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I've got to do an 80 page paper on a "debated public issue." Help choose the topic.
- Thread starter BuddyC
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Just about anything related to the idiot in the Oval Office ought to work.
If you want something with some intelligent debate, consider patents and IP (intellectual property) and related issues.
Patents were originally intended to promote inventors & new business. Now they are just a tool for big business to keep the other guy down, thus having the opposite effect of the original intention.
Along similar lines, there's copyrights and fair use.
If you want something with some intelligent debate, consider patents and IP (intellectual property) and related issues.
Patents were originally intended to promote inventors & new business. Now they are just a tool for big business to keep the other guy down, thus having the opposite effect of the original intention.
Along similar lines, there's copyrights and fair use.
BigGreenMat
Member
Homosexual rights and marriage is a good issue with lots of current literature about it. Also I would suggest the topic of Preemptive War and how and when it can be justified and the long term consequences of such a stance. 2 things that are very current and should be easy research that can deal with very philosophically from many points of view with many experts to fill 80 pages.
Also I just have to add in that this is a ridiculous assignment for an intro journalism course. Firstly because the majority of journalism is concise and meant to be concise, to the point, and use as little space as possible. Secondly, this really is a nearly thesis level project and is definately at least an independent study size project. Like Border was saying I would put in a complaint and talk to the department chair and maybe even the dean about this being unfair and unreasonable. Use lots of education and community arguments vs. the weeding effect and how that undermines the colleges goal to educate and not limit. It is where you are in 4 years that counts not where you start from.
Also I just have to add in that this is a ridiculous assignment for an intro journalism course. Firstly because the majority of journalism is concise and meant to be concise, to the point, and use as little space as possible. Secondly, this really is a nearly thesis level project and is definately at least an independent study size project. Like Border was saying I would put in a complaint and talk to the department chair and maybe even the dean about this being unfair and unreasonable. Use lots of education and community arguments vs. the weeding effect and how that undermines the colleges goal to educate and not limit. It is where you are in 4 years that counts not where you start from.
DJ Demon J
Banned
Do it on piracy, Buddy! ;P
Amazingly.tenchir said:
Jason - My original idea was to do it on piracy, but I don't know how to work it.
See, the question we address has to begin with "Should," as in "Should we label genetically modified foods?" or "Should we allow gay marriages?"
Not to mention file-sharing is banned, and a good chunk of the articles I'd find would be all about...file-sharing.
She's the only professor for the course.
She actually told us that it should be 75-90 pages long, but that they usually average out around 80.
For all those suggesting I drop the class, what do you suggest I do? I need this class for my major, and there's only one professor for it. It's really not the 80 pages that's daunting me, as that's not too bad once you spread it out over the semester. It's the ridiculous amount of sources (60+) I need along with her "A third of you are going to drop so why bother" attitude that really gets to me. That and I'd actually like to do some actual writing of my own, not months of research just to summarize someone else's point.
Then she goes on and on about how we need an intersting topic that's important to us, but hey, don't forget to glance at the forbidden list :rolleyes
Anyways, time to start digesting potential topics. Thanks a lot everyone, especially jinx and FnordChan - I'll be looking into the topic you suggested first.
Then she goes on and on about how we need an intersting topic that's important to us, but hey, don't forget to glance at the forbidden list :rolleyes
Anyways, time to start digesting potential topics. Thanks a lot everyone, especially jinx and FnordChan - I'll be looking into the topic you suggested first.
She's the only professor for this semester. Maybe (almost probably) someone different will be teaching next time around. Teachers hate doing the beginner courses so they usually rotate through them.
Ask the department chair if someone different with easier requirements might be teaching next semester. If they refuse to lean on this woman, then find something else to take until someone that's not a total snot is teaching the same class.
In a worst case scenario you could take it as a summer class, where they would pretty much be forced to reduce the paper's length because of the shorter semester.
Ask the department chair if someone different with easier requirements might be teaching next semester. If they refuse to lean on this woman, then find something else to take until someone that's not a total snot is teaching the same class.
In a worst case scenario you could take it as a summer class, where they would pretty much be forced to reduce the paper's length because of the shorter semester.
SlickWilly223
Time ta STEP IT UP
Illegal Immigration?
You can easily find a lot of sources on that, talk to some hicks about it, and talk to some illegals. Come on, you can't go wrong.
You can easily find a lot of sources on that, talk to some hicks about it, and talk to some illegals. Come on, you can't go wrong.
Kobun Heat
Member
If you can't do an 80 page paper in three months, it's time to give up on the journalism thing. Buddy seems fine with it, why is everyone trying to dissuade him? It's really, really not as hard as you think.
Kobun Heat
Member
I can think of a lot of things he's going to learn:
-How to do research with more breadth and depth than usual. If you have to get 60 articles, then you're going to have to expand your search into areas you usually wouldn't bother with. By design, you'll have to explore different ways of getting material.
-How to research things that aren't exactly easy to find. The banned list is a great idea, because it's ridiculously easy to find 60 articles on abortion, &c. This forces you to think of something that's a little more difficult to research.
-How to actually get a grip on every side of an issue. When you're looking for 60 articles, you've got to get a lot more points of view.
And then there's just the plain and simple fact that this will serve as a good weed-out. If you look at this and just can't fathom doing it, you're probably not up to the whole journalism thing.
-How to do research with more breadth and depth than usual. If you have to get 60 articles, then you're going to have to expand your search into areas you usually wouldn't bother with. By design, you'll have to explore different ways of getting material.
-How to research things that aren't exactly easy to find. The banned list is a great idea, because it's ridiculously easy to find 60 articles on abortion, &c. This forces you to think of something that's a little more difficult to research.
-How to actually get a grip on every side of an issue. When you're looking for 60 articles, you've got to get a lot more points of view.
And then there's just the plain and simple fact that this will serve as a good weed-out. If you look at this and just can't fathom doing it, you're probably not up to the whole journalism thing.
TheQueen'sOwn
insert blank space here
Well a 5 page introduction to the issue, history, etc.
+ a 1 (or so) page description/summary of every article you read (60 pages or so)
+ a 10-15 page conclusion, personal analysis, going into the future/predictions
+ the interviews
and you're good
.
+ a 1 (or so) page description/summary of every article you read (60 pages or so)
+ a 10-15 page conclusion, personal analysis, going into the future/predictions
+ the interviews
and you're good
.Well you just got done writing a whole book, so of course it's going to seem easy to one of the most important new voices in videogames =PKobun Heat said:
The assignment is bullshit only because it is a full semester's workload for students that are presumably taking multiple classes. It could be doable all by itself, but if you're working on other lengthy assignments at the same time, then everything is going to fall apart.
Yes, I'm sure it will teach students in-depth research techniques, but this is basically trying to climb a mountain before they have learned how to walk. How about using the core courses to teach research, then pushing the lengthy assignments in upper level courses? Weeding-out is useful, but I think it is better done with strict grading standards rather than ludicrously long assignments that don't really have anything to do with the typical assignments given to journalists. When have you really had to do something this extensive, as a journalist?
Just wanted to say I picked a topic today:
"Should we allow media consolidation?"
The question itself is rather basic at this point, but will surely become far more detailed as the paper evolves. For now, I've got an insane amount of sources...and that fills me with glee. Plus I can bitch about censorship - EVERYONE WINS!
"Should we allow media consolidation?"
The question itself is rather basic at this point, but will surely become far more detailed as the paper evolves. For now, I've got an insane amount of sources...and that fills me with glee. Plus I can bitch about censorship - EVERYONE WINS!
Good luck with your topic. It's easy to get over 60 references if you keep adding as your write. Remember to use one of those citation managers as well, doing it yourself is prettty imposible!
EDIT: I've got my honours thesis due in a month. So far it's at 15 pages (double spaced) with around 30-40 references. Another 70-100 pages and i'm done!
EDIT: I've got my honours thesis due in a month. So far it's at 15 pages (double spaced) with around 30-40 references. Another 70-100 pages and i'm done!
A decent topic, though the answer seems so obvious I'm not sure how much time you can spend on the "Pro" side of the argument. Media consolidation seems to benefit the conglomerates and nobody else.
I still think you're making a bad decision if you don't at least try to fight it...
I still think you're making a bad decision if you don't at least try to fight it...
BuddyChrist83 said:
Excellent topic. Border, while I agree that sane people should believe the answer to be obvious, considering how much of a corporate whore the FCC has been in recent years it's apparently worth looking into.
Buddy, best of luck with the project. My involvement with college radio means I spend a fair amount of time exposed to this particularly topic, but I still think it's pretty interesting. If nothing else, it'll be interesting to analyze the fallout of the Telecommunications Act of 1996, especially with regards to radio deregulation, Clear Channel, and what have you. Hell, even Jesse Friggin' Helms belatedly opposed further deregulation; our former Senator was, for the most part, a total asshat, but he did have his moments and that was certainly one of them. It'll also be interesting to see how much good media consolidation has done for, say, AOL/Time Warner.
The link that was posted to Ted Turner's recent rant against media consolidation earlier in the thread is well worth the read. You'll win eternal bonus points if you can score a direct interview with him.
FnordChan
Well, AOL/Time Warner didn't work out because they decided to consolidate with a company that was pretty obviously a dinosaur. Everybody was moving to broadband. AOL wasn't achieving any significant broadband penetration, and nobody is going to pay $22 bucks on top of a cable modem bill just so they can have access to AOL content (particularly when AIM is available to any internet user). AOL was betting that people's stupidity would keep them on "Internet Training Wheels", but an extra $300/year is enough to make even the most ignorant people learn how to use the "real Internet."
No matter how slow people were adopting broadband, it seemed pretty clear to me that AOL wasn't going to be able to keep up unless they lowered their subscription fees by 70-80%. Of course by then they were really too bloated to handle such a massive loss of revenue, and now they are just going to bleed to death or evolve into something else...
No matter how slow people were adopting broadband, it seemed pretty clear to me that AOL wasn't going to be able to keep up unless they lowered their subscription fees by 70-80%. Of course by then they were really too bloated to handle such a massive loss of revenue, and now they are just going to bleed to death or evolve into something else...
BuddyChrist83 said:
I'm not even remotely an expert, man; I barely qualify as an interested observer. However, I imagine you wouldn't have any trouble arranging an interview with someone over the course of the semester. Some suggestions:
- Find out how your local Congressional reps voted on major bills such as the Telecommunications Act of 1996; if you see them bitching about consolidation on their websites - or, for that matter, supporting it to the hilt - call up their office and look into arranging a meeting.
- Find out who owns your local radio stations. If there's a local owner who has a fair number of stations in the area, you could probably arrange an interview with them.
- Finally, I'll give you a dollar if you can arrange an interview with FCC chairman Michael Powell. If you can't get Powell but can interview a major FCC commisioner, I'll make it fifty cents.
Good luck with the project!
FnordChan
Escape Goat
Member
Someones didnt read the entire thread!!
Update:
The good news - The topic was approved. I've got 10 books sitting here, 6 or 7 of which will actually be useful in the paper. My 'books' quota for the assignment is filled.
The bad - I only have one magaizine/newspaper article from a general periodical when I need six. That isn't even the problem as I need to write citations and annotations for those six articles, and three of the books for tomorrow. Also, Pikmin 2 is left unplayed.
The good news - The topic was approved. I've got 10 books sitting here, 6 or 7 of which will actually be useful in the paper. My 'books' quota for the assignment is filled.
The bad - I only have one magaizine/newspaper article from a general periodical when I need six. That isn't even the problem as I need to write citations and annotations for those six articles, and three of the books for tomorrow. Also, Pikmin 2 is left unplayed.
bjork (2004). 80 Page Assignments Are Too Damned Long. Retireved from the World Wide Web, http://forums.gaming-age.com/showpost.php?p=320777&postcount=144 .
Stuggernaut
Grandma's Chippy
I'd have chose something more fun...like...
Assisted suicides, sex ed for young kids, America's "world image" etc
But yours will work too, definately a lot of research available.
Assisted suicides, sex ed for young kids, America's "world image" etc
But yours will work too, definately a lot of research available.
a 100 level undergrad journalism course requires an 80 page term paper? thats overkill. only masters level students are required to do in depth theses such as this.
having said that, whiteman's suggestion is very good. tie well known examples like the salem witchcraft trials, ww2 japanese internment, segreagation, the 60's civil rights movement, cold war era paranoia in there, cite 100's of examples, statistics, tables, bulleted lists and you will be well on your way.
do not back out if you actually like journalism, there is no shortcut for rigour.
having said that, whiteman's suggestion is very good. tie well known examples like the salem witchcraft trials, ww2 japanese internment, segreagation, the 60's civil rights movement, cold war era paranoia in there, cite 100's of examples, statistics, tables, bulleted lists and you will be well on your way.
do not back out if you actually like journalism, there is no shortcut for rigour.
i give up.
that's it, i'm caving.
oh, what a glorious feeling.
i can't meet the deadlines she's set with the criteria currently in place and my packed schedule - i'm dropping this class. luckily, the class remains static, meaning the requirements rarely change, and if they do, very little (as in requiring one more interview or one less book). this means i've got a great handle of what to expect and how to soften the blow the next time around, not to mention that i've already got the first few weeks of material done.
i'm flopping my major and minor.
thus, i'll be an english major with a journalism minor.
pros:
no lost/wasted credit hours
this combination requires 15 less credit hours - that's an entire semester!
a more useful degree with less work
only three more classes for the journalism minor after this semester.
no internship
cons:
i still have to (eventually) do that damn 80 page paper (silver lining: i now have an idea of what to expect, and furthermore, since the class stays static, a great headstart).
most of my classes will be in the drab, ugly building from the 70's - not the recently built trendy 'atrium'
the hassle of declaring all this
crazy mad props to: eXxy, Agent Dormer, Matlock, FnordChan, -jinx-, Catzgirl, Kobun and everyone else who (seriously) posted in this thread.
that's it, i'm caving.
oh, what a glorious feeling.
i can't meet the deadlines she's set with the criteria currently in place and my packed schedule - i'm dropping this class. luckily, the class remains static, meaning the requirements rarely change, and if they do, very little (as in requiring one more interview or one less book). this means i've got a great handle of what to expect and how to soften the blow the next time around, not to mention that i've already got the first few weeks of material done.
i'm flopping my major and minor.
thus, i'll be an english major with a journalism minor.
pros:
no lost/wasted credit hours
this combination requires 15 less credit hours - that's an entire semester!
a more useful degree with less work
only three more classes for the journalism minor after this semester.
no internship
cons:
i still have to (eventually) do that damn 80 page paper (silver lining: i now have an idea of what to expect, and furthermore, since the class stays static, a great headstart).
most of my classes will be in the drab, ugly building from the 70's - not the recently built trendy 'atrium'
the hassle of declaring all this
crazy mad props to: eXxy, Agent Dormer, Matlock, FnordChan, -jinx-, Catzgirl, Kobun and everyone else who (seriously) posted in this thread.
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