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Learning Activity

Final Project

Deadline: December 14, 2007
Page Limit: The project should be approximately 10 to 15 pages
**Please submit a hard copy in my mailbox, no later than 5:00 p.m.

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) is dedicated to promoting the universal agreement on specific ethical issues. As a specialized section of the United Nations, UNESCO focuses on the fields of education, science, culture and communication. The Communication and Information sector is dedicated to ensuring and promoting the “free flow of ideas and images” and expressing diversity and pluralism in the media (UNESCO.org).

In order to evaluate the flow of information in the global society, UNESCO has established a committee to closely examine the media systems in each country. As a permanent delegate of UNESCO and a member of the evaluation committee, your responsibility is to select a country (excluding the United States) and assess the current established media system. **When selecting a country, please make sure that you are not selecting your home country. This will enable you to gain knowledge about a country that is not already familiar to you.** To provide a thorough assessment of the information process in that country; please select only two forms of the media for your evaluation. In your assessment, please discuss the following topics:

Background information: To ensure that the evaluation committee has a clear understanding of the country and the media system, provide sufficient background information for the selected country. Discuss the geographical location, population size, diverse ethnic groups, religious groups, and governmental structure. Also include any information you perceive as vital for constructing the framework needed to evaluate the media and the flow of information in that specific country.

Description of two forms of media in the country (television, newspapers, magazines, radio, film, etc.). Clearly describe the background of each form of the selected media. Provide facts and thoroughly describe the structure and the media’s intended audience. What type of information does this specific medium disseminate to the country?

Assess and evaluate the media: By applying the four theories of the press (authoritarian, libertarian, soviet, and social responsibility), evaluate the qualities of the selected media systems. What are the positive and negative attributes of the system? What advantages and disadvantages does the evaluate media system offer to the country? Please also provide concrete examples of these attributes.

Proposed alternatives: After indicating in your assessment the positive and negative characteristics of the media systems, provide the committee with potential alternative or means of fixing these negative attributes. If there are positive characteristics, how can the media system enhance this specific characteristic?

This project will be worth 40% of your final grade. The paper will be evaluated based upon the following six criteria:

Context (10%)

Assessment of the media systems (30%)

Supportive evidence (20%)

Proposed alternatives and recommendations (30%)

Grammar, style and organization (10%)

Expected learning outcome: Upon completion of this project, you should be able to apply your theoretical framework to current situation, critically evaluate international media systems, and develop your problem-solving skills by proposing alternative and recommendations. In addition, this assignment will help you construct a critical understanding of the media systems that exist outside of the United States and think outside of the ‘west versus rest’ worldview.

	A(4)	B(3)	C(2)	D(1)
Context (10%)	You provide a strong factual background consisting of relevant information regarding the country. The project extensively discusses all the necessary topics listed in background information along with information that you deem as important in understanding the country.	You provide a fairly strong factual background of the country. The project briefly discusses all the necessary topics listed in the background information. Does not include information you consider important.	You provide a moderate amount of factual background of the country. The project does not discuss all the necessary topics listed in the background information. Does not include information you consider important.	You provide a minimal amount of factual background of the country. The project does discuss any of the necessary topics listed in the background information and does not include information you consider important.
Assessment of the media systems (30%)	Includes a clear description of the selected media systems. Extensive evaluation of the positive and negative attributes of the media.	Includes a fairly clear description of the selected media systems. The project does not thoroughly evaluate the positive and negative attributes of the media.	Includes a very brief description of the selected media systems. The project briefly discusses the attributes of the media but does not thoroughly evaluate the characteristics.	Does not include a description of the selected media systems. The project does not evaluate the positive and negative attributes of the media.
Supportive evidence(20%)	The project incorporates appropriate evidence that supports and illustrates the positive and negative attributes of the media. Provides three or more detailed concrete examples	The project incorporates appropriate evidence that illustrates the positive and negative attributes of the media. Provides two detailed examples.	The project incorporates appropriate evidence that illustrates the positive and negative attributes of the media. Only provides one detailed example.	The project does not incorporate any form of evidence that illustrates the positive and negative attributes of the media.
Proposed alternative and recommendations(30%)	The project provides detailed and extensive alternative and recommendations for each positive and negative attributes. Also discusses how these recommendations will change the current media system.	The project provides a brief statement on what can be changed for the negative and positive attributes. Does not go into detail on the recommendations and how they will change the current media system.	The project provides a brief recommendation for only the negative attributes. Does not discuss the potential changes the recommendations have to offer.	The project only points out the negative and positive characteristics of the media but does not offer any alternatives or potential recommendations.
Grammar, style, and organization (10%)	The project is well structured and organized. Does not include any grammatical error and is very interesting and easy to read.	The project is generally well structured and organized. Consists of a few grammatical errors. Interesting and easy to read.	The project is not as organized and consists of many grammatical errors. Difficult to read.	The project lacks structure and organization. Includes many grammatical errors, did not hold my attention, and was very difficult to read.