Final Assignment

Sociology 049 Computers, the Internet and Society -- John Ratliff

March 3, 2006

Your final assignment has two parts:

Part A. An essay four to five double-spaced, type-written pages in which you discuss the issues raised and facts learned in the research you conducted for the group project. The challenge of the assignment is to tie the specifics you learned in your research into larger themes raised in the class. These include (but are not confined to)

∙           The accidental character of the Internet, grounded in its history.

∙           The technological, economic and social environment of the Internet.

∙           Ways of doing business in cyberspace.

∙           Social and cultural issues surrounding the Net, like online identity, virtual community, intellectual property and piracy, and any issue raised in your presentation or others.

The point, of course, is not that you must raise all the issues listed here or in class, but rather that you find those themes that are actually connected to your group’s research. Implicit issues raised in your presentation can also be further explored in your essay. Feel free to express an opinion, take a position of advocacy, (e.g., "Intellectual property rights should be enforced on the Internet."), but be sure to support your opinion with evidence.

Note: You can, if you wish, utilize the research of your entire group as the foundation for your individual final writeup. While the task of writing the essay is individual, and each interpretation will be unique to the individual, I recognize that there will be significant overlap among group members.

As in the midterm, a good essay is an essay that is organized, coherent, and makes a set of logically inter-connected points with supporting evidence. Please cite your sources. (URL citations are okay, as in http://www.cnn.com/some_source.htm).

Part B: A one page essay on how your thinking on technology and society, in particular the personal and ethical, has evolved as a result of your experience in this class. Feel free to express opinions in this essay. In particular, note your response to the issues raised by our discussion on the articles next Monday.

The final will be due by the close of business on Thursday, March 23rd. Unless otherwise arranged, please bring a hard copy of your paper to the department and either give it to me or leave it in my mailbox in the department office.