Choose a historical disruptive technology that interests you from our conversation in Week 2, in other words, a technology prior to the 1940s and the personal computer.
I would prefer that you choose a technology that you haven’t already presented. In other words, choose a topic different from your first mini-presentation.
Then write a traditional research paper of 6 – 8 double spaced pages. Your research should be from scholarly sources, either peer-reviewed journal articles or books published by university presses (At least 7 sources should be consulted). Outside of those 7 main sources, you may use 3 additional popular sources (websites, popular magazines etc.…). The essay should explore the technology by:
Make a case for the technology’s disruptive qualities and place the technology in the context of our class discussion and the definition we’ve constructed around disruptive technology. (This might provide a good introduction to your essay and could be followed by an analytical thesis that answers the next set of questions)
Questions to answer (the answer to these questions should form the basis of your thesis statement and be answered throughout the paper)
Provide the historical context i.e. explains the time period, the major players involved, what led to the invention, and how it came to fruition?
Analyze its Impact (cultural impact and the changes that occurred as a result of the tech)
Explain Innovations that followed on or were built from the disruptive tech and their impact on culture and connection to the original.
Explore Continued/lasting impact. To what extent is the technology still important and how is it still being used?
Your paper should also include a bibliography of the 7 scholarly sources and other popular sources. If you are making direct citations from those sources a simple parenthetical citation format is fine, ie (Author, “Brief Title,” p. #)
