The goals of this unit are (1) to apply your critical thinking skills, (2) to become conversant with issues in current political campaign discourse, and (3) to develop your skills as a discussion leader and participant.

Activities during this unit include:

Reading and discussing selected chapters from Kathleen Hall Jamieson’s book Everything you think you know about politics … and why you’re wrong. Your progress on this activity will be assessed by in-class quizzes and participation in class discussions, and will be included in the participation component of your final grade. Quizzes and discussions based on Jamieson will usually occur in the first 20-25 minutes of the class period.

Group-led class discussions on political campaign issues. Teams will be assigned to research a campaign issue, select examples of campaign discourse on that issue to present in class, and prepare and lead a 20-30 minute class discussion (usually in the second half of the class period). The goal of the discussion is to engage the class in strong sense critical thinking on the issue. For everyone, participation in these discussions will contribute to your overall participation points in the class. In addition, the team of discussion leaders will receive up to 25 points each based upon the following criteria:

The discussion issue is relevant and controversial within a current political campaign, and is clearly formulated as a question.

The discussion leaders demonstrate that they have researched and thought critically about the issue.

The leaders present one or more examples of campaign discourse on the issue (ads, clips from speeches or debates, interviews, news reports or opinion columns, etc.). Examples can be presented as handouts (bring 25 copies), overheads, audio, or video.

The discussion is effectively managed to facilitate participation and critical thinking. Be creative in the use of discussion formats and stimuli to get people involved. Use critical questions from Brown and Keeley to lead the class in analyzing the issue and evaluating the campaign discourse. Conclude by summarizing the discussion.

The leaders show effort to build upon previous class discussions (weighed more heavily in later discussions).

Campaign Issue Analysis Paper (50 points, due Nov. 15). You will write a 5-6 page paper (typed, double-spaced) using critical thinking concepts to analyze and critique the discourse on a controversial issue within a current political campaign. You may write about the issue you researched for your group-led class discussion or a different issue. Select one or more examples of campaign discourse on the issue. Use Brown and Keeley’s critical questions to analyze and evaluate the reasoning in the campaign discourse. Demonstrate strong sense critical thinking on the issue. The paper should be well organized with an introduction, body, and conclusion. Use APA style for references to any published or Internet sources used. The paper will be graded for form and quality of writing as well as content.