The final exam will take place on January 25 (room TBA) and will be an oral format with an external examiner. Exams can be taken either individually or in groups of no more than 3.
A 4-5 page synopsis (3 copies) is due Wednesday, December 20 @ 15:00 to the Exam Office.
You should consider the synposis as both an initial written demonstration of your knowledge of the topic you select as well as a jumping off point for the oral exam. The general content of the exam will be around the theme of the course - computer game culture. Exam subjects should tackle a specific issue or question based around the general weekly topics which were:
Drawing on the game world you have been focusing on, I encourage you to think about using a case study to illuminate a broader argument you want to make (that is, focus on one game, one slice of the game world, etc. to explore a broader point. Note that comparative work increases the scope of the project significantly and should be done with careful consideration). Be sure to move beyond the descriptive to the analytical. It is important that you demonstrate (initially in the synopsis but more significantly in the exam) not simply a recitation of findings ("here is what I saw/found") but show some critical interpretation. Think about what is at stake in what you have observed/researched. What is interesting about it? Why does knowing "x" matter? How do your findings and argument connect to previous research on the subject, including things we have read and discussed?
The synopsis should include the following components (please check back here for a basic template to help you with the format I want and give some guidance if you are unfamiliar with academic writing):
1) Title and examinee info (name(s)/email(s)).You are very welcome (and encouraged!) to come speak to me before the hand-in deadline to discuss exam subjects. If you have any doubt about whether or not your topic "fits" with this course exam you should check beforehand. While I will not pre-read a synopsis, I am more than happy to talk in depth about the topic and organization, as well as provide ideas for literature searches.2) Any special requests related to exam scheduling.
3) Problem statement:: Articulation of the topic/question/problem to be addressed that is clearly linked to the subject of this course.
4) Literature review:: Brief overview (for the purposes of the future exam discussion) of the relevant literature. You should aim for somewhere between 5-7 references total which will provide context, evidence, and theoretical perspectives on your subject. Note that I expect you to draw on high quality scholarly work (vs things like newspaper or magazine articles, random web publications, etc.). You must draw at least two of your pieces of literature from the compendium.
5) Methodology:: A description of the method you are using to answer your question or explore your topic. Are you doing a survey? A close analysis of the software or game content? Participant observation? etc. You should also include here any discussion of ethical considerations if you are using human subjects.
6) Findings/Analysis:: Preliminary statement of findings/analysis/approach. While I assume you will have additional data/analysis between when you turn in the synopsis and the exam, you should be able to make some initial remarks based on your work during the entire semester.
7) Bibliography:: fully documents the citations discussed in section #4.