ASSIGNMENT (all 3 questions are required for credit):
After having done the exercise outlined in the lecture, discuss the following:
How did the questions you initially developed in Part A inform your study of the Manifesto in Part B?
How easy or hard was it to create a list for Part C?
Although this was an investigative work, how do you think you can use this questioning methodology to help you in developing your objectivity in other aspects of your life?
Objectivity Files (2nd Study)
As an MP, I annoyed a lot of people with all the questions I had to ask for a sworn statement: “Were you wearing your seatbelt?” “Who were the other people with you?” “Do you remember the color of clothing the subject was wearing?” “How long have you had those crutches?”. Depending on what the situation was, our investigation had to be as thorough as possible. And while I was annoying, don’t get me started on the number of questions MPI asked you if your case was really serious. That was interrogation level questioning.
But going through all that, I learned early on the incredible value of reading through statement and then generating questions afterwards. Doing this gives you an opportunity to really look at the evidence and build a better picture of what went down.
It doesn’t have to just be in a police investigation though. I started looking at how I could apply the method to voting and then moved on to applying it towards what I was reading in the news and later in my college papers.
This very simple technique afforded me an opportunity to get a better idea of what the candidates were most likely to push for during their limited time in office as they struggled to get Congress to move on various topics. It also allowed me to find Congress candidates that would counter anything I wasn’t particularly fond of in a Presidential Candidate’s campaign. Because, let’s face it, there is no perfect candidate- especially in a grid-locked 2-party system.
Beyond the voting system, it helped me better cut through prejudices or bias I might have otherwise have developed based on hearsay about individual people I encountered in my life.
The Assignment for this objectivity file is a bit involved. To reduce as much bias as possible, we’re going to look at a past election from a country that you are not likely to be familiar with: Nigeria.
Practical Assignment (you don’t need to include this in your written assignment, but you will need to complete it in order to do the written assignment):
A. Read the following links:
Major Problems Facing Nigeria when this was published?
archive.today/d5ECq
What are the Problems Facing Nigeria when this was published?
archive.today/FhNLT
After reading the two articles, make a list of the different things that you would (if you were a voter in Nigeria) want to have addressed by the candidates of this country.
B. Read the following:
Alliance for New Nigeria Manifesto
https://www.inecnigeria.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/ANN-MANIFESTO.pdf
^if the above link is broken, use this link.
ANN is a third party candidate for 2019's campaign, and was created to combat the current two prominent parties of Nigeria. Taking the list that you made in Part A, consider the following:
1) Did the Manifesto address all the questions on your list?
2) Did the Manifesto leave you with more questions you want answered before you decide whether or not ANN would be a viable candidate if you were a Nigerian Voter?
C. Choose one question and the corresponding answer you found in the Manifesto.
When you figure out which one to look more closely at, develop some questions around the answer you found.