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Research Assignment
ENG 294
Bruce Matsunaga
September 26, 2001

Date Due: October 29 *new date*

In this assignment, you and your partner will immerse yourselves in the Internet for the sake of researching a technologically related issue. The parameters for your chosen issue are broad, so find something you are both interested in investigating.

What you turn in:

• A team report in PowerPoint.
• A bibliography of sites/texts you used to develop this report (15 minimum).
• A critical reflection describing the process you and your teammate used and how different types of technology helped/hindered your progress (approx 250 words).

Guidelines for your finished report:

• Your report should give an overview of the technological issue that explains why the issue is important and who it affects. You should include the projected, long-term influence this issue could have on society.
• The report should explain all sides of the issue. You can support one position over another, but be sure to give your arguments and the opposing arguments.
• Decide what is at the core of the issue. Is the deciding factor dependent on values, morals, technological limits, human limits, or a combination of factors?
• You will present your report to the class in PowerPoint.
• Your presentation should be rhetorically sound and take account of your audience.

Spend some time getting to know each other and brainstorm a bit for an issue that is interesting and specific enough to be realistically accomplished. Communication is very important, since you don't want to duplicate each other's efforts. Trade email addresses or phone numbers before you get started. A logical progression would be:

• Brainstorm a general issue
• Do preliminary research to see what is available and how you can narrow down your issue
• Isolate your issue and do extensive searches with the more specific terms and techno-jargon that surround your issue.
• Use Interface Culture to help expand your exploration of societal impact of the issue. Does your issue have any with parallels something you are familiar (literature, history, TV, etc.)?
• Develop a large list of information on the issue and then isolate the essential information to provide in your presentation.

There are a number of general issues concerning technology that have come forward after the events of 9/11/01 that you might examine, a partial list of these include:

• Internet privacy and the FBI's "Carnivore" (DCS1000) packet sniffing system
• Encryption technology
• Virus use and protection
• Wire tapping/FCC regulations
• Hydrogen fueled airplanes

Other general technological issues might include:

• Stem cell research/Human Genome Project
• Nanotechnology
• Gene therapy
• Internet Isolation/Social effects of Internet culture
• Cookie use
• Internet advertisements
• SPAM
• Computers in Education
• Anti-Trust laws and Software makers
• Internet/Workplace privacy laws and technology
• Cell Phone use and legislation

Internet Resources:

http://www.eff.org/
http://www.sciencefriday.com/
http://www.npr.org/programs/totn/index.html
http://www.wired.com
http://www.cnn.com/TECH/
http://www.nytimes.com
http://www.nytimes.com/pages/technology/index.html
http://news.cnet.com/news/
http://www.salon.com/tech/index.html
http://www.sciencefriday.com/pages/2000/Mar/hour2_031700.html
http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/8.04/joy.html

Guides for the evaluation of www pages:

http://libweb.uoregon.edu/subjguid/psychology/evaluate.html
http://illinois.online.uillinois.edu/IONresources/webeval/index.html
http://www.library.ucla.edu/libraries/college/help/critical/discipline.htm

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