Pre-Reading Questions, Week Three

Overview: The following questions all revolve around this week's readings from Navigating America. These questions may be different than ones you are used to. These questions are called Pre-reading Questions because they are designed to be answered BEFORE you begin reading this week. So, answer the following questions before you start reading the articles on media multinational corporations for week three.

Questions like this help to get students to formally establish their own opinions about certain critical areas before they are influenced by the writing and research of other people. These answers are your opinion, and I expect to see what you think of these subjects. I don't want outside voices or thoughts, just your own--you are the expert here. Once you have answered these questions, you should be critically primed to read the work for the week.


Directions/Requirements: For full points, be sure you complete all the steps while providing your answers.

1) You must clearly number and label each question and answer.

2) You must use complete, mechanically correct sentences.

3) Each answer should be a full paragraph in development.

4) Answers can be either typed or hand written in legible penmanship on clean paper.  It must be double spaced in either form.

Grading: This assignment is worth 10 points and will use a check/check+/check- grading system.

Due: This is due at the beginning of class on Wed, Sept 9th.
 

1) The Constitution of the United States holds that we all have the right to free speech. Discuss free speech. Some questions you should answer include: What exactly is free speech? Who or what is actually protected by this? Who should be protected by this? Do you think that there should be any exceptions? Do you think free speech actually exists in America?
 

2) How much does a free flow of information and news have to do with democracy? Could limited news and information in some way limit our ability to self-govern through democracy? How so?

3) Recent laws have allowed a few large corporations to own virtually every major television station, movie studio, website, newspaper and magazine. What do you think the pros and cons of this are? What negative effects could come from just a few groups owning the flow of information? What positive effects could come from just a few groups owning the flow of information?