27 Mar If you are interested in an event that is not on the list, but within your timeframe, please run it by me as early as possible. Please note that I have purposefully left out the most well-k

COM 385 EVENT REPORT

You are to write a 3-to-4-page report (not including title page and reference page) about an act of political violence. The assignment has 3 parts.

Part I: Choose Event (Due: Friday, February 17) /1

You will be assigned one of the following time-frames based on your discussion group: 1970s-80s; 1990s; 2000s; or 2010s. I will provide a list for each time period.

Submission Instructions: No incident can be done by more than one person (first come, first served), so you must submit your top three choices from the list provided.

Grading: complete/incomplete (1 point)

Note 1: If you are interested in an event that is not on the list, but within your timeframe, please run it by me as early as possible. Please note that I have purposefully left out the most well-known incidents—e.g., 9/11, 1993 WTC bombing, the Show Bomber, Oklahoma City, Boston Marathon, Pulse Nightclub, San Bernardino, Las Vegas—so I will not approve these as topic choices. This list is not exhaustive, and I retain the right to say no to others (but of course, will explain why).

Note 2: If you do not submit your choices, you will be assigned an event, but will NOT receive credit for this portion of the assignment.

Part 2: Find and Submit Sources (Due: Friday, March 31) /3

For the paper, you are required to use at least six (6) sources all of which should be from news outlets. To do so you MUST use UAlbany Library’s databases. Our subject Librarian, Priscilla Seaman put together the useful databases and recorded a short 3min video to help you navigate.

Requirements for your sources:

1. Sources may include newspaper articles, magazine articles, op-eds, or national and international broadcast media transcripts. You are expected to have a good mix of sources (i.e., not all from the same outlet, not all op-eds or transcripts, etc.).

2. Every source must have been published within one month of the event (e.g., if you choose an event that happened to occur on April 19, 1995, you can use articles between April 19 and May 19, 1995.) You are expected to have a good mix of dates (i.e., not all from the same day or week).

3. Every source must be at least 500 words in length.

4. At least three (3) sources must be over 1,000 words in length.

Submission Instructions: The Library’s databases allow you to save your found sources as pdfs. Via Blackboard, you are to submit all six so that I can ensure that (a) you used the school’s databases; (b) that you fulfilled the source requirements (length of articles, etc.).

Grading: Each submitted source is worth 0.5%. You will lose points if expectations listed above are not met.

Part 3: Final Report (Due: Wednesday, April 26) /11

You are to write a 3-to-4-page report (not including title page and reference page). Your report should follow this template/structure.

(1) Title Page:

Title will be the name of the event, your name, and the date.

(2) Introduction (1 page max):

Avoid any board and sweeping statements. The introduction should provide a detailed account of the who, what, where, when, and how of the event.

(3) Body (2-to-3 pages):

Use at least one source from the course to help you answer the following sets of questions:

(a) Is the act called “terrorism” in media coverage? If so, who is calling it terrorism? That is, who is quoted as saying the incident is a terrorist attack (i.e., government official, bystander, other)? Or is it the author of the piece who makes this decision (i.e., they refer to it as a terrorist attack without citing or quoting anyone)? Does this distinction about who calls an act of violence terrorism matter? Why?

(b) Who (which individuals and organizations) are the primary sources cited by the reporters whose articles, op-eds, and transcripts you have read? Does the make-up of sources matter based on what we have discussed in class? Why or why not?

(c) Do your articles provide an answer to the “why” of the event? That is, does the media coverage provide any historical or political context surrounding the incident?

(d) What information do news outlets give us about the perpetrator(s) (e.g., personal history, affiliations, etc.)? Do the articles mention the perpetrator’s “identity” (i.e., nationality, race, ethnicity, gender, etc.)? Do you think these facts are or are not important for the audience to know? Why? Does the media coverage you have read give you more about the identity of the perpetrator than the historical context? Does this difference matter? Why?

(4) Reference List

List your six (6) media sources as well as your sources from the course in proper APA format.

Formatting: double-spaced, Times New Roman 12-pt font, and 1” margins all around. I will not accept pdfs.

Submission Instructions: submit your final report as a Word document (.doc or.docx) on Blackboard.

Grading ( /11)

Title Page and Proper Formatting: /1

Introduction: /3

Clear explanation of who, what, where, when, and how that integrates sources.

Body: /6

Clear, logical, and well written answers to each set of questions. This includes grammar, spelling, and citation.

Reference List: /1