The Final

May 26th, 20112:18 pm @


The Final

Hope all’s well, folks. Here’s the prompt for the final.

Let’s keep it simple. The paper should:

  • Be two pages, single-spaced, with 12-point TNR font and one-inch margins.
  • Return to one of your previous response papers (#1 – #8, not #9) and develop a thought, claim, or argument you had there. (To do so, you’ll need to remember the initial question to which you were responding, right?) You are welcome to copy portions of the existing response paper, as long as you develop those portions.
  • Focus on one–and just one–particular scene in a film we watched, including films from the VJ sessions. (Roughly 75% of your paper should be dedicated to this scene.)
  • Show how that scene can be interpreted from (at least) two different perspectives.
  • Be anchored in one concept (e.g., technological determinism, positivism, screen essentialism, social constructivism, or a keyword from the presentations) we discussed in class this quarter.  At the top of your paper, name the concept.
  • Make a persuasive claim early in the paper and provide evidence for that claim (from the film) in subsequent paragraphs. If you wish, then you may also draw evidence from other sources, but remember to stay focused on the particular scene.
  • Avoid tangents, including paragraphs (or even sentences) that have little or nothing to do with the film you are examining.

As you write, recall some outcomes for the course. I will use them to evaluate your final papers. You should:

  • Become familiar with the history of computers (and computation) and demonstrate that familiarity in writing,
  • Be able to persuasively articulate (in writing and through in-class conversations) how computers are culturally embedded and why their techno-cultures matter,
  • Develop competencies in how to critically approach film, specifically as a mode of producing history and culture, and
  • Write through various critical approaches to computer culture and explain the differences between them.

Before you write, you might find these information sheets helpful, especially the sheet on organizing an argument.

Please email me the paper by the end of Thursday, June 9th. I prefer files in DOC or DOCX format. Feel free to see me with any questions you have! I realize this prompt is a touch less “reflective” than originally planned; however (and based on the writing thus far), I want to make sure you leave the course with more concrete experience in the critical and analytical practices discussed throughout the quarter.

It’s been a pleasure working with you! Enjoy the summer!