The thinkers you are studying this semester are / were public intellectuals. They not only write / wrote works that other scholars study and critique but also directly engage / engaged in many of the public social, economic, and political debates of their own time.
This assignment asks you to explore the popular literature (newspapers / magazines) to learn more about one of these public intellectuals. (To learn the difference between popular and scholarly literature, go here.)
The purpose is to enrich your understanding of the political, social, and cultural milieu in which these public intellectuals lived and worked.
Here are some questions to consider while searching the popular literature related to your philosopher of interest:
Learn background information about authors' lives and works. Pick up ideas and keywords for searching.
1) In Proquest databases, click on the Citation/Abstract of a record, then click on the link to the publication.
2) For magazines and newspapers that still exist, check out their web sites.
3) Wikipedia is often a good place to get information on a publication, but double-check the information by looking elsewhere as well.