Selling Diets

Welcome to the DSPVerbal Skills Lab!

The question of the week is: who would you trust, along the news cycle?
Please observe the comic: "The Science News Cycle," courtesy of Phdcomics.com


Consider the different "sources" of information that show up after the original press release, and think about which ones are more credible or trustworthy to the unsuspecting reader.

Today's Assignment:
Today we will be searching for an official and credible source to add to our knowledge of a controversial topic. This assignment is similar to Short Essay One, on "Does America Still Exist" by Richard Rodriguez. Today's assignment, however, is focused on a controversial science topic: the risks/benefits of the vegetarian/rawfood movements. In the past 50 years, the ideal American diet has become one of the most important public health and socioeconomic issues in academic and casual conversations. What have you heard recently about current perspectives on a healthy diet?

Steps:
1) First of all, quickly read over/skim the following Article: "The Living and Raw Foods F.A.Q. (Frequently Asked Questions)"
Then, answer the following questions
a) What is the genre of this text (what type of text is this)?
b) What is the author's message or main point on this issue (boiled down)?
c) What is the author's reason for sending this message?
d) Who is the target audience for this message?

2) Now, please read over/skim the following Article: "Beyond Denial: Coming to Grips with Reality in the Veg/Raw Movements" -- An Interview with Tom Billings
Then, answer the following questions
a) What is the genre of this text?
b) What is the author's message or main point on this issue (boiled down)?
c) What is the author's reason for sending this message?
d) Who is the target audience for this message?

3) Which of the top two websites is more convincing or credible? Discuss which of the texts was more trustworthy to you (mention elements of both style and informational content).

4) Now, find and designate an Official Source for this topic. Your source does not have to be an obvious 'authority' on the issue. Discuss how you decided which texts or ideas you would take seriously. Why is your source persuasive enough to use as a standard for evaluation?
Then, answer the following questions
a) What is the title and source of this text? What is the genre of this text?
b) What is the author's message or main point on this issue (boiled down)?
c) What is the author's reason for sending this message?
d) Who is the target audience for this message?

Note: For the Rodriguez essay, you are doing something similar to parts 2, 3, and 4. The only difference is that for part 2, you will be finding your own (unofficial) source. Remember, you will add one unofficial and one official source to the original article (Rodriguez). With Rodriguez' article, a 'Humanities News Cycle' is at work. How different do humanities media look from science media?
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