Due Dates:
- Blog Post Due Thursday 8/30 by by 8pm
- Also, by class on Friday 8/31, please comment briefly on at least one of your peers’ posts (~50-100 words).
Purpose:
Each assignment in this class depends upon—and builds upon—the lessons and skills learned in the previous assignment, even as it prepares you for subsequent assignments. This assignment tries to capture the importance of this process by asking you to begin your final project—the Research-Based Argument—as close to Day 1 as possible. To this end, this assignment asks you to conduct exploratory web research in order to begin thinking about possible topics that might sustain your interest. This assignment will also introduce you to the class blog associated with our website, which I hope becomes a meaningful venue for your reflections on news items, images, and videos, as well as pertinent personal experience.
Directions:
1) By Thursday 8/30 at 8pm, please blog abut something age-related (broadly considered) that you found online that interests you. Remember to include links, embed video, or upload images relating to the item. Your post should be around 300 words. Below, I provide a rough blueprint for your first post (remember that it’s hard to give a blueprint for a blog post, as there is so much room for experimentation and individuality):
- First, offer an engaging title. Never title something so lame as “Blog Post 1″ or “Exploratory Research Assignment.” Name your unique post, not the assignment. You will have an audience beyond this class, and they don’t care that this is your first post!
- The first line/paragraph should contain a lively set-up leading into a reference (linked) to the article or media item. You can also embed a video from Youtube. If you choose an article or website, please hyperlink the name of the article. If you are dealing with an image, please link that image to the place where you found it.
- Next, offer a brief summary of the piece along with a short, personal (as opinionated as you want) reflection on it.
- Before class on Friday, please also comment on two of your peers’ posts. You can respond directly to their post, or to the materials they posted about. Keep the comments and posts brief, informal, and smart.
2) For Friday’s extra hour: As you troll around the web for your source, try to keep thinking about possible topics for your own research. Thinking about the first, broader brainstorm session we conducted in class, try to hone in on a few more specific topics that you might potentially find worth in pursuing for your final research-based essay. Bring these ideas to class on Friday and be ready to share them with your peers during Part II of our Age and Aging Brainstorm.
