Term Project

• See A Guide To Writing Research Papers
• See examples from prior classes (requires UWNetID login)

Your work in this course will be evaluated primarily on the basis of a project proposal, two preliminary papers, a final paper, an annotated bibliography and an end-of-quarter presentation about your project.

For this research, each student will choose an industry, issue, or technology related to digital communication. These are very broad topics; it will be up to each student (with help from the instructor, teaching assistant and peers) to develop a specific, appropriate, and innovative focus to the term project. Those students interested in reading one of the two science fiction books on the optional reading list may approach the term topic by deconstructing communication technologies presented in those future worlds, linking them to current and predecessor technologies.

Combined, the two papers must include at least 10 citations from scholarly books or journals. In addition, students should use citations or examples from popular media, news media, or corporate media, as well as personal interviews with media professionals or users.

Each paper should be approximately 12-15 pages in length (double-spaced, 1″ margins, 12 point type) and will be evaluated on quality of analysis, original thought, focus, and clarity of presentation. All work must be original, except for material from clearly attributed sources. Endnotes/references are required for each paper. Please use APA style.

The final research project will be published as a standalone website using WordPress as a content management system. The final presentation will be published on Slideshare.net.

See this example from fall quarter (which is missing an “about me” page).

Schedule

• Very preliminary project idea due 14 January
  (blog post; feedback given and points assigned)
  Points: 25
• Final project idea due 23 January
  (blog post; feedback given and points assigned)
  Points: 25
• First paper (historical review) due 11 February, 11.45 pm 12 February, 9pm
  (Catalyst CollectIt document, feedback given and points assigned)
  Points: 50
• Second paper (present/future) due 18 February Wed 4 March (11.45 pm)
  (Catalyst CollectIt document, feedback given and points assigned)
  Points: 75
• Draft presentation due 25 February 27 February (noon)
  (Catalyst CollectIt document, feedback given and points assigned)
  Points: 25
• Final (revised) paper due with annotated bibliography due 17 March 19 March (6.00 pm)
  Projects will be published as stand-alone WordPress websites; final presentations will be published on Slideshare.net
  Points: Paper, 125; Annotated Bibliography, 50; Presentation, 25

Setting Up WordPress Project Site

General Instructions:

1. Recognize that each “page” of the site needs context — this is one reason why I had you write two papers, so that each could “stand alone”
2. The annotated bibliography is its own page
3. Each page of the project (a minimum of two, past & present-future) should have its own sources cited at the bottom. Remember: no need for hanging indents but please use APA for narrative citing format and for the reference list

Stand-Alone Site
Rationale: experience using WordPress as a content management system for a website, not a blog. Minimum number of pages: past, present-future, annotated bibliography, about, (unused) blog

1. Log In
2. Go to WordPress.com
3. Left hand column, look for “Register another blog“
   
4. Pick a name
5. Pick a design that is very readable
6. Widgets: Pages, Blogroll (Links), Meta. Unless you are going to use this as a site to blog about the topic, you won’t want any widgets related to blogging. Use Blogroll (Links) to provide links to your blog, this site, other resources related to your topic.
7. Create a stand-alone page for the home page
   • Pages -> New -> Home
   • Pages -> New -> Blog
   • Settings -> Reading -> Front Page Displays …
8. Provide information on the “about” page about you and this project/course
9. Recognize that each “page” of the site needs context — this is one reason why I had you write two papers, so that each could “stand alone”
10. The annotated bibliography is its own page
11. Each page of the project (a minimum of two, past & present-future) should have its own sources cited at the bottom. Remember: no need for hanging indents but please use APA for narrative citing format and for the reference list

Integrated Site:
If you want everything in one place, and want this paper to be a “sub-section” of your course blog. Minimum number of pages: “home” (contents), past, present-future, annotated bibliography

1. Log In
2. Make sure that your blog design is very readable for long blocks of text (light on dark does not meet this requirement)
3. Provide information on the “about” page about you
4. Create a new page that will be the project home; provide information on this page about the project/course; provide links to the project parts (past, present-future, annotated bibliography)
5. Create the pages that are for the project; each will have, as it parent page, the project home page:
   

Assessing Points

Drafts (proposal, powerpoint)

• 25 points: Clear idea; submitted in timely manner; no significant grammatical or punctuation errors
• 15 points: Vague idea; submitted in timely manner; no significant grammatical or punctuation errors
• 5 points: Vague idea; submitted in timely manner; significant grammatical or punctuation errors
• 0 points: Submitted late

Final Proposal & PPT

• 25 points: Clear idea; submitted in timely manner; no significant grammatical or punctuation errors; references at least two external sources related to the topic (proposal); incorporates feedback from draft
• 15 points: Vague idea; submitted in timely manner; no significant grammatical or punctuation errors; references at least one external source related to the topic (proposal); incorporates feedback from draft
• 5 points: Vague idea; submitted in timely manner; significant grammatical or punctuation errors; no external sources (proposal); does not incorporate feedback from draft
• 0 points: Submitted late

Papers – Assessment Points (scaled to total)

POINTS	Essays – Evaluation
50	Exceptional work. Student employs a creative and comprehensive exploration of the topic and its societal impacts; offers cogent arguments and well thought out explanations supported by evidence; synthesizes material; explains “why” as well as “how” and “what.” Very clear. Any citations have no significant errors. Organization: Organization enhances the paper; the introduction invites the reader to begin. The paper is well-focused and has an interesting thesis; there is a smooth transition among all elements (sentences, paragraphs, ideas). The conclusion goes beyond restating the obvious. The writing style is engaging, and the paper has no significant grammatical or spelling errors.
40	Good work. Student exploration of the topic and societal impacts is average; arguments and explanations are average with some evidence; moderate synthesis of material; explains “how” or “what” but “why” is not convincing. Any citations have minor errors. Organization: This paper has a useful introduction and a focused thesis. Its unified and coherent paragraphs support the thesis; transitions are smooth. The conclusion is competent. The writing style is clear and the paper has no significant grammatical or spelling errors.
30	Below average work. Student exploration of the topic and societal impacts is below average; arguments and explanations are unconvincing and unsupported by evidence; little synthesis of material; explains “how” or “what” but not “why.” Any citations have major errors, and are mostly popular in nature. Organization: Overall organization in inconsistent. This paper has a general introduction and vague thesis; has incoherent paragraphs that bear little relevance to the thesis. It is missing transitions; choppy. The conclusion is inadequate. The writing style is unclear, and the paper has significant grammatical or spelling errors.
20	Poor work. Student exploration of the topic and societal impacts is below average; arguments and explanations are unconvincing; no synthesis of material, merely summaries. No overall coherence. Citations have major errors and are either mostly popular in nature or non-existent. Organization: The paper lacks coherence. It has no introduction or thesis, no transitions, no clear introduction-middle-conclusion. The writing style is unreadable, and the paper has significant grammatical or spelling errors.
0	Assignment not turned in.

Annotated Biblography

An annotated bibliography is a list of citations of the books, articles and documents you have used in your research this quarter. Each citation is accompanied by a brief (150-250 words) descriptive and evaluative paragraph, the annotation. The purpose of the annotation is to inform the reader of the relevance, accuracy, and quality of the sources.

Why produce an annotated bibliography?
An annotated bibliography:

• Provides a literature review on a particular subject
• Illustrates the quality of the research
• Provides examples of the types of sources available for this subject
• Lays a foundation for additional research

How to produce an annotated bibliography?
In creating an annotated bibliography, you will apply the following skills: concise exposition, succinct analysis, and informed research.

First, cite the book, article, or document using the appropriate style.

Then prepare the annotation. Annotations should be concise and summarize the central theme and scope of the source. Annotations may also (a) evaluate the authority of the author, (b) comment on the intended audience, (c) compare or contrast the work with others you have cited, or (d) explain how this work illuminates your research topic.

Assessment:

• 50 points: Meets minimum requirements; only minor citation errors; annotations are clear and linked to research topic and in author’s voice (not abstracts copied&pasted); submitted in timely manner; no significant grammatical or punctuation errors
• 30 points: Meets minimum requirements; citation errors; annotations are clear but linkage is poor (not abstracts copied&pasted); submitted in timely manner; no significant grammatical or punctuation errors
• 10 points: Meets minimum requirements; citation errors; annotations are not clear and no linkage to research topic (not abstracts copied&pasted); submitted in timely manner; grammatical or punctuation errors
• 0 points: Submitted late; does not meet minimum requirements; citation errors; annotations are not clear and no linkage to research topic (not abstracts copied&pasted); grammatical or punctuation errors

Sources and Examples:

• Annotated Bibliographies, University of Wisconsin-Madison (2004)
• Examples of An Annotated Bibliography, Purdue University (2000)
• How to Prepare an Annotated Bibliography, Cornell University (Sept 2006)
  From the Reference Department; Instruction, Research, and Information Services (IRIS); Cornell University Library, Ithaca, NY, USA
• Writing an Annotated Bibliography, University of Toronto (2006)