you-need-to-write-an-essay-on-the-topic-of-the-impact-of-technology-on-almost-every-aspect-of-our-life-including-our-ways-of-thinking-and-our-career-choice-make-sure-you-formulate-a-strong-argument-of-your-own-on-the-subject-then-support-your-argument
-1. Rather than feeling threatened by the new technological breakthroughs, Clive Thompson embraces the human-computer symbiosis as the future of civilization when human intelligence is augmented and amplified by artificial intelligence. Do you think that the relationship between humans and machines will be marked by such a seamless fusion or fruitful collaboration as envisioned by Thompson? Write an essay in which you either defend or debunk Thompson’s optimistic view of modern technology by looking at its advantages or disadvantages.
2. Is Nicholas Carr just a “worrywart” as he calls himself, or is his concern over the impact of technology warranted when he cautions us about the worst of every new tool or machine? What are some of the damages the Internet has done and will continue to do to us in the foreseeable future?
3. The ambition of Google, once a graduate project by two Stanford students and now the gargantuan search company, seems to know no bounds. Larry Page, a cofounder of Google, voiced his strong desire to develop artificial intelligence to solve problems that have never been addressed before. What are the consequences if artificial intelligence augments and eventually replaces human brains?
4. Kenneth Goldsmith, author of “Go Ahead, Waste Your Time on the Internet,” argues that spending time on the Internet actually helps us develop new skills, broaden our view of the new world, and learn how to interact with others via social media. Do you share with Goldsmith’s view of the impact the Internet upon our lives?
5. The increasing popularity of texting among young people has become a genuine source of consternation among English teachers, who believe that teenagers’ writing is on the decline with the use of informal expressions, abbreviations, and a lack of proper punctuations, often found in text messages. Write an essay in which you analyze how texting, a preferred way of communication among young people, has or has not adversely impacted writing.
6. As a college student who will strive to find the most rewarding and fulfilling careers, do you look forward to, or intimidated by a future when robots will become the new overlords. Write an essay to explain why you embrace or resist the age of automation.
7. Drawing from the articles by Clive Thompson and Nicholas Carr, write an essay reflecting on THREE major benefits or drawbacks ascribed to digital technologies.
–Guidelines:
I. Organization
A. Your essay should have an introduction, body paragraphs (minimum eight), and a conclusion. There should be a total of TEN paragraphs for the entire essay.
B. In the introduction, you need to include the following:
1. An opener or hook that grabs your reader’s attention. You can start with a question (usually rhetorical), an interesting anecdote, or shocking surveys and statistics. For good examples, refer to the essays in our textbook.
2. A brief context of what other people have said or written on the issue. Use the template for ongoing debates (24-25). Here you do NOT need to identify the titles of work and the names of authors. You will do so in the summary paragraphs that follow.
3. State your own argument in a one or two sentence thesis statement.
C. In developing the body paragraphs (there are a total of 8 paragraphs in this part of the essay: two summary paragraphs, three paragraphs that develop your own ideas stated in the thesis, and three paragraphs that refute the opposing view), you need to:
- Write a summary for each of the two articles you refer to in your essay, and there should be TWOseparate paragraphs.
- Develop your own main points outlined in your thesis in THREEseparate paragraphs.
- Address the opposing view in THREE paragraphs:
First, acknowledge the opposing view. In this paragraph, you need to start by introducing the opponent’s view by saying “Some people/Opponents/Proponents/Naysayers/Doomsayers/Worrywarts/Cultural reactionaries believe or argue that…….” You can be creative in naming your opponents. Then you need to introduce a specific author and his/her point in the form of a quotation. Using one of the templates on page 48 in our textbook, you need to explain and elaborate on the statement you just quoted.
Second, acknowledge and give credit to the opposing view. You may start the paragraph by using stock phrases such as “My opponent is right, or, It is true that…..” Then explain in more detail why the opposing view has some merit and to what extent you agree with it.
Third, reaffirm your position with the support from other writers. You can start the final paragraph of refutation by saying “Having said that, or, That said,……” and go on to explain why your position still makes more sense than the opposing view.
Refer to Clive Thompson’s use of refutation on page 354.
D. In writing the conclusion, you need to:
1. Recap your main points without repeating the same words or phrases used earlier in the essay.
2. Offer a suggestion, solution, prediction, warning, or call to action for your reader to consider.
II. Content
A. On the subject you write about, you need to establish a position that is reasonable, open-minded, and substantial. Try to make your argument transparent and thought-provoking without being provocative. Have a strong opinion, but don’t sound opinionated.
B. Use ideas from other writers to support or form a contrast with yours. Refer to at least two different texts for this essay.
C. Whenever you refer to outside texts, always remember to integrate their ideas into your own writing by adding your comments and elaboration. Never quote without commenting;
III. Format
A. Try to use the templates we’ve learned in class in introducing ideas and quotes into your writing. This is an important requirement for this essay assignment.
B. Use proper in-text citations when you quote or refer to another writer’s ideas.
C. Prepare a list works cited at the end of your essay. For both in-text citations and works cited page, follow the MLA style.
D. Your paper should be typed, double-spaced, using Times New Roman 12 point font. Put information about yourself, instructor, course, and assignment on the upper left hand corner of the first page of your paper. Use header and pagination.
IV. Language and Mechanics
A. Follow academic writing conventions, such as writing in the present tense, avoiding excessive use of first person pronouns, and leaving out inappropriate or informal expressions. Make sure you introduce your quotes with proper words (37).
B. Try to challenge yourself by using some new vocabularies to better articulate your thoughts (Use at least five new words you’ve learned from reading the articles in your working draft. Underline these words to indicate that these are new words you attempt to use.)
C. Use proper punctuations, especially when using quotations.
D. Make sure you understand your sentence construction.
You need to write some compound and complex sentencesto demonstrate the use of coordination and subordination.
You need to add variety to your sentences by having different beginnings. You can start sentences with: