CHAPTER 7: VIEWPOINTS NOTES OVERVIEW
Important to know
(1) the difference between liberals and conservatives, greens and libertarians;
(2) that viewpoints could be characterized;
(3) that reality is interpreted or filtered through viewpoints;
(4) that recognizing viewpoints engenders a detached perspective;
(5) that critical readers always read with the context of source in mind; and
(6) that different political points of view can be recognized through characteristic ideas and rhetoric.
Need to reflect new shifts in social and political viewpoints, in their publications, beliefs, and rhetoric.
Need to clarify their understanding of viewpoint as well as to think more fluidly of examples through the construction of mind maps.
“Rankings of Some Print Publications according to Reputations for Reliability.”
“Viewpoints in Literature” -- different viewpoints tell different stories.
Whistleblower films.
POLITICAL VIEWPOINTS
American magazines make considerable use of their knowledge of their consumers’ demographic profiles. Editors use this information both to shape the design and content of their publications as well as to attract appropriate advertisers. Thus publications can sometimes know more about their readers, socio-economic status, political views, and tastes than the readers might know about themselves. In studying these magazines, some students will have more difficulties than others in picking up the cues that suggest socio-economic class and political affiliations. On the other hand, many will know a lot about consumer products and consumer tastes. They might also be convinced that the ownership of certain products results in higher socio-economic status and esteem.
Viewpoints in words as liberal and conservative
See chart that compares conservative and liberal values. Not all will agree with my characterizations.
Analyze arguments within the framework of viewpoints,
Evaluate voter information pamphlets and political television commercials in order to arrive at your own decisions.
American magazines make considerable use of their knowledge of their consumers’ demographic profiles. Editors use this information both to shape the design and content of their publications as well as to attract appropriate advertisers. Thus publications can sometimes know more about their readers, socio-economic status, political views, and tastes than the readers might know about themselves. In studying these magazines, some students will have more difficulties than others in picking up the cues that suggest socio-economic class and political affiliations. On the other hand, many will know a lot about consumer products and consumer tastes. They might also be convinced that the ownership of certain products results in higher socio-economic status and esteem.
Viewpoints in words as liberal and conservative
See chart that compares conservative and liberal values. Not all will agree with my characterizations.
Analyze arguments within the framework of viewpoints,
Evaluate voter information pamphlets and political television commercials in order to arrive at your own decisions.
NEWS FRAMING
Newspapers can be used in many ways: to teach observing, to teach detachment, to provide current examples of what we are studying, and to point out current topics of controversy in preparation for the final research paper. This exercise in news framing awareness challenges mastery of the skills of observing, of word awareness, and of separating facts from inferences, as well as from assumptions, evaluations, and opinions.
Newspapers can be used in many ways: to teach observing, to teach detachment, to provide current examples of what we are studying, and to point out current topics of controversy in preparation for the final research paper. This exercise in news framing awareness challenges mastery of the skills of observing, of word awareness, and of separating facts from inferences, as well as from assumptions, evaluations, and opinions.
PROPAGANDA AND VESTED INTERESTS This section is newly written for this edition, framed as hidden viewpoints with hidden motives. The writing/discussion/research questions raise some serious issues that may require student research.
THE POWER OF IMAGE AS A PERSUADER This topic of image as a persuader is a major one deserving far more treatment since most advertisements depend upon visual persuasion. Your students might want to take this topic and run with it, bringing in their own examples to help one another recognize these persuasive techniques and their messages rather than to absorb them as givens. They could, for instance, put together a collection of photo ops of political figures and ask such questions as the following. How do they evoke positive impressions through dress, demeanor, and gestures? How do they convey trustworthiness, stability, power, and authority? How do they convey the archetype of the good father or the good mother?
SHAPING WRITING TO THE READER’S VIEWPOINT: THE WRITER’S CHALLENGE
Although this text does not teach audience analysis or how to anticipate reader viewpoint, this is a logical place to fit in a discussion of this subject. Students might be asked how they feel when they are writing an essay that will only be read by their instructor and how that might feel different from writing for their peers. They might also enjoy a discussion on how they might shape content differently when writing for different reading audiences. I have found it fun to interest students with this topic by playing the following as a kind of game. I write a thesis on the board—“Give me a thesis, any thesis,” I say to the class. I also write down the names of about three magazines with divergent perspectives, ranging from Reader’s Digest to Time or Salon. Then I ask the class to write down how they might want to revise this same thesis idea in order to better relate to each perspective. Sometimes we follow a revision choice with an outline of three topic sentences. This exercise encourages thinking flexibility and conveys the range of the problem without the need to have students write out a full essay or several versions of the same.
Although this text does not teach audience analysis or how to anticipate reader viewpoint, this is a logical place to fit in a discussion of this subject. Students might be asked how they feel when they are writing an essay that will only be read by their instructor and how that might feel different from writing for their peers. They might also enjoy a discussion on how they might shape content differently when writing for different reading audiences. I have found it fun to interest students with this topic by playing the following as a kind of game. I write a thesis on the board—“Give me a thesis, any thesis,” I say to the class. I also write down the names of about three magazines with divergent perspectives, ranging from Reader’s Digest to Time or Salon. Then I ask the class to write down how they might want to revise this same thesis idea in order to better relate to each perspective. Sometimes we follow a revision choice with an outline of three topic sentences. This exercise encourages thinking flexibility and conveys the range of the problem without the need to have students write out a full essay or several versions of the same.
