Distributed:  Tuesday, February 9

Due Date:  Thursday, February 18 (in class)

A1 Details:

• Assignment 1 is due at the beginning of class on Thursday, February 18th, 2010.
• Bring two stapled copies of your assignment to class.
• Papers should be double-spaced, 12-point font (e.g., Times New Roman).
• Cite quotes and paraphrased arguments from the readings using parenthetical documentation, i.e., (Ackerman, p.24). You do not need a bibliography for articles and papers used in the course syllabus.

Part I (60%)

Choose any 2 of the following 5 essays.  Each essay response should be about a page and a half, and no more than 2 pages per essay.

1) Consider the following statement: “The popularity of the cell phone was inevitable; today’s society is highly mobile and it was the next logical step from the regular telephone.”  In your essay, answer both of these questions: (1) what theoretical perspective(s) that we have discussed in class and in our readings are represented in this statement, and (2) defend or oppose this statement using support from our readings and lectures.  Note: As with any good essay question, there is no single right answer—it depends on how you justify your response. In addition, there is no single right answer for defending or opposing this statement as a whole.  A successful answer will provide a clear argument and cite evidence from our course materials.

2) Analyze and critique Mackenzie's argument about "natural trajectories" from Fischer's perspective/viewpoint.  That is, your answer should be based on Fischer's arguments (and citing him when appropriate), not your own opinion.  As always, specific citations and references to Fischer and Mackenzie will strengthen your essay.

3) The microwave oven was invented in the 1940s and was poorly received.  Only after over 20+ years (and several iterations) did the microwave become a standard fixture in households.  Explain this phenomenon from all three of the following approaches: 1) technology determinism, 2) symptomatic and 3) social construction theory. The best responses will provide citations to the relevant arguments from the readings.

4) You have been assigned to a new Computer-Supported Collaborative Work project.  Specifically, you are in charge of designing a technology or system to help a particular group of people accomplish a specific task, and your team lead is none other than Ackerman himself.  Discuss *specific * considerations he would suggest that you should take into account, and *specific* steps you can take to make a system that is more usable and helpful in the short and long term.  Note: Your response should support Ackerman’s views, not your own opinion, and should cite him where necessary.

5) In the course of your regular Internet surfing, you stumble across a Wired article that claims that the Kindle will be the end of the traditional publishing industry.  Explain why this is a typical type of article you might see on Wired and similar press, and discuss both the strengths and weaknesses of this approach.  Note: Do not debate the example itself, but more the “endism” approach of the statement, pulling from relevant readings and citing where appropriate.

Part II (40%)

Answer the following question in about 500 words.

Describe at least two topic areas (and no more than three) of interest to you that could become your final paper for i203. These could be topics that we have covered in our overviews in the past few weeks, that came up your brainstorming sessions, that we have not yet discussed in class but are on the syllabus, or that are related to social issues of information that interest you but are not even on our syllabus. In addition, find at least two relevant academic research papers that are not on the syllabus that you could use for each topic. You will get full credit for this part of the assignment as long as you write a paragraph or two for each of your topic ideas and include at least two relevant cites that you found.  NOTE: remember that a key part of your final paper is a clear problem statement, justification of why that problem is significant, and an argument that you support with existing literature.  In your paragraph for each idea, try to capture those elements. Naturally some of that will change as you start to do your research, but trying to formulate the problem and potential research paths you could go down will help you scope more effectively. 

To stimulate your thinking, here are some sample final paper topics from previous years. 

• Motivation in Open-Source Software Development
• What kind of Social Networks Enable ICT Diffusion in Developing Regions?
• Social Issues in Privacy within Facebook (you could even focus in on one particular issue)
• The Effects of Anonymity in Internet Systems on the Development of Self-Esteem
• Evaluating the Privacy Effect in the Use of Computer Surveillance