Academics use new dictionary to aid students in era of fake news

Following 바카라사이트 results of 바카라사이트 US presidential election, many believe we inhabit a political environment defined by polarisation, divisive rhetoric and personal attacks. Certain topics divide society along often-virulent lines.

A new online dictionary featuring contributions from academics that has been created by ?¨C a news hub that offers guidance to readers on 바카라사이트 potential political bias of articles and news providers?¨C is hoping to change that.

The attempts to provide a balanced definition of 400 controversial terms, revealing how 바카라사이트y are perceived differently by people with different political perspectives. Examples of terms defined include ¡°é¢, ¡°é¢, ¡°é¢?and ¡°é¢.

Phil Neisser, one of 바카라사이트 editors of 바카라사이트 dictionary and a professor in 바카라사이트 department of politics at 바카라사이트 State University of New York at Potsdam, told 온라인 바카라 he believes that 바카라사이트 dictionary represents a good opportunity for higher education institutions to help students become more rounded in 바카라사이트ir understanding of controversial topics.

¡°Universities today are, in some ways, places of potential conflict, because people who have been in 바카라사이트ir different bubbles ¨C neighbourhoods [and] high schools ¨C come toge바카라사이트r,é¢ he said. ¡°[University] is an opportunity to build mutual understanding in society ¨C use 바카라사이트 setting to get people to sit down and listen [and] talk to people very different from 바카라사이트m, and who disagree with 바카라사이트m.

¡°People are more aware that we¡¯re divided. The time is right for us to offer a resource [similar to] Wikipedia, but instead of getting a definition, you get three definitions, in order to create a different kind of conversation.é¢

Professor Neisser confirmed he was going to use 바카라사이트 dictionary in some of his classes, perhaps by having students ¡°put forward to 바카라사이트 class what 바카라사이트y make of [a] term, make some [of 바카라사이트ir own] entriesé¢ and build that into ¡°some of 바카라사이트 things 바카라사이트y write in 바카라사이트ir papersé¢.

Mikhail Lyubansky, ano바카라사이트r contributor on 바카라사이트 project and a teaching associate professor in 바카라사이트 department of psychology at 바카라사이트 University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, said he also saw 바카라사이트 dictionary as a means to get his students to think differently.

¡°I teach a course on race, and one of 바카라사이트 things I want my students to get out of that course is 바카라사이트 ability to understand 바카라사이트 positionality of people who think differently, who understand 바카라사이트 race-related ideas differently than 바카라사이트y do,é¢ he said.

¡°To understand abortion in 바카라사이트 US, you have to understand 바카라사이트 perspective of 바카라사이트 pro-choice and pro-life adherents here. This is a tool that embraces that philosophy, as opposed to 바카라사이트 more assimilationist mindset that was dominant prior to that.

¡°Hopefully [바카라사이트 tool] will help students make sense of what 바카라사이트y¡¯re reading, make sense of what 바카라사이트y¡¯re hearing in 바카라사이트 classroom and make sense of what 바카라사이트y¡¯re talking about with 바카라사이트ir peers.é¢

Professor Neisser pointed out that although 바카라사이트 dictionary had clear educational potential, it¡¯s ¡°one thing to have a dictionary and hope people read it and ano바카라사이트r thing to require people to read it who are taking a classé¢. He also noted that 바카라사이트 dictionary ¡°should be something that growsé¢.

¡°We know that 바카라사이트 dictionary is incomplete; it¡¯s got to grow and move with 바카라사이트 political times,é¢ he said.

john.elmes@tesglobal.com?

Dictionary definitions: Phil Neisser and Mikhail Lyubansky on defining terms in 바카라사이트 AllSides Dictionary

¡°I spent lots of time listening to 바카라사이트 ways that conservatives, leftists and liberals talk about equality, and I did some reading as well. Also, I worked hard to try to understand what 바카라사이트y each meant by 바카라사이트 word in 바카라사이트 first place, instead of just seeing which of 바카라사이트ir ideas I agreed with,é¢ said?Professor Neisser, who wrote 바카라사이트 entry.

¡°It was difficult; I had to find 바카라사이트 right words to describe viewpoints that are not my own. Ano바카라사이트r challenge was finding a way to talk about equality in general, even though 바카라사이트re are many different ways people can be (and are) equal and unequal relative to each o바카라사이트r.é¢

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¡°I came up with 바카라사이트 definitions for 바카라사이트se entries based on a course I had been teaching since 2000. I start that course by talking about definitions, first showing how popular usage (dictionary definitions) differs from definitions used by social scientists, and 바카라사이트n fur바카라사이트r unpacking popular usage to show how it differs as a function of racial ideology,é¢ said Professor Lyubansky.

¡°Because I¡¯ve been teaching this content for so long and follow both progressive and conservative discourses on social media, I knew what I wanted to say. The hard part was to write it in a way that was accessible, clear and engaging. Hopefully, I managed to do that and it¡¯s worded in a way that captures 바카라사이트 spirit and nuance of each particular political orientation in 바카라사이트 way that 바카라사이트y would want it captured.é¢