English 3326

Writing and Culture

Course Pages and Resources

Writing Project #2 Guidelines

Writing and Culture
Writing Project 2: Collaborative Analysis of Technology and News

In class we listened to a short debate about the future of newspapers that discussed some issues about expanded online coverage, credibility, and information weighing. You can listen to that debate again by going to Spark’s Show Notes <http://www.cbc.ca/spark/blog/2007/10/show_notes_october_17_20_2007.html>   .   There is also additional discussion of the issues at “The Future of News Forum” <http://www.cbc.ca/futureofnews/ >.Consider some of the issues and ideas the debate covered (including expansion of coverage, the future of jobs, credibility…) as you work with your groups for this assignment.

Here is the overview of the assignment:

1. Determine a group and collaboratively decide on a specific topic, issue, or event that you can focus on for the assignment. You do not have to focus on an issue in technology, but choose something fairly specific that is covered at some length in the news. For example, you might choose a specific missing person case, or Hurricane Katrina, or some other concrete event and topic.
2. Data collection: collaborate with your group members to collect examples of news coverage of the event. You need examples from traditional print news, online news outlets (especially online newspapers), and non-traditional venues (such as blogs and other sites where the issue is discussed). The more data examples you have, the better your analysis will be.  [Begin by class 10/30]
3. Collaboratively analyze the data you collect as a group. You are looking broadly at the data to look for interesting things. Do you see differences in the way the event/issue is discussed in the different media? Do you see authority and credibility being established in different ways? Are there themes and assumptions prevalent in one media coverage that aren’t there in others? What metaphors get used in what venues? Is coverage enhanced in non-traditional coverage, or is it muddied? Remember to consider the issues and perspectives that came up in the Spark debate as you analyze. [In class 10/30 – 11/6]
4. Collaboratively write a formal analysis of communication technologies are impacting people’s access to and understandings of “news” and coverage of events. You will focus specifically on the interpretations you come up with about your specific event/issue, but you will want to draw some larger conclusions about the relationship between new technologies and news coverage. As in all formal essays, there should be an introduction that contextualizes what you are analyzing and makes a claim that you will support, using your data analysis throughout the essay. There should also be a conclusion that asserts some reason why it is important to think about these issues and how all of us are impacted by these changes/implications. (That is, I expect you to draw some “claim to significance” for having done this analysis.) [Draft DUE IN CLASS 11/13; final due 11/20]
5. For the next aspect of this assignment, I would like you to work collaboratively and creatively as a group to design your own coverage of the event/issue you have been analyzing. By this time you have looked at a wide variety of information about the event and a wide variety of formats covering the event. As a group, decide on an appropriate format to “report” this event to the rest of the class. What information will you include? What position will you take? Will you use online technology, print, visuals, multimedia? Why? Remember, the medium you choose to represent the event in probably impacts people’s interpretations; the details you put in and leave out will also send rhetorical messages. Be prepared to explain your choices when you present this material to the class. [Due: 11/27]
6. The last aspect of this assignment (pretty much a full semester’s work!) is your in-class writing #3. Individually, you will write (in class) a reflection on the whole assignment that addresses what challenges, differences, and advantages collaborative writing presented. Did you find the act of working collaboratively on a writing project made you think more about the writing process and decision-making in representation? What technologies facilitated or limited your ability to collaboratively write and analyze? How was the process of writing the analysis and creating the “report” or coverage of the event/issue different or similar? [In class writing 11/27, come prepared]

The written analysis is worth 100 points
The coverage/report is worth 25 point (takes place of one in class essay)
The in class writing 3 is worth 25 points.

August 28, 2007

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