*please send me the primary sources documents with this proposal together. Download the primary sources. Otherwise, it will be incomplete.
*do not copy any instructions in this proposal
Description
This assignment asks you to think of an older technology or practice that is relevant to your interests, and use at least one PRIMARY SOURCE to analyze it . Your topic can be anything that is non-contemporary but that enriches your understanding of contemporary issues.
Logistics:
Proposal: Brief but specific, so I can get a good idea of your topic and approve it. You must specify your: 1) topic (including time period and local context, if applicable); 2) primary source, and how you plan to access it; 3) relationship to current interests
Further notes and advice:
—Your topic can be a “thing” / tool / technology (e.g. fax machine, headphones, Braille keyboard, Chinese typewriter, pager, Picturephone, etc) or a cultural practice related to communication (e.g., self-representation, dating and romance, illicit activities, authorship/signatures, propaganda, etc), as it occurred during a certain time period or through a non-contemporary technology
—Make sure the topic is not too broad! This assignment is rather short, so if you choose a topic that is too broad, the depth of your analysis will suffer.
And always make sure to contextualize your topic by clarifying the time period you are referring to and, if applicable, the local / cultural context.
—The primary source you analyze should be original, and locating it should be the result of your original research. Finding a primary source that is already analyzed within a secondary source is not acceptable.
—Ideally, by encouraging you to adopt a historical approach, this assignment should help broaden and deepen your understanding of contemporary issues in media and communication. Therefore, in your paper, you should reflect on the ways in which your analysis of the past enriches your understanding of the present.
