Index
- The Assignment
- Format Options
- Due Dates
- Brief Overview of Writing in the Disciplines
- Getting Started
Project IV Assignment Page
Writing in the Disciplines on the Information Superhighway
So far this semester we have learned various tools of the Internet, read two books, wrote a discourse analysis of a virtual community, learned how to conduct research on the World Wide Web, and wrote an argumentative essay about some controversial issue concerning the information superhighway. For Project IV, I'd like you to write a "research paper" on some topic related to your major or the field in which you intend to major.Traditionally, the purpose of a research paper is to give students an opportunity to explore some topic in depth. In most cases, a research paper involves a broad and deep review of articles and books about the topic. The writer then synthesizes those sources into a clearly written, logically organized, and focused essay, one that includes internal references or citations and a bibliography or works cited page.
When we consider writing "research papers" in cyberspace, however, we are forced to question the traditional structures of the research paper without eliminating the intellectual goals of providing opportunity to learn and practice research skills, reading critically, synthesizing source materials, and writing clearly.
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1. You may write a somewhat traditional research paper, 5-7 double-spaced pages in length, that synthesizes in a focused and clearly written way research you have conducted on the Internet.
OR
2. You may construct a World Wide Web hypertext (using HTML) in which you gather through Yahoo, Lycos, WebCrawler, the U of Michigan's Clearinghouse for Subject-Oriented Internet Resource Guides and other Internet research techniques as many URLs as you can, read the contents of the links, and link those links together with text you write that would help a browser or reader of your hyptext make sense of those links. Since hyptertext is not measured in page numbers, I can't dictate length. Also, without knowing how much information you will find, I hesitate to dictate the number of "links" you should have. As a rule of thumb, though, I'd suggest the more thorough and detailed your hyptertext is, the more successful it will be. I do not mean to imply, however, that all you need do is conduct a couple of searches and make a list of the URLs you find. You need to write a hypertextual essay in which you USE the links as evidence, examples, and illustrations of the points you are trying to make in your essay.
Below find a couple of examples of hyptertexts you might use as models for your own work:
The ACW--Not Your Father's Kind of Organization by Fred Kemp
Recently I have come across a course at Duke University that sounds a lot like our own. You might want to peruse their page to see how students at another university handled a similar assignment.
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Tuesday 3/21: Project Plan in which you post to infohighway@umich.edu a 500 word statement in which you describe your current major (or intended major), what aspect of it you want to research, how you intend to go about that research, and what kind of document (traditional or hypertext) you will produce.
Tuesday 3/21-Thursday 4/6: Critical Annotations. During this time period I would like you to contribute to infohighway@umich.edu at least 5 critical annotations of the URLs and other sources you are finding as you conduct your research. These annotations will help you summarize and synthesize what you are reading, will serve as your contribution to the communal knowledge of the group, and become candidates for our Hotlinks Research Repository for the class and other web navigators to use.
Thursday 3/30: Draft I to share with me, classmates, and cybertutors for feedback.
Tuesday 4/18: Final Draft to be included in your course portfolio.
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Because it is not the goal of this course to involve you in a deep analysis of the different kinds of writing in different disciplines, I don't expect for this assignment that while writing about "Science in Cyberspace" you write a like a scientist, I do expect that you would use some of the writing conventions of your discipline.
One major distinction is the way the different disiplines document their research and references in essays. Generally speaking, the social sciences (psychology, education, sociology, etc.) often use American Psychological Association style. The humanities (English, history, philosophy), on the other hand, often use the Modern Language Association style. Do note, however, that my assertions above are broad generalizations. It would be in your best interest to make a careful examination of how the sources used in your discipline are actually documented. You can find ample information on various documentation styles (as well as all types of other on writing, grammar,usage, and style) at the following sites:
Second, divide your major into a couple of sub-categories. For instance, if you try to pursue the rather broad topic of "Business in Cyberspace, " you will find way too much information. You will be more successful if you narrow down to "Marketing in Cyberspace," which could be further narrowed to "Advertising in Cyberspace," which could be further narrowed to "Retail Advertising in Cyberspace," which could be......
Third, think about an approach you would like to take.
Format Options
You have two options for this assignment:
E-Literacies: Politexts, Hypertexts, and Other Cultural Formations in the Late Age of Print by Nancy Kaplan
Duke University's 2001: A Media OdysseyDue Dates
As you will remember, I've replaced the notion of "deadlines" with the idea of "guidelines." I offer the below as a way to help you organize your workload and manage your time. If you follow the timeline below, you can be assured of getting substantive feedback from me, classmates, and cybertutors which will undoubtedly contribute to the ultimate success of your "paper."Ideas for Getting Started and Things to Consider
Brief Overview of Writing in the Disciplines
The term "writing in the disciplines" usually implies writing that complies to the ways of thinking and "speaking" in specific fields. For instance, you know from your own experiences that the kinds of writing scientists do differs from the kinds of writing literary critics. For the most part, scientists write reports about their research using statistics and discipline specific methodology as evidence of their findings. The language scientist might use is more specialized and their sentences might strive to be succinct and to the point rather than creative or "flowery." Literary critics, on the other hand, might be writing to a more general audience, use interpretive strategies as evidence for their work, and use more comparatively sophisticated sentence styles. On the other hand, magazine writers and journalists use yet another style and way of looking at the world that might be totally inappropriate for scientific or literary writing. In essence, the differences between academic disciplines can often be identified by what they "talk" about, how they "talk" about it, what counts as knowledge, evidence, proof, and so on, and the writing formats and structures they use.
Hints for Getting Started
First, determine your major or your intended major. If you don't have a major at this point, you might use this assignment as an occassion to explore some academic field in which you are somewhat interested to learn more about it.Research about an issue in your field
You could, for example, write a research paper about some issue in your field using resources and research you find through the Internet. For example, if you wanted to write a history research paper on the Vietnam War, you would use the net to research your topic but you wouldn't necessarily write about how historians use the net to enhance their research. Research about the use of the Internet in your field
Another option would include research on how members of a particular field use the Internet. So, you could write a paper on "Teaching English in Cyberspace: How Writing Teachers Use The Internet to Teach Writing." This project, then, might include links to actual courses, OWLs, discussion lists, etc. (I know, I know, I'm cheating on this example!)Annotated Subject Guide
Yet another option might include constructing a very focused "subject guide" (see the U of Michigan's Clearinghouse for Subject-Oriented Internet Resource Guides for examples) to some aspect of your major. Do note, however, whereas many of the subject guides you will see are mere listings of ftp, gopher, and www sites and usenet and e-mail groups, I would expect that you create something much more discursive, that is, an essay that summarizes, synthesizes, evaluates, judges, organizes, links the resources. Also, you guide would need to be much more focused than those you will find in the Clearinghouse. So, instead of doing an annotated guide for Science, yours might be on "Microbiology."
Cross Over Research Paper
As I mentioned in class, you might also do a cross-over research paper if one of the courses you are presently taking requires a researched term paper. If you're interested in this option, we'll have to work out some details on an individual basis. For instance, in order for the other paper to count as a possible topic for this one, it would have to require research beyond the textbook, coursepack, or lectures that might provide the bulk of the content for the course term paper. Also, you would have to get permission from your other instructor to work on that paper in my course. In any case, do contact me as soon as possible if you want to pursue this option.I suspect with enough exploration and brainstorming, you will be able to come up with some other options, too. Think about it and share your ideas with me and classmates to see if you've come up with something doable and worth doing.
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