Assignments

1. Research Report: Susan Wilcox, author of “Marathons for Women”, is a runner who turned a subject personally important to her into a fully documented academic paper of general interest. Write a similar factual report based on a serious topic from your major or on a subject you would like more people to know about. Narrow your subject to a specific claim you can explore in several pages. Use trustworthy sources and document them correctly.
2. Feature Story: As a novelist and book critic for Time magazine, Lev Grossman, the author of “From Scroll to Screen”, obviously has an enthusiast’s interest in writing about technologies that affect his livelihood. Identify a topic that has a comparable impact on you and write a fact-filled story of interest to general readers modeled upon Grossman’s report. It can be from any area of interest, academic or not. Perhaps you wonder how developments in biomedical engineering might alter the sports you love. Or maybe you wonder what exactly a college campus might look like in the age of MOOCs. Do the necessary research and present what you learn to a general audience. Like Grossman, you may use first person in this report and, if you are adventurous, you might try holding off on your thesis or point until the final section or paragraph. Present any sources you use responsibly, mentioning them in the body of the paper or (if your instructor prefers) citing them in traditional academic form — see Susan Wilcox’s research report.
3. Infographic: “Wind Technologies Market Report 2012” not only conveys information but also offers a perspective on a new technology. Using a data source such as FedStats, or The World Factbook, create a factual report based upon interesting or surprising statistics or information. Be creative, perhaps using statistics pertinent to your local environment or community. You can write a paper, create a slide presentation, or even try your hand at designing an infographic.
4. Your Choice: Identify a controversial topic you would love to know more about, choosing one that has at least two clearly defined and disputed sides. Do the necessary research to find out much more about the controversy, narrowing the matter down to manageable size for a paper or oral presentation. Then either prepare a written version of the report to submit to your instructor or an oral version to share with a wider audience, perhaps your classmates if you have the opportunity. In your report, explain the controversy without taking sides.