How are marine life issues portrayed in documentaries? Can documentaries be used as reliable sources? Many are produced with the intent to convince the viewer to take action and are designed to elicit emotion. For this assignment, you will choose a documentary and watch it with a critical eye, fact-checking as you watch. Answer each of the questions below as you watch.
You will compare a documentary which was produced in order to incite emotion with a documentary which was produced to convey information. Answer each question below FOR EACH VIDEO that you watch.
Your answers must be in complete sentences. Each answer must be substantial (a couple of sentences). Give examples. When asked, “Are statistics given?“, don’t just say yes or no. Give an example of a statistic or why you think none were included. Grammar counts! Type your answers in a word-processing program first.
Questions for each video (3 points each):
- Are statistics given? List 5 facts that are included and state whether you can verify them with another RELIABLE source. State your source.
- Are opinions given? If so, list 3 opinions that were given. How do you know they were opinions and not facts?
- Are scientists interviewed? Are names/credentials of all people interviewed stated? List them
- Was it produced by a scientist or filmmaker?
- Are you inspired to take action after watching the video?
Summary (5 points):
After watching and answering the questions above, summarize your findings. Did either provide a fair representation of marine life based on what you’ve learned in this course?
Grading rubric
Questions 1-5 will be graded as follows:
0—not answered or answered with one word
1—short, fragmented answer; not complete sentences
2—complete sentences given, all parts of question is answered, but no evidence included
3—fully answer each part in complete sentences; evidence in the form of sources, names and/or titles are included
