Communications and Media

The final written assignment asks you to write a self-reflection paper on the materials and/or topics covered in this course that have impacted, inspired, or challenged you concerning information technology and globalization. These can also be the ideas or thoughts you learn from this course that inform your understanding about certain cultural, economic, political, or social phenomena which you may carry with you to other course(s) and/or future study, or professional career. You must pick three terms, ideas, or concepts discussed in this class and write about 1) how the chosen terms have transformed your understanding about globalization and information technology and 2) how your ideas – before coming to this class – about these terms have changed throughout the semester.

The objective is to use yourself as a method to reflect on the evolution of your own thinking and knowledge and on how these ideas may impact on your life or interests broader than this class.

Questions you should consider include:

How have the course materials, lectures, and discussions (you must cover all three) influenced the ways that you think about your chosen terms/concepts?

How has the knowledge you have learned from this course influenced the ways you understand relevant phenomena pertaining to globalization?

You must offer concrete examples to illustrate the evolution of your thinking. You are encouraged to use examples that are not covered by the course materials.

How can you connect these ideas you learn to your future study, interests, or career consideration?

Requirements

Your essay should be approximately 2,500 words (± 10%) plus references and should demonstrate your evolving understanding about certain chosen ideas and concepts based on concrete examples or analysis and your analytical ability to incorporate the chosen ideas into areas beyond the course materials.

Your assignment is a self-reflective paper focusing on your personal development and understanding of certain concepts related to information technology and globalization throughout the course. Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to approach this assignment:

Step 1: Reflect on Your Learning
Reflect on your learning journey during this course. Think about the materials, lectures, discussions, and topics that had the most significant impact on you. This reflection will help you to identify the three terms, ideas, or concepts you want to focus on in your paper.

Step 2: Choose Your Concepts
Select three terms, ideas, or concepts that have significantly transformed your understanding about globalization and information technology. These should be concepts that resonated with you or challenged your previous understanding.

Step 3: Plan Your Essay
Draft an outline for your essay. This should include an introduction, where you introduce the three concepts you’ve chosen and explain why you’ve chosen them; three main body paragraphs, each focusing on one of the concepts; and a conclusion.

Step 4: Write Your Essay
Begin writing your essay. In each body paragraph, answer the following questions for each term/concept:

• How have the course materials, lectures, and discussions influenced your understanding of this term/concept?
• How has your thinking about this term/concept changed over the course of the semester?
• How can you apply this term/concept to your future studies, interests, or career?

Include concrete examples to illustrate the evolution of your thinking. These can be real-life examples, hypothetical scenarios, or connections to broader societal or global phenomena.

Step 5: Connect to Globalization
In your conclusion, summarize how your understanding of globalization has been influenced by the knowledge you’ve gained in this course. How do the three terms/concepts you’ve chosen relate to larger phenomena pertaining to globalization?

Step 6: Review and Edit
Review your paper to ensure it meets the word count, flows well, maintains a clear focus, and adheres to proper grammar and punctuation rules. Check to see if your language is diverse and engaging, and if your text reflects a genuine, personal perspective on the course material.

Step 7: Cite Your Sources
Include citations for any course materials, lectures, or other sources you reference in your paper, following the appropriate citation style (MLA, APA, Chicago, etc.).

Step 8: Finalize and Submit
After proofreading and making necessary revisions, submit your assignment as instructed.

By following these steps, you should be able to write an effective self-reflection paper that demonstrates your evolving understanding of the chosen concepts related to globalization and information technology. Good luck!