Assignment:
Read Jia
Tolentino’s “The I in the Internet” (2019) and write a thesis-driven essay that
develops a point of view on an issue discussed in the text. Integrate ideas
from 1-2 additional texts from the list found in Course Content on Blackboard.
In your
paper, you need to make clear to the reader what the issue is (i.e., “define”
it) and then use the paper to develop your point of view (i.e., your “thesis”).
She covers a lot of ground in her chapter, so there are many possible issues
from which to choose. Also, in addition to Tolentino’s chapter, what we’ve
previously read for the class, and your own experiences, new texts are
available in Course Content that can help you figure out the topic and focus
for your essay.
Draft 1
should be at least 600 words. Follow MLA guidelines for formatting the essay,
integrating and citing sources, and constructing a Works Cited page. The first draft
is due by 11:59 PM on Friday, January 29. Submit your draft to the
Turnitin
space that will be made available next week.
----------
Here is an
incomplete list of possible topics and texts to consider reading for this
assignment based on your interest. Feel free to roam around in what you read,
and notice, too, that there is overlap—that is, some articles might be used in
papers that are focused on different technology issues. There are also some
general questions which are meant to get you thinking about ways in which each
topic is an “issue”:
Surveillance
and Privacy:
What technology
is used to “watch” people? How is it used? What happens to data? Why does this
matter?
--“Your
Apps Know Where You Were Last Night. And They’re Not Keeping It Secret,” by
Jennifer
Valentino-DeVries, Natasha Singer, Michael H. Keller, and Aaron Krolik.
--“Preservation
Acts: Toward and ethical archive of the web,” by Nora Caplan-Bricker.
--“What
Happens When Facebook Goes the Way of MySpace?” by John Herrman.
--“Facial
Recognition is Accurate, if You’re a White Guy,” by Steve Lohr.
--"Coming
Soon to a Police Station Near You: The DNA ‘Magic Box,’” by Heather Murphy.
Identity
or Identification/Misidentification:
How is identity “defined” or “created” by technology? How is technology used to
identify people? What is a problem--bias? Fairness? Why does this matter?
--“Facial
Recognition is Accurate, if You’re a White Guy,” by Steve Lohr.
--TED
Talk: “How I’m fighting bias in algorithms,” by Joy Buolamwini (video) and her
article
“When
the Robot Doesn’t See Dark Skin.”
--“There
is a Racial Divide in Speech-Recognition Systems, Researchers Say,” by Cade
Metz.
--"Coming
Soon to a Police Station Near You: The DNA ‘Magic Box,’” by Heather Murphy.
--“Wrongfully
Accused by an Algorithm,” by Kashmir Hill.
Control
(autonomy, freedom, choice):
What does it mean to be free or have a choice in an increasingly tech-filled
world? What are the consequences of too much or too little tech in a person’s
life? Why does this matter?
--“Life
Without .
AssignmentRead JiaTolentino’s The I in the Internet” (2019.docx
1. Assignment:
Read Jia
Tolentino’s “The I in the Internet” (2019) and write a thesis-
driven essay that
develops a point of view on an issue discussed in the text.
Integrate ideas
from 1-2 additional texts from the list found in Course Content
on Blackboard.
In your
paper, you need to make clear to the reader what the issue is
(i.e., “define”
it) and then use the paper to develop your point of view (i.e.,
your “thesis”).
She covers a lot of ground in her chapter, so there are many
possible issues
from which to choose. Also, in addition to Tolentino’s chapter,
what we’ve
previously read for the class, and your own experiences, new
texts are
available in Course Content that can help you figure out the
topic and focus
for your essay.
Draft 1
should be at least 600 words. Follow MLA guidelines for
formatting the essay,
integrating and citing sources, and constructing a Works Cited
page. The first draft
is due by 11:59 PM on Friday, January 29. Submit your draft to
the
2. Turnitin
space that will be made available next week.
----------
Here is an
incomplete list of possible topics and texts to consider reading
for this
assignment based on your interest. Feel free to roam around in
what you read,
and notice, too, that there is overlap—that is, some articles
might be used in
papers that are focused on different technology issues. There
are also some
general questions which are meant to get you thinking about
ways in which each
topic is an “issue”:
Surveillance
and Privacy:
What technology
is used to “watch” people? How is it used? What happens to
data? Why does this
matter?
--“Your
Apps Know Where You Were Last Night. And They’re Not
Keeping It Secret,” by
Jennifer
Valentino-DeVries, Natasha Singer, Michael H. Keller, and
Aaron Krolik.
3. --“Preservation
Acts: Toward and ethical archive of the web,” by Nora Caplan-
Bricker.
--“What
Happens When Facebook Goes the Way of MySpace?” by John
Herrman.
--“Facial
Recognition is Accurate, if You’re a White Guy,” by Steve
Lohr.
--"Coming
Soon to a Police Station Near You: The DNA ‘Magic Box,’” by
Heather Murphy.
Identity
or Identification/Misidentification:
How is identity “defined” or “created” by technology? How is
technology used to
identify people? What is a problem--bias? Fairness? Why does
this matter?
--“Facial
Recognition is Accurate, if You’re a White Guy,” by Steve
Lohr.
--TED
Talk: “How I’m fighting bias in algorithms,” by Joy
Buolamwini (video) and her
article
4. “When
the Robot Doesn’t See Dark Skin.”
--“There
is a Racial Divide in Speech-Recognition Systems, Researchers
Say,” by Cade
Metz.
--"Coming
Soon to a Police Station Near You: The DNA ‘Magic Box,’” by
Heather Murphy.
--“Wrongfully
Accused by an Algorithm,” by Kashmir Hill.
Control
(autonomy, freedom, choice):
What does it mean to be free or have a choice in an increasingly
tech-filled
world? What are the consequences of too much or too little tech
in a person’s
life? Why does this matter?
--“Life
Without Principle,” by Henry David Thoreau.
--“Death
of an Innocent: How Chris McCandless lost his way in the
wilds,” by Jon
Krakauer.
5. --“Your
Apps Know Where You Were Last Night. And They’re Not
Keeping It Secret,” by
Jennifer
Valentino-DeVries, Natasha Singer, Michael H. Keller, and
Aaron Krolik.
--“Preservation
Acts: Toward and ethical archive of the web,” by Nora Caplan-
Bricker.
--“Do Not
Disturb: How I Ditched My Phone and Unbroke My Brain,” by
Kevin Roose.
--“Riding
Out the Quarantine With a Chatbot Friend: ‘I Feel Very
Connected,’” by Cade
Metz.
The
Future:
In what
way is technology giving shape to the future? What are possible
ways to ‘get
ready’ or prevent harm from occurring? Why does this matter?
--“Meet
Zora, the Robot Caregiver,” by Adam Satariano, Elain Peltier,
and Dmitry
Kostyukov
6. --“Do You
Take This Robot…” by Alex Williams.
--“Harrison
Bergeron” (1961), by Kurt Vonnegut—this is a short story
(fiction) set in the
year
2081.
--“Making
Babies in 2045,” by Jamie Metzl.
--"The
Future According to Grimes,” by Ezra Marcus.
--“Design
For the Future When the Future Is Bleak,” by Nikil Saval.
