Criteria for acceptable discussion board responses and posts

Responses:   You are required to post at least one response to each week’s discussion topic.   Do not make a new post each week, just respond to the existing post–despite what it might say elsewhere on this site.   That is a change to the previous system.   Your responses should further the discussion, not repeat anything we’ve already heard and work to illuminate further perspectives on the issue.   Some examples include:

• “I believe parents should limit their children to one hour of public television only per day because I believe television can enhance a child’s education, but needs to be in balance with the other ways that children are educated and Public Television does not include commercials that would contribute to a child’s desire for more possessions.”
• “I believe people should watch local news about once a week but not every evening because that can contribute to a distorted view of their community due to the excessive amount of violent stories that are part of most evening news programs.”
• “I think in 15 years Barnes & Noble won’t exist because books will no longer be sold in stores in large enough quantities to justify a store as large as Barnes & Noble.”

Posts:   There will be instances when you are permitted and encouraged to post your own discussion topics.   A successful discussion topic will be relevant, encourage thoughtful debate, create awareness of mass media issues and inspire a more complex understanding of the mass media.   Some examples include:

• “What limits should parents put on the time and type of television their children watch?”
• “Should people watch their local news every night?   Why or why not?”
• “What is Barnes and Noble going to look like in 15 years?”