Max Hailperin's FT01 Research Assignment (Fall 1998)
Assignment
You are to explore a topic related to the course, but not directly
drawn from the assigned readings. You will present your findings on
this topic to the class in a 20-minute oral presentation, and in the
form of an approximately 5-10 page paper. The audience will in each
case consist of the other students in the course. They have the same
general background you do, but have not investigated your topic at
all. The due dates for the oral and written presentations are in the
syllabus.
Our readings focus on two topics: private communications and sexually
explicit material. There are many aspects of these two topics our
readings do not cover. For example, our readings don't say much about
wiretapping or cryptography debates in other countries. Nor do our
readings say much about attempts to deny federal funding to schools
that don't try to filter out sexually explicit material.
However, keep in mind that private communications and sexually
explicit material are just two specific example areas where values
conflicts are being played out in the legal arena under pressure from
rapid internetworking. There are other areas as well, which our
readings don't cover at all. For example, there are a number of
controversies concerning copyright in the internet context. For
another example, there is the question of "spam" (unsolicited
commercial email). Is it free speech that should be protected from
governmental interference, or a menace that government should defend
citizens against?
Any of the topics listed above, or others like them, would be fair
game. That is, you can either research some aspect of one of our two
primary topics that is omitted by our readings, or you can research a
different issue, but which raises similar values questions in the
legal and internet contexts.
You should use a variety of sources, whether from the library or
on-line, to make your paper substantial rather than superficial. In
particular, it is desirable if you can go beyond journalistic sources
(such as newspaper or magazine articles) to primary sources (such as
court opinions, the text of bills and amendments, or records of
legislative debate) and more substantial commentary (such as
articles by specialists). The number of sources you consult need not be
large, but should be more than just one or two and should provide some
depth and diversity.
As mentioned earlier, you are to schedule a brief appointment soon
with the Writing Associate, Michelle Beissel, at which you'll go over
a work plan (time table) for this project, showing what intermediate
stages you'll have done by what dates. In particular, you'll agree
with her on one particular intermediate stage at which you and she
will again confer, and will make an appointment for that. You are
expected to meet with her as arranged. If you need to contact her by
email, her address is mbeissel. She may convey additional information
to the class regarding how and when she will be available; this would
be sent out by email to the class mailing list.
Your oral presentation will need to be focused to fit the 20-minute
format. It need not cover all the material in the same detail as your
written report does.
Evaluation guidelines
Please rewrite your paper until you are convinced that the answer to
each of the following questions is "yes." (Note that these are
slightly different from those for the essays and those for the
letter.) When I grade your paper, I will again use these questions,
both to give you feedback and to come up with your letter grade.
Specifically, I will start with an A and take off one grade "notch"
(e.g., from A to A-, or from A- to B+) for each question where the
answer is "no". Be warned that some of the questions are so critical
that if the answer is "no," then one or more additional answers are
necessarily also "no." For example, if the answer to question 1a is
"no," you are doomed for 1b through 1e as well.
- Topic
-
Does the paper cover a focussed topical area?
-
Is that topic related to the course but not covered by our readings?
-
Does the paper stick to material relevant to that topic?
-
Is it immediately clear to the reader what topic the paper is going to
survey, and what stance it is going to take towards that area, without
needing to read beyond the first paragraph?
-
Is the language used to define the topic clear and straightforward?
- Audience
-
Is the paper consistent in the assumptions it makes about the
audience's background knowledge and vocabulary?
-
Are those assumptions within the parameters specified by the
assignment?
-
Is the general style, tone, or voice of the paper appropriate to an
academic audience?
- Organization
-
Does the paper have an introduction that lets the reader know what to
expect?
-
Does the paper have a conclusion that leaves the reader with a
satisfied feeling that the matter has been neatly wrapped up?
-
Does the body of the paper (between the introduction and conclusion)
have a discernible organizing principle?
-
Does each paragraph and each larger organization unit start with a
clear statement of topic, except where there is a good reason to do
otherwise?
-
Are there smooth, sensible transitions from each topic to the next?
- Supporting evidence
-
Is each claim you make backed up by specific supporting evidence?
-
Have you properly documented the sources of all your evidence, even
when that evidence is not directly quoted?
-
Do you comment upon each quotation or other piece of evidence and work
it into the flow of your paper?
-
Do you provide a balanced, diverse collection of evidence?
- Mechanics
- Is the grammar, spelling, diction (word choice), and typography all
good enough to not distract the reader?
- Is the writing clear, crisp and direct?