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The course writing assignment

The majority of your grade for this course originates in the course writing assignment. The course writing assignment gives you the chance to explore issues of information architecture, information systems and/or information retrieval with some of the pressing digital culture issues of our day.

You have a choice. You can either write an essay or contribute a new page to the 'Wikis by genre' wiki.

Choice one: Contribute to the 'Wikis by genre' wiki

Shawn Kilburn, a recent MLIS graduate, created a wiki which investigated different wiki genre Wikis by genre. If you find wikis interesting as a form of information architecture and you are aware of a category of wiki not already covered by 'Wikis by genre' you can accomplish your course writing assignment by starting a new wiki page on 'Wikis by genre' and investigating your new wiki genre.

Is speculating about the future of wikis au courant? Read "New Web Sites Seeking Profit in Wiki Model" The NY Times, September 04, 2006, published about a month before our class starts.

Choice two: Analyze some aspect of digital culture

It could be argued that our lives are greatly affected by digital culture, and furthermore, digital culture is a product of information systems, information architecture, and/or information retrieval.

As a casual student of digital culture, I have been compiling snippets of newspaper reports, magazine articles, etc. that may spark your investigation into how information systems, architecture and retrieval affect our digital lives. I invite you to explore the following pages and think up a topic that would examine how one of these social issues of digital culture is impacted by information systems, architecture and/or retrieval.

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Final Essay FAQs

How long should it be? Long enough to cover the important issues satisfactorily, but short enough so as to not cross my low threshold of boredom

Is it a research paper? You decide

Can I write it in iambic pentameter? See if I care

How will you grade it? With a sharp red pencil

Can I discuss my topic with other students? Sure

Is this essay a test of our creativity, analytical skill and capacity to frame a cogent argument? Hmmm