Assignment for Paper 3: Library/Archival Research
Prompt
Now that you’ve spent some time observing and analyzing technology
in use, it’s likely that you’ve run across some terms or technical
details that are unfamiliar or unusual. At this point, a different kind of
research is in order—research done with books, websites, journals, magazines,
and other sources.
You might take this assignment in several different directions, depending
on your topic and your interests. Below are some suggestions:
- what’s the history of the technology/device/practice?
- who are the most prominent/influential people/organizations associated
with the technology/device/practice? Why?
- how does the technology/device work? Are there different versions/options/features
that might change how people use it?
- where can the technology/device/practice be found (on campus/nationally/globally)?
Do people use it/relate to it differently in different places? Why? Are the
people you observed in paper 2 usual/unusual in their uses?
- have other qualitative studies been done on the technology/device/practice?
What were their conclusions? Does your research support/extend/critique these
conclusions?
Important Considerations
To be clear, I am not asking you to produce an “objective” research
report, one that simply “lays out the facts.” Instead, work as
you did in the last assignment—analyze the research you’ve accumulated
and develop a thesis out of this analysis. For instance, if you choose to examine
the history, you might ask how the development of the device affects people’s
current uses. In other words, don’t just use these sources to “prove” some
abstract point, show how they add to or even complicate your interpretation
of the technology.
Format Requirements
- Provide academic citation for your sources, choosing the citation format
that is most appropriate for your audience (such as MLA, APA, etc.).
- This paper must be at least four, double-spaced pages long, and not much
more than five.
- A “page” is a sheet of paper with at least 250 words on it.
Set your documents to have one-inch margins all around, and use the Times
New Roman (12 point) font.
- Your name, my name, the course section, and the date should appear in
the upper-left corner of the first page (do not use a cover sheet). Your
last name and the page number should appear in the upper-right corner of
every page (use “header” function).
Important Dates
- Sun, Oct 24 th: Drafts due to group members and Derek by email
- Tues, Oct 26 th: Group conferences in class
- Thurs, Oct 28 th: Paper 3 due