Find 5 different claims from at least 3 different types of sources. These may be advertisements, news articles, blog posts, etc.
psychology
Description
Identifying Claims
For this assignment, you’ll be working on identifying and
evaluating claims in the media.
Find 5 different
claims from at least 3 different
types of sources. These may be
advertisements, news articles, blog posts, etc.
[*Note*: Avoid second-hand
claims, such as articles discussing claims that have been made elsewhere. That means no lists of “10 outrageous
advertising claims,” please.] Also, keep
in mind these should be truth claims, not moral claims.
For each of your sources, summarize the main claim that is
being made. What is the main idea the
author is trying to convince you is true (not good/bad, but true)?
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Example |
If you dress
differently than others at work—whether up or down—they will think you are
more competent. |
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Provide as much information as you can about the source of
the claims. When possible, try to
include the original sources with this assignment—this may be a paper clipping,
a weblink, a photo/video, etc.
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Example |
“To seem better at
your job, ignore the office dress code,” by Cari Romm, Aug. 25, 2016, Science
of Us at NYMag.com |
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Who is making the claim (if known)? What are their positions (e.g., researcher,
journalist, etc.) and relation to the claim?
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Example |
Cari Romm is a
writer for New York Magazine, and this is a story based on someone else’s
research. |
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Who appears to be the target(s) for these claims? To whom are these messages (primarily) being
directed?
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Example |
The claim seems
directed at anyone who works in an office environment; white-collar workers. |
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Summarize the arguments that are being made for each
claim—what evidence is presented, and how does it support the claim? Are the authors basing their claims on
logic? Emotions? Authority?
Research? Something else?
Also, for each claim, make a rating of how well you think
the claim is supported on a 1-7 scale, where 1 = “very unsupported,” 7 = “very
supported,” and 4 = “neither supported nor unsupported.”
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Rating |
Description |
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Example |
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This claim is
supported by scientific research. The
author discusses two studies that support the idea, one on people’s
perceptions of competence based on pictures of professors, and one on the
relationship between academics’ conference attire and their number of
published papers. |
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