Instructions:
This essay asks you to read a selection of passages from your textbook and the course website on the topic of reality television and its effects and to respond by writing an essay in which you take up and defend a position of your own on this topic. Your goal is to persuade your reader that your position is logical and significant.
Is reality television bad for us, or can be it good for us? Are the overall effects of reality television programs on the identity and morality of viewers predominantly negative or positive?
To write this essay, you will consult Laurie Ouellette`s article, "Reality TV Give Back: On the Civic Functions of Reality Entertainment," which is in your textbook (284-88). You will also need to refer to 3 article on the subject posted on Backboard, L Monique Ward and Corissa Carlson`s "Modelling Meanness: Associations Between Reality TV Consumption, Perceived Realism, and Adolescents` Social Aggression, "Kristin M. Barton`s "Reality Television Programming and Divergent Gratifications: The Influence of Content on Gratifications Obtained, " and Carolyn Vander Schee and Kip Kline`s "Neoliberal Exploitation in Reality Television: Youth, Health and Spectacle of Celebrity `Concern`. "
After consulting these essays, write an argumentative essay in which you argue for reality television`s positive or negative effects, as outlined in the essay question above. Make sure you establish a detailed and direct thesis and that you support it with logical explanation and evidence. Your essay must cite at least 3 of 4 essays listed above. Remember, however, the argument of your essay needs to be your own. You must not simply repeat the argument of one of the authors. You should also use your own opinions and observations to support your claims.
NOTE: As explained on the syllabus, this assignment is worth 20% of your final grade. Essays must adhere to MLA format and include a Works Cited page.
