Tens of thousands of migrants have flooded across the border this year,” includes some (imprecise) factual description as well as subjective interpretation.
3. How do the events reported in the article relate to processes of globalization as discussed in class?
Note: Be sure to name these processes of globalization explicitly.
4. How does the author of the article represent these events? What meanings, labels, and interpretations does the author ascribe to these events? What lenses, worldviews, or preconceived notions does the author bring to the events?
Note: Remember that this is about more than biased or inaccurate reporting of the facts. It is about interpretation and discourse.
5. How does the author of the article represent the relation between these events and globalization?
Note: This might be explicit. If the author uses the word “globalization,” do they define it? Or this might be implicit. Even if an author does not use the word “globalization,” they might reference themes, ideas, and social processes associated with globalization.
6. What dominant discourses and counterdiscourses of (g/G)lobalization can you see working through the article?
7. Do some quick poking around other reputable news sources for articles on the same event or similar topics. Based on this poking around, your own knowledge, and your learning in this course, is there any information or social-historical context that the author does not discuss? Does this seem significant? If yes, then how so?
8 What are at least two substantive questions you have for the author？
