In this assignment, we would like you to start by first re-specifying your research or design problem and its justification in light of our discussions and your own work.

The rest of the assignment should be written like a more descriptive proposal — tell us the scope of your project (what domain, what specific CMC system, what research tradition, etc.), what you plan to do in your project, and how you will do it. You may have done some of this on your first assignment, but most projects have changed quite a bit since Assignment 1.

We are grading these based on your efforts to work through your problem, so we highly encourage you to be as specific as possible. That being said, we know that you are still working on many of your ideas — we do not expect you to have everything "figured out." What we want you to do is make a strong effort to define the scope and expected outcome for your project, given that you have more time ahead to work on it.

This kind of assignment can be deceptive in its simplicity. It is often hard to see just how many assumptions we are making in such projects until we try to write it out. As you write out your expanded description of your project, try to look for things that you are assuming but may not be saying explicitly.

We aren't putting a maximum page limit on this, but the minimum should be around 4-5 pages (double spaced). You can include whatever material is most relevant for your specific project in this draft.

If you are working on a research paper (Track I project), this might include (where applicable): the literature you are (and will) be looking through, a sketch of your primary arguments, and/or your initial work on a research design. If you are working on a design project (Track II project), this might include similar material on the literature you are considering, your primary arguments/justifications for your design, and possibly written or graphical sketches of your design ideas thus far.

Please note that if you are working on a two-person design project, you should only turn in ONE assignment, with both authors listed on the assignment. Please print and bring TWO copies (stapled) to class. The papers are due at the beginning of class on Thursday, Nov. 2.