Final paper

(NB: this description will be subject to minor modifications over the next week or two.)

The format of your final will be similar to that of your midterm. I'd like you to write a paper/blog post of about 2000 words addressing the following prompt. Your paper/blog post will be due (which, as before, means uploaded to the blog) by December 15 at 1:00pm.

As before, your paper/post should take the form of a well constructed essay. Please be sure that your thesis is clear and that your examples are well chosen. Please also be sure to employ a consistent citation format -- you need to include a bibliography (even for texts assigned in class) and clear in-text citations. (See here if you're unsure of a format to use.)

Prompt:

All of the authors we have read this semester have tried to describe the role of technology in society. They have addressed the implications of technology at a personal level, a regional or national level, and a global level. We in turn have evaluated their descriptions by applying them to various media artifacts, including TV programs, YouTube clips, Facebook pages, and even a feature-length fan film.

In this paper, I would like you to choose one last media artifact and use at least two of the readings from this class to describe it. I would encourage you to choose theories that offer complementary perspectives on the artifact, in much the same way as you chose theories for the midterm that made up for each other’s lacks. I would like you to address three main questions: (1) What do the theories reveal about the artifact? (2) What does the artifact reveal about the theories? In other words, does the artifact help us evaluate the theorists’ claims by confirming or contradicting their assertions? (3) What general conclusions can you draw about the “social implications of an information society”?

To do well on this assignment, you should be sure to:

• describe the artifact: what is it? when and where did it appear? who is the likely or intended audience?

• contextualize the artifact: what is the social significance of your artifact? why is it worthy of scholarly attention?

Presentation (15–20 minutes, with time for discussion afterward):

During the last class sessions, you will be presenting your media artifacts and describing what the theories you’ve chosen reveal about it. I don’t expect your papers to be finished by this point, but I to expect you to have a coherent, thoughtful argument to present.

The most effective presentation format will follow these lines:

• media artifact (clip, webpage, etc.) - 5 to 10 minutes
• contextualization - what is the artifact? why is it socially significant and worthy of scholarly attention?
• theories you have chosen to apply
• answers to questions 1, 2, and 3 above
• time for discussion, questions