Determining Perspective and Bias in “Issues”

WHAT INFLUENCES OUR PERSPECTIVE? When a major concern or “issue” needs to be addressed various perspectives will need to be considered. The position that we take on an issue is influenced by our perspective which is derived from:  cultural, economic, social, and political background  ethnic, education and religious background  life experiences  subjective opinion  objective facts

Factors that Influence our Perspective

ASSIGNMENT Read text pages 1 to 6. Define bold, key terms from your reading. Using the handout provided, “Measuring Your Perspective – Scoring Sheet” and the Perspectives Questionnaire on pages 5 to 6, determine your socio-economic perspective by completing the chart and locating with a dot where it fits on the graph. Define each of the socio-economic perspectives in your own words referring to the reading on page 6. * The above is testable material!!

WHERE DOES BIAS FIT IN? What is important to realize is that our viewpoint or perspective on any issue will be biased in some way. As such, information we receive and incorporate into our “worldview” perspective can come from biased sources. We must be aware that the newspapers, journal articles, web sites, films, television documentaries and newscasts, personal accounts by friends, family and educators, may all reflect a particular bias.

BIAS!

Ask yourself (from p. 10 of text): Who wrote the document and why did she/he write it? Was the author or organization closely involved in the event? Could that have affected what they have written? What credentials does the author have to indicate that he or she is a reliable source? What organization published the document? Does this organization have a particular point of view or agenda that would bias the information? Do the arguments and evidence presented in the article/newscast, support only one side of an issue? Are generalizations and simplified solutions used to explain complex points of view? Are value-laden adjectives used to elicit an emotional response from you? Are stereotypical comments used? If counter arguments are used, are they weak and poorly explained? HOW DO WE DETECT BIAS?

ASSIGNMENT Read pages 7 to 10 and define bold, key terms in your notes. Then, read the case study: “Three Gorges: Different Perspectives” on pages 11 to 14. Answer Q. # 1 to 4 from 14 in your notes. Please make sure to incorporate the question into your response. * The above is testable material!!