ENGL 1301: "The Late 1900s"

The task: 

In this project, you will pick a news event from the 1990s and compare/contrast how it played out in its day versus how its discussed now. News becomes history, so it’s important to look at what happened in the past and how it’s being appropriated, represented, or discussed in the present. This helps you understand and compare/contrast society, past and present. This is very useful when you’re dealing with older generations, for it helps you see what kind of world they lived in compared to the one we inhabit today.   

1. Form a group. The expectation is that you attend class regularly and participate. If you do not contribute to your group, you will be removed and given a 0.  

2. As a group, look up news events in the 1990s and find one that catches your eye. Settle on a topic. 

3. Find contemporary coverage – video, written articles, or both – and look at how the story is presented. Do you see any bias? How would you describe the news’ coverage of the event?  

4. Find present day coverage/discussion of this event – video, written articles, or both – and consider how this event is presented as “history.” Are there any biases? How is this event reframed? What are the biggest changes you notice? 

5. Present. Customize the PowerPoint template. Submit a Works Cited List. (Separately from the PowerPoint.) 

6. Submit an individual reflection, discussing your role in the project, what you learned, and how this project expanded your critical thinking and research skills. This reflection will be an individual grade.