The purpose of this assignment is to evaluate your ability to critically examine an aging-related issue portrayed in the current media and to show your ability to apply the concepts studied in class to your analysis. For this assignment, you are asked to select a media piece from any of the following sources – news or journal article (print or web), podcast, a video or an audio segment. The topic selected in the media piece must be current and directly related to aging. You can select from any of the following age related issues: physical or mental health, spirituality, health care policy and programs, economy, retirement, management, housing, religion and spirituality, death and dying, intergenerational issues, and ethics. Carefully study the piece you have selected and construct a written analysis of the issue at hand using the following points as a guideline:
Clearly articulate the main idea/issue presented in the original source. Remember that the reader of your assignment is not familiar with the specific media piece you have selected. Therefore, you should provide a context and a background for your paper by including a succinct description of the most salient points of the original piece – 15%.  Describe how the idea/issue relates to the theories or concepts studied in the class. Be very specific in drawing these connections and provide a rationale/example to support your position. – 20%.  Describe the significance of the main idea/issue for the lives of older adults and provide a rationale for your position. Specifically, what is the positive impact of the issue on older adults? Equally important, what potential or actual drawbacks can you identify relative to this idea/issue? (Remember, every position has its merits and limitations; try to identify what these are for your selected idea). Explain in detail and with examples (Hint: since most of the points of this assignment pertain to this section, focus on placing most of your paper’s emphasis here) – 35%.  Identify one area related to the main issue that was not addressed by the media piece but that you would like to explore further. What specifically would you like to learn more about and why? Provide a strong rationale using the concepts studied in class (i.e., explain why it is important to know more about this issue) – 10%  Follow the relevant criteria in the General Grading Rubric for Writing. Be sure to write this assignment in your own words, rather than “regurgitate” the original media piece. For the purposes of grading, a well written assignment shows the writer’s solid grasp of the content through depth of analysis, rather than simple paraphrasing. Limit your assignment length to 3-5 pages. Follow APA style for writing and formatting your assignment, citations, and references. If you are not familiar with APA, use the resources provided on Blackboard to help you. Prior to uploading your file, give it a name using the following format: AGNG200_LastName_FirstName_FileName – 20%.