The paper is due Friday, May 31st and is worth 200 points. That is more points than any other single assignment, and 20% of your course grade. It will be graded for content and for good writing.
If you feel you need help with your writing, plan to finish the paper at least a week early and take it to the tutors in the OU Writing Center for feedback.
This paper is about being a consumer of information. The topic of the paper is information seeking behavior and the administration of the current President of the United States.
Part I. The Administration
In this section of the paper write a detailed description of how you are (intentionally or unintentionally) receiving information about the administration of the President of the United States. In this part of the paper, be sure to address the following….
Conversationally (people talking about it)?
Older technologies (such as television, radio, print newspapers/magazines)?
Newer technologies (computers, phones, tablets through online news, social media, video clips, etc.).
Is most of the information you are receiving serious? Satire/jokes?
Do you attempt evaluate the truthfulness of the news to which you are exposed? If so, how do you go about that?
How do you evaluate the accuracy/strength of the information you receive about the current president/administration?
How has the sharing of political messages changed with the advent of new information technologies?
In general, what is your favorite source of U.S. political information?
Part II. Information-Seeking Behavior
Pick one of the current hot button political topics (health care law, global warming, immigration, gun control, pandemic response, abortion) and search for information on where the current administration and their political opponents stand on this issue. In this section you will write about:
How did you go about searching (what technology did you use? What search interface (Google? other?). What keywords did you use?
How successful was your searching? Did it take several searches to find the information? How many? How did you decide to revise your search strategy for better results?
Choose one of the information behavior models outlined in chapter 12 of your textbook. Apply that model to your information searching. Did your personal searching process fit the assumptions of the model? In what way did the model fit and/or not fit?
Did the sources you used in Part II correspond with the sources you found to be most credible in Part I?
Remember! Any time you use a source outside your own brain, you must cite it. You may use APA, MLA, or Chicago style citations. More information about these citation styles can be found at https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/resources.htmLinks to an external site.
I have provided a rubric to help you insure that you are meeting all requirements for this paper. Pay special attention to the “Use of Model” section. This is where students lose the most points. In addition, make sure you look at the “Adherence to Requirements” section. I would hate for you to lose points over a requirement that is easy to meet.
Formatting Guidelines
Use a Title page, Times New Roman 12 font, 1 inch margins and double spaced.
Paper will use essay format (not bulleted list) and be 1,200 words minimum.
Have an introduction paragraph and a conclusions paragraph that tie the paper together. (While I recommend breaking your paper up into Part I and Part II, your introduction and conclusion should tie it all together.)
Cite your sources! If you include facts of any kind (and you should), you must cite your source. You may use any citation style you wish but you should include in-text citations and a works cited or references page. I will count off points if you state facts without citing a source. If you have not at least cited your textbook, you will lose points.
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Grading:
Assignment evaluation – grading starts at a C, this is assuming that you meet the requirements of the assignment. From here points are added or removed based on the general guidelines:
A: exceeded expectations, assignment work above what is required, superior effort, organization, presentation, and critical thinking/assimilation of information into overall course goals; made connections to other course content or to personal observations. 90-100%
B: met all expectations as specified for the assignment in a professional manner, some additional effort and critical thinking; 80-89%
C: met minimum assignment requirements, simply completing all of the steps w/out additional critical thinking and assimilation into overall course goals; 70-79%
D: did not meet minimum requirements but shows evidence of being able to complete the assignment; 60-69
F: did not meet minimum requirements for the assignment; 0-59%
**With the exception of discussion posts, all assignments must be submitted in Word. (Microsoft office is available to all students. If you do not have access to office on your computer, please contact IT services for help. Here is a link with frequently asked questions about student access to Microsoft office http://askit.ou.edu/customer/portal/topics/768382-office-365/articles.)
