Tutorial 11: Values in the International Context
Please complete the assigned readings before your tutorial session.
Objectives
1. To determine whether different values are reflected in the editorials of Singapore and Western newspapers
2. To reflect on the 'Asian values' versus 'Western values' debate
3. To develop your skills in content analysis of newspaper editorials
Tutorial activities
1. Values reflected in editorials of Singapore and Western newspapers
(i) Before the tutorial
Pay a visit to the Current Periodicals Room (CPR) in the NUS Central Library. The CPR stocks issues of various foreign and local newspapers, and holds them for a period of about 2 months. The latest issues are displayed on the newspaper racks, while the older issues can be checked out from the CPR counter staff.
Select a particular issue of a newspaper published in the West (e.g., The Times from the U.K.; Financial Times from the U.K.; USA Today from the U.S.; New York Times from the U.S.; The Australian from Australia; The Globe And Mail from Canada). Turn to the editorial page and content-analyze the editorial. For your content analysis, identify the values that are reflected in the editorial.
Next, select an issue of Straits Times, the local newspaper. Ideally, you should select a Straits Times issue that has an editorial theme comparable with the editorial of your selected Western newspaper issue. So, if the Western newspaper editorial addresses an economic issue, the selected Straits Times editorial should also have an economic focus; if the Western newspaper editorial looks at a political issue, the selected Straits Times editorial should likewise have a political focus; and if the Western newspaper editorial comments on a social issue, the selected Straits Times editorial should also have a social orientation. Content-analyze the selected Straits Times editorial in terms of the values that it reflects.
Tabulate the findings of your content analyses. Compare and contrast the findings that you obtain for the two editorials. Are different values espoused by the editors of Straits Times and the selected Western newspaper? If so, what are the specific differences?
Note: Please make a photocopy of each of the 2 editorials you have selected, and bring the photocopies to class.
(ii) During the tutorial
Individually, present the results of your content analyses. Then, as a class, discuss the following:
- whether Singapore and Western newspaper editors differ in terms of the values that they espouse;
- and if so, whether such differences are reflective of the ongoing 'Asian values' versus 'Western values' debate.
Preparation for the next tutorial
Work on the final draft of your group project, and prepare for your group's oral presentation.
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