TWC 453/553Information and Technology in American History
Multimedia Writing and Technical Communication
Fall 2007
Assignments
Confirmation Email (5 pts, due August 26th)
Send to me an email with the following information:
- Confirm that you have read all of the course documents and that you understand course policies, guidelines, and expectations
- Questions, concerns, comments you may have about the course or its requirements
Discussion Board Posts (15 @4 pts each)
Outcomes met by successful completion of this assignment: CRW1, CRW3, CRW4, CRW5
Discussion Board posts are the equivalent of class participation. You should engage in discussion of the topic and demonstrate that you have completed and understood the readings. Each of you brings your own knowledge and perspectives to the readings; responding to others' posts as a form of discussion with each other is an important part of learning. I expect active participation in discussion with posts that demonstrate you have completed and understood the readings, and that raise issues and questions about the topic. The Discussion Board is not only your forum to respond to questions I may ask, it is a forum for you to ask your own questions or clarify your own confusion about topics. In addition, graduate students in the course will be completing additional reading which they will contribute to the discussion.
- Original posts are due by Weds., 11:00pm. Original posts should include:
- substantial discussion demonstrating that you have completed, understood, and critically thought about the reading(s). That is, your posts should not be statements of unsubtantiated opinion or mere summaries. Think of your original post as a short essay: they should be reasonably thought out and integrate the reading(s) in a way that supports your claims in response to questions. Your posts should also pose questions about the topic, if appropriate. You should also attempt to apply concepts using real-world example or setting/context. Your example should not repeat what another student has already posted.
- Response posts are due by Sunday, 11:00pm: Discussion cannot take place in a vacuum. In addition to your original post, you should respond to a minimum of 2 other students. Your responses should be substantive. That is, posts that say something along the lines of "good post, I agree" may be a response but it lacks substance, thinking, and leaves little to no room for a discussion. What I would like to see is a conversation develop about the course topics.
TWC553 Students: You will be responsible for incorporating additional reading each week. Please see the graduate assignment for details and grading scale.
Grading:
Because of the amount of content covered in this course, late postings will receive a grade of 0 points. Flaming or lack of civility in posts will automatically result in a grade of 0 for the week.
| 4 points: |
Active participation demonstrated by: that show readings have been completed and that you are applying concepts from the readings using examples or real-world contexts. Responding to other students' posts, asking or raising additional questions or issues |
| 3 points: |
Participation demonstrated by: posts that show limited or partial completion of readings and that you are applying concepts in a way that is unclear or limited. Few or no responses to others' posts, or responses that are limited to simply agreeing or disagreeing without adding to the discussion. |
| 2 points: |
Limited participation demonstrated by: posts that respond to questions but are based primarily on opinion and hearsay instead of application of readings. No responses to others' posts. |
| 1 points: |
Limited participation demonstrated by one or more of the following: short posts that may respond to questions but that primarily repeat what others have already contributed without adding anything new or substantial. No responses to others' posts. |
| 0 points: |
Inactive participation demonstrated by one or more of the following: no posts, posts and responses posted at or near deadlines that show readings have not been completed and only repeat what others have contributed; posts that engage in flaming or lack of civility |
Research Report (65 pts)
You will select a topic to research throughout the semester and present at the end of the semester. Potential topics are listed below.
Part 1: Topic Selection (5 pts, due September 9)
Outcomes met by successful completion of this assignment: RK1
Submit to me via email the topic for your paper. If you select a topic that is not on the potential topic list below, please include a justification explaining how you believe the topic is related to this course.
Part 2: Research Proposal (10 pts; due September 30)
Outcomes met by successful completion of this assignment: RK1, RK2, RK3, CRW2, P1, KC2
Your research proposal must include the following:
- your research question, thesis, or hypothesis. The potential topics listed below are broad in nature. For this assignment, you should narrow your topic in order to develop a specific thesis, research question, or hypothesis by completing background research (that means reading).
- your research plan. A research plan states how you will conduct your research; it is essentially a project plan for completing your report. Your research plan should reflect a well thought-out strategy that will help you investigate your question, thesis, or hypothesis. Stating that you will use online sources (or even throwing in that you will use library databases) is not a research strategy and is unacceptable. Think through the information you will need, how you will go about finding it (whether that be primary or secondary research or both), what problems and limitations you may have for conducting the research. Your research plan should include details on your methods and how those methods will help you find the information you need. You may want to attach to your proposal brainstorming, clustering, or other activities that you use to help you narrow your topic to a focused thesis or question and/or help you determine a research method.
- a timeline for completing the project. Your timeline should be based on deadlines but should also break down your entire project into steps that you will need to complete.
Your proposal should be submitted to me in memo format with attachments.
Grading will be based on:
- comprehensive and focused question, thesis, or hypothesis
- comprehensiveness of your research plan and detail of your timeline
- formatting and mechanics
Part 3: Progress report and Annotated bibliography (20 pts; due October 28)
Outcomes met by successful completion of this assignment: RK1, RK2, RK3, CRW1, CRW2, P1, P3, KC1, KC2, KC3
Submit a progress report. Include:
- a narrative of the work you have completed to date. Your report should include details rather than be a brief overview.
- an evaluation of your research strategy and process. In this evaluation you should assess your original proposal to analyze how well it has worked and not worked, changes you have had to make (or will make), problems and limitations you have encountered, and work that remains to be done. No research strategy is perfect or without problems; I expect to see an honest and comprehensive assessment of your strategy and work.
- an annotated bibliography of sources you have found to date. Your annotations should be two paragraphs for each source:
- in the first paragraph, summarize the source in your own words
- in the second paragraph, explain how this source is relevant and appropriate for your project
- an updated timeline showing work completed, work still to be done, and changes made due
Submit your progress report as an informal report with your bibliography as an attachment
Grading will be based on:
- comprehensive and clear report on your progress
- self-assessment of yoru work to date and your strategy, including problems and limitations
- comprehensive and clear bibliography that consists of a reasonable number of sources reflecting the scope of your research (in other words, not just sources from websites)
- formatting and mechanics
Part 4: Final Product (30 pts; due November 30th)
Outcomes met by successful completion of this assignment: RK1, RK2, RK3, CRW1, CRW3, CRW4, CRW5, KC2, KC3, KC4
Your final product may be completed either as a report or presentation (using Powerpoint or video). Your grade will be based on the comprehensiveness of your report/presentation in covering and analyzing the topic; the thoroughness of your research using a variety of sources, and mechanics. APA citation style is required.
Grading criteria (based on course outcomes):
Rhetorical Knowledge (10 pts):
- Research question/thesis is clearly stated
- Research question is focused
- Research question/thesis is appropriate and fits within the context of the course
- Final product is well-organized and flows logically
- Information is presented clearly
- Information is comprehensive and through in support of the thesis or responding to the question
- Use of the genre or application (report, powerpoint, video) to compose the final product is appropriate to meet the purpose
- Sources demonstrate the use of a variety of search techniques, tools, and/or strategies were used
- Language and tone is appropriate for audience/technical jargon is defined
Critical Thinking, Reading, and Writing (10 pts)
- Research methods are described in detail, including limitations and barriers
- A variety of sources are used from multiple perspectives
- Sources are evaluated in context of the research question or thesis
- Sources are integrated into the final product in support of a thesis or claim
- Thesis, argument, or claim is well-developed, clear, and comprehensive
- Conclusion is supported by evidence and logic
Knowledge of Conventions (10 pts)
- Report, powerpoint or video is appropriately formatted
- Textual and visual design are appropriate for the context and genre used
- Report, powerpoint, or video is free of mechanical errors
- Evidence is properly cited in text
- Sources are cited and properly formatted in reference page
Possible topics:
Remember topics are to be researched and analyzed within the context of this course.
- Compare-contrast and analyze the colonial use of broadsides with the 21st century use of blogs.
- Compare-contrast and analyze the regulatory and legal climate that fostered the development of the railroads with the regulatory and legal climate that fostered the development of the infrastructure for the “information superhighway.”
- Analyze the use of political cartoons during American history from colonial to present times
- Compare-contrast and analyze the impact of radio, television, film on education
- Compare-contrast and analyze the use of town meetings during the colonial/revolutionary era with use of the Internet for citizen participation in government and lawmaking (not elections or campaigning)
- Compare-contrast and analyze the production and dissemination of newspapers in the 18th to mid-20th centuries (pre-Internet) and late 20th-21st centuries (post-Internet) and the impact of those changes on the distribution of information
- Analyze the creation and evolution of the post office and its impact on the development and settling of the American west through distribution of informaiton
- Analyze the concept of "informed citizen"
- Analyze the concept of "knowledge work(er)"
- Other?
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Last modified: 7 November 2007