Collaborative Project Instructions

For these two assignments, you must work with your assigned Reading Group partners to create a Critical Analysis/Research Proposal developed around important issues prompted by class reading and discussion. In order to do this effectively you need to 1) recognize the important cultural issues engaged by the readings, 2) ask important questions that stem from them, and 3) pursue answers to these questions through information searches on the Web, in the library, and through the media.

Although for each proposal you will clearly identify an area of interest prompted by class reading and place it within a critical context, you will not have to fully research and develop each topic. Instead, you will carefully outline the significant issue and context and provide an annotated bibliography of research materials that could support a sustained analysis if one were to pursue the issue in more detail. These proposals can then become resources for students who may wish to develop the ideas more fully in critical essays, hypertext projects, or homework assignments.

This assignment is a collaborative project that will require you to work with your partners to identify and research the issues you feel are worthy of critical inquiry. Although each proposal will have a different focus, dictated by the different required reading lists, the formal requirements will remain the same for all. To complete the proposal, you must follow these steps:

1) Check this folder (below) for precise information relating to each of the two assignments. The assignments will identify the required readings on which your group should base your research, outline a suggested list of possible broad topics to pursue, and provide a list of recommended readings (available electronically in WebX) that might prove useful to your research. Your group may focus and use the suggested topics and reading list provided, or you may choose to develop a focus of your own.

2) Meet in TechLINC (out-of-class) at a pre-arranged time for at least 30 mins. with your reading group to brainstorm topic ideas for your proposal. You must post the transcript of the chat transcript in the designated folders outlined in each assignment. (You may, of course meet more than once, but post all chat logs from online discussions in the designated folders.)

3) Collaborate over email, and/or on WebX, and/or in person to draft a 500 word elaboration on the line of critical inquiry you identify as a significant subject of analysis. (Keep copies of all relevant email or other electronic correspondence and post it in designated folders as well.) As with your homework postings, you should begin by identifying the focus for your proposal in the form of a question. Follow with an explanation of how your question is derived from the readings. You might explain what details prompted you to consider the issue, how the same issue is addressed in different texts, how the question can extend one’s knowledge of how scientific and technological discourses operate within culture, etc. Group members must work together on this part of the assignment to assure clarity, organization, and focus. All members must contribute equitably to this project.

4) Choose at least two outside sources per group member (from the reserve list provided or elsewhere) and provide a 100-150 word annotation of each resource that explains how the selection relates to the critical question you identify in the 500 word outline. Choose article length resources (print or electronic) but be sure to choose only "quality" resources. Look carefully at the credentials of the author, or the publishing house, and the context for publication. (In other words, do not choose WWW pages written by anonymous writers, or cite from newspaper editorials unless you are certain that the content you reference can support your arguments in credible and convincing ways.)

5) Post your proposal in the designated folder/discussion on WebX, along with a brief (one paragraph) explanation of how the group worked together to complete the assignment.

Proposals will be graded for precision/accuracy, critical engagement/originality, and quality of research. All group members will receive the same grade for this assignment.