Please AI is not allowed for this assignment, as the professor has developed tools to discover
To sum up…
Here is the outline I suggest that you use when writing this paper:
Background on article topic
Introduce details of current article topic at hand
Analyze one viewpoint regarding the topic, including class terms as appropriate. Weigh viewpoint strengths and weaknesses.
Analyze another viewpoint regarding the topic, including class terms as appropriate. Weigh viewpoint strengths and weaknesses.
[continue as needed for all viewpoints]
Conclude: Given the pros and cons, which solution do you think is best for this issue? Why?
Here is the outline I suggest that you use when writing this paper:
Topic
Choose a topic. Scan the news for a story that has something to do with the intersection of society and technology. If you are having trouble choosing a topic, you can select one from the list provided by the professor: useful links. Remember that the news event must be current (published within the last 3 months at the time you submit your paper). The story must be based on a NEWS event, not a review of a product, an opinion piece, or a general information page (i.e., a terms of use page for a website). Do not use the same article for multiple write-ups. You can use multiple sources for write-ups; just make sure the main source was published less than 3 months ago. Secondary sources may be older. Your paper should be an ethical analysis and not a summary or how-to guide. The basis for the paper must be in article form from a reputable news site (YouTube videos, tweets, and other non-journalistic sources may be cited but cannot be the primary source). All source material, including the primary article, must be in English.
Background
Gradually introduce your topic. Give background information and explain why this news has interesting ethical implications. Don’t start too general (“technology really develops fast these days!”): the background should span what is important for your particular topic. For example, if you’re writing about Instagram, the background should start with social media photo sharing platforms, not on the invention of computers. Read critically: point out cognitive biases or logical fallacies present in the story, avoid them in your own analysis. Include brief explanations of any major developments between the state of the issue before it was newsworthy and the present. By the end of the introduction, the reader should have a basic knowledge of the context for the event, as well as a specific indication of what exact event you will be analyzing. Do not explain every detail and minor event included in the article. Your job is to read carefully, then identify the ethical element within the article, and provide background information that pertains to it. Specific names, quotes, and comments in your paper should be included only when they are immediately relevant to your ethical analysis (and of course they should be cited). Certainly do not include the full article title or publication source in the body of your paper – that information will be obvious in your in-text citations, which lead the reader to the relevant portion of the references section.
Analysis
Provide multiple points of view – more than just your own interpretation of the news. Whose views are represented in the article? Which perspectives are not mentioned but may be affected by the event? Justify the reasoning behind each view. Identify strengths and weaknesses of these perspectives, weighing them for validity and relevance. This amount of analysis justifies a separate paragraph for each viewpoint.
Sharing multiple perspectives does not always mean discussing just two sides of an event. For example, when discussing the cyber attack on a water system in Florida, of course you will analyze how such an attack would affect citizens as one viewpoint. But the alternate view doesn’t need to be defending the hacker. Instead, you could focus on the viewpoint that such systems should not be connected to the internet at all. From there you would weigh pros and cons about such connectivity. Notice that the article never mentioned such an idea – you think and reflect on the problem yourself.
Conclude with your own opinion and why it is the best approach to the topic. Yes, there are other viewpoints, but why does yours make the most sense? The opinion need not be prefaced by “I think,” since it should be obvious to the reader after presenting multiple views that this one is your own.
DO NOT end the paper with a line similar to “I guess we will have to wait and see.” Your paper should have a clear argument with evidence behind it, not speculate on neutral issues. Likewise, do not idly suggest that “the government should do more” or “companies should take steps to ensure…” etc. Be specific. Who should do what, exactly, and why?
Format
The paper should be in 12-point Times New Roman black font, double-spaced, left-aligned (not justified), with normal (1”, 1.25”) margins. It should be at least one page long, not counting the heading, title, and references elements; you are allowed to have a paper over one page long. There is no maximum number of pages, only a minimum. The heading should be no more than 2 lines long and include your name and section number. You must include in line (as you use) citations and a References section at the end of your paper. Before uploading to Blackboard, you should ensure that the file is in .docx or .pdf (preferred) format.
Please check to make sure you are uploading the correct documents.
APA citation format should be used. If you don’t know how to cite things, please review the citations workshop provided on Blackboard, or do some research on your own. If you use material from outside sources without attributing it, you risk a 0 for your assignment and the course due to plagiarism. Note that APA formatting applies only to citations: headings must not exceed 2 lines (even though, for example, APA papers usually have a 4-line double-spaced heading), and there should be no title page. Any statistics or specific information in the write-up must have an in-line citation that connects to the References section.
Quotes of more than 40 words a) should be in a block quote, according to APA guidelines and b) are not allowed for this assignment. When a paper is only one page double-spaced, including an entire paragraph for someone else’s ideas is not appropriate.
Your paper should not include images. If you would like the reader to see a certain image, you can add a link to it in the text comment portion of the submission.