WHY AM I SO ANGRY AND WHAT CAN I DO ABOUT IT?
You have been reading a lot about how misinformation is being spread and the dangers that these false beliefs can cause within our families, communities, country, and
even the global community. The spread of these false beliefs may even be threatening our democratic institutions, health, and overall well-being.
You have also been reading about current rumors and false beliefs in the news. Hopefully, you are actually starting to get angry about this and want to do something
about changing it to make it better. This is your task in this assignment: something is not as it should be and you wish it were different.
For this essay, you will be identifying a problem and looking for possible solutions. Your problem topic should relate to topics we have been exploring this semester:
bias, false beliefs, fake news, stereotyping, or the political polarization in our country. Possible topics include: gender bias, gender stereotyping, racism/bias
against a particular group (Latinx, LGTBQ people, etc), or misinformation about Black Lives Matter, Covid19, Defunding the Police or the current “post-truth” political
climate in our country. Review the articles we have read this semester and choose a topic that truly interests you. Make sure you clear your topic with your professor.
For the Truth, Lies, and False Beliefs unit, you have been reading and writing about the following questions:
Why is misinformation a problem?
What can we do to identify false beliefs in ourselves and others?
How can people become more thoughtful, unbiased consumers of information?