COMM 1007 College English Writing Assignment 2: Research Essay - 20% Due Week 11 (Friday, July 19) Submit

it on Blackboard through Assignments Broad Topic: The Effects of Technology on Society For this writing assignment, you are required to narrow the above topic and write a research essay using the tips and suggestions provided in class. Your essay will include: Introduction: Hook, Introduction Development, Thesis Statement Body Paragraphs (3-4): Topic Sentence, Details, Concluding Sentence/Transitions Conclusion: Restating Thesis Statement, Summary of Main Points, Final Thought/Impression Bibliography formatted using APA documentation style Use of at least three scholarly research sources (e.g. Library database articles, books, documentaries) to satisfy the minimum requirements of the research component of the assignment Format: 3-6 pages (not including Bibliography page) Times New Roman or Cambria font 12 pt. Font Double-spaced 1-inch margins (top, bottom, left, right) Cover page NOT necessary Notes: Email submissions will not be accepted. Late assignments will be penalized 5% per day up to a maximum of five days after which they are not accepted and a zero (0) grade is assigned.

Remember: The purpose of this assignment is to showcase your ability to do research and communicate it clearly by incorporating it into your essay. Your skills in paraphrasing and summarizing are vital to your success on the assignment. Also, the more research you do, the easier it will be to actually write the paper.

Topic Discussion
Rapid technological advancement is something we accept about our world. From cars, to cell phones, to online social networking sites, technology seems to infiltrate every moment of our lives and were constantly on a quest to own the latest gadget. There are many people who praise technological advancement and see it as synonymous with progress in our society, but no one can ignore the effects sometimes extreme and negative that technologies have on our lives. The topic of this paper is broad. The purpose of this breadth is to give you freedom to choose a narrowed topic that suits your interests. You have the choice to focus on one technology (e.g. iPhone) or a category of technology (e.g. cell phones). You could also choose to focus on a specific activity technologies alter (e.g. texting vs. making a phone call vs. speaking with someone face to face). Recommendation: the more specific you get, the easier it will be to write the paper. To begin, think about the way technologies affect your life: What would you do without your cell phone, for instance? How would you do preliminary research without Google? How has the car changed the way people live (e.g. cities vs. suburbs). What would you without mP3 players and earbuds that allow you to drown out the world around you? How might your life be different? Next, do preliminary research. Use Google to get an idea of what kind of information is available on the web. Well be attending an information session at the Library during our Week 7 class to help familiarize you better with the online databases that will provide you with scholarly sources, but its incredibly important to do some light research in order to help you narrow your topic. The effects of technology on society is a huge area of interest to researchers and therefore its quite easy to find scholarly research about any sort of technology or technology issue and how its affecting our lives.

Outcomes Evaluated: Outcome 2: Demonstrate the ability to locate, select, and organize material from a variety of electronic and hard copy sources.

Research Essay Timeline: Week 6 Introduction of topic, in-class brainstorm, narrowing topic, propose thesis statement Week 7 Library visit and outline creation (outline is submitted on Blackboard so I can provide feedback over Intersession/Week 8). Begin collecting scholarly sources. Week 8 Retrieve my feedback on your outline from Blackboard and begin writing your essay. Week 9 No class this week. Use the time to work on the rough draft of your essay so you can bring it to the peer review session in Week 10. Week 10 In-class peer review of essay (5 marks). Marks earned only if you bring a rough draft for review. Incorporate feedback into your essay for submission in Week 11. Week 11 Submit final draft of essay on Blackboard by 11:59 p.m. on July 19, 2013.

Assignments violating GBCs Academic Honesty policy will automatically receive a grade of 0.

Outcomes Evaluated: Outcome 2: Demonstrate the ability to locate, select, and organize material from a variety of electronic and hard copy sources.

COMM 1007 Rubric for Writing Assignment 2 20% Superior/Advanced (5 marks) May contain one or two grammar or spelling errors, but they do not undermine the overall clarity. Good/Acceptable (2-4 marks) A few or several minor grammatical and spelling errors, but message is easily understandable. A few or several minor errors in word choice or use. Unacceptable (1 mark) Frequent errors in grammar, spelling, word choice and usage that sometimes make message difficult to understand/interpret.

Grammar, Spelling, Mechanics

/5

Research

Superior/Advanced (16-20 marks) Author incorporates research from at least 6 scholarly sources. All sources are relevant and support the essay topic/thesis. Research is incorporated seamlessly or quite well through paraphrasing and some quoting. Author may have overused quotations.

Good/Acceptable (8-15.5 marks) Author incorporates research from between 3 and 5 scholarly sources. All or most sources are relevant and support the essay topic/thesis. Research is incorporated seamlessly or mostly well through paraphrasing and some quoting. Author may have overused quotations.

Unacceptable/Incomplete (0-7.5 marks) Author incorporates research from less than 3 scholarly sources. All or most sources are relevant and support the essay topic/thesis. Research is incorporated seamlessly/mostly well/not very well through paraphrasing and some quoting. Author may have overused quotations.

/20

APA Documentation Style

Superior/Advanced (5 marks) In-text citations provided where necessary with very minor or no errors in format. Bibliography provided with very minor or no errors in format.

Good/Acceptable (2-4 marks) In-text citations provided where necessary/mostly where necessary with some errors in format. Bibliography provided with some errors in format.

Unacceptable/Incomplete (0-1 mark[s]) In-text citations provided mostly where necessary with major errors in format. Bibliography provided with major errors in format. OR No in-text citations. No bibliography provided.

/5

Superior/Advanced Good/Acceptable Unacceptable/Incomplete (16-20 marks) (8-15.5 marks) (0 7.5 marks) Content Introduction, body Introduction, body paragraphs, Introduction, body paragraphs, paragraphs, and conclusion and conclusion contain most or all and conclusion missing many contain all proper proper elements. Topic sentences elements. Topic sentences and elements. Topic sentences and details mostly relevant to the details are not always/not at all and details are relevant to chosen topic and thesis of the relevant to the chosen topic and /20 the chosen topic and thesis essay. Writing is good, but thesis of the essay. Writing is of the essay. Writing is perhaps not as engaging, adequate, but not very engaging, interesting, interesting, persuasive and/or engaging, interesting, persuasive and/or informative as it could be. At persuasive and/or informative. informative, and flows well times, writing does not flow well, Writing does not flow well and using transitions from but overall is easy to read from makes for a difficult read from introduction through to introduction through to introduction through to conclusion. conclusion. conclusion. *According to GBCs Academic Honesty policy, assignments in which quotations from or paraphrases of secondary sources are not documented using both in-text and bibliographic citations automatically receive a grade of zero. Please note that this is the minimum consequence for academic dishonesty.

Total Marks: Grade:

/50 /20

Outcomes Evaluated: Outcome 2: Demonstrate the ability to locate, select, and organize material from a variety of electronic and hard copy sources.