Materials from Eunjeong Paek's lecture on April 26:

For next week, Natálie and Klára will lead us in a discussion about Hungary and its relationship with the EU. 

To prepare, first, please read this article: 

Discussion questions related to the article:

What democratic principles can you think of? 

What are the main sources of tension between Hungary and the EU, and how have these tensions escalated over time?

How can EU intervention negatively affect Hungarian public opinion?

 

Second, we have a video for you that analyzes the issue of European funds for Hungary:

Discussion questions related to the video:

What are the potential consequences of the EU's decision to cut €75 billion of funds to Hungary?

 

Finally, please read this article which discusses the decision made by the EU to cut off funds for Hungary due to concerns about its adherence to EU values and principles:

Discussion questions related to the article:

Can you think of another thing that could be at stake for Hungary?

What do you think about the future of Hungary? Do you think they will withdraw from the EU? Do you think that the situation will change after the elections in 2024? (will it get worse/better?)

 

As always, please choose at least ONE new or relatively unfamiliar vocabulary word or phrase from the above texts and copy it down into your own notes.

 

News Article - Bring a draft next week!

Remember that next week, you should bring a draft of your short news analysis article. Ideally, bring an electronic copy in Word format on your laptop or tablet (DO NOT bring it on your phone!). But you may also bring a hard copy on paper.

I don't want you to upload the draft yet. Just bring a copy. In class, you will share it with a classmate and get some feedback on it, and then I will ask you to upload it before Friday, May 5. 

If for some reason you will not be in class next week, please send me your draft by email before the class starts on May 3. 

I will post here again the requirements for this assignment:

"You will write a short (2 pages max.) analytical/argumentative paper on a current political/social issue of your choice, in the style of a blog post, popular science, or opinion article. In the paper, you will refer to 2 or 3 sources, summarize/synthesize their arguments/opinions, and then respond to them with your own critical analysis and reflection."

I'll add here a few tips:

1. The emphasis in this article should be YOUR OWN arguments/analysis. Don't just summarize a current event or another source. Do some analysis, and make some contribution. Here are some ideas for what you can contribute:

     - Compare a current situation with one from the past, and say why the comparison is helpful/useful 

     - Show how a current situation supports a particular political theory or belief system, or contradicts it

     - Identify and put a name to 3 or 4 "key issues" or "key terms" that are relevant to a current situation, and say why              these are the most important issues/terms in this case

      - Identify a key question (or questions) that you think need(s) to be answered about the current situation, and give            some possible answers

      - Identity 2 or 3 possible solutions for a current problem/issue, and make an argument for which solution you think          is best

2. I encourage you to use images, links, and any other multimedia! Imagine that your article might appear on an actual website or blog, and format it accordingly. 

3. Since this is not an academic journal article, don't use parenthetical citations for your sources - e.g. (Smith 2019). Instead, attribute your sources in the way that journalists do. Here, again, is the handout I showed you with models for how to do that:

4. Pretty much all of the texts I have shared with you this semester, and pretty much all of the texts which you have chosen as companion texts for your discussions, would be good models for the kind of writing I'd like you to do. A lot of good examples of news analysis can be found on the blog "Letters from an American," which I shared with you earlier in the term: