One of the numerous podcasts I listen to regularly is Skeptoid. It’s done by a guy named Brian Dunning, who has an interesting and rational way of thinking through popular topics in about 10-15 minutes. I don’t always agree with him, but I seem frequently to look at things in a different way after listening.

If you want five points of extra credit, you can earn some through this assignment. Go to the Skeptoid website and listen to an episode. It has to be a “regular” episode on a single topic. Not one of the “Questions from Listeners” or “Things I Got Wrong” episodes. Then write a minimum 250 word response to the episode. Don’t retell the story. I will already know it. Just tell me what about the episode you thought was good or bad, right or wrong, and why.

You can only do this once. I can’t have folks ending up getting 1,500 points of extra credit by responding to every episode!

While the podcast doesn’t in most cases deal directly with topics related to government, it seems to me that government is, or should be, about critically thinking through issues calmly and rationally, and avoiding jumping to conclusions based on emotion or prejudice. That’s the best way to make decisions that affect us all.