Overview
This is the signature assignment for the course. You will have the opportunity to draft a paper on any topic of your choosing so long as it relates to course material (propaganda, foreign/domestic disinformation). You will also be asked to develop a four-slide power point presentation that you will brief to class.
The specific prompt for this exercise is: Write a 1,000 word paper on any topic of your choice as long as it relates to U.S./adversarial propaganda or domestic disinformation. With this paper, craft a four-slide summary of your argument and prepare to brief your classmates.
Please respond to the topic prompt by writing a minimum of 1,000 word paper (and a maximum of 1,200 words). This paper seeks to test your knowledge about the course and your ability to develop your topic and synthesize the relevant material. It also seeks to provide a final test of your writing skills. In addition, I would like you to create a four-slide power point presentation that you will use to convey the key points of your paper to the class in a recorded briefing.
You will be asked to give an 8-10 minute presentation for the class. In support of this, create a slide deck that summarizes your key points. Use the first slide as your introduction to the topic. Include your thesis statement and identify why the topic you are addressing is important. For slides 2-4, dedicate each slide to a main point (or paragraph) from your paper. Avoid overly wordy slides. Slides are not meant to convey every minor detail of your paper but to convey the main thrust. The slides are also meant as a visual reference for your talk. The talk will be more detailed, so just use the slides to visually support it. In addition to words, add photos or images to your slide to make them visually appealing and reinforcing for your message.