Synopsis and Exam Guidelines for Digital Culture and Sociology

The final exam will take place on January 3-5 (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 (you are not required to be in the same group you had for the mid-term though you are certainly welcome to keep it). If for some reason you have a special request (a conflict with other exams, for example) about which date you would like to take the exam on you must notify me when you hand in the synopsis and I will do my best to make accommodations.

A 4-5 page synopsis (3 copies) is due Friday, November 25 @ 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 - digital culture and sociology. Potential exam subjects should tackle a specific issue or question based around the general weekly topics which were:

You (or your group) should pick a subtopic within one of the above general areas to explore in more detail. So, for example, you might do a close analysis of the relationship between remix culture and digital technologies, collective knowledge production and Wikis, or forms of community within a particular sphere of the net. You are not required to focus on the topic you chose for the midterm, nor be in the same group for the exam, though for many this will be a solid natural jumping off point.

As with the midterm I encourage you to think about using a case study to illuminate a broader argument you want to make. 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:

1) Title and examinee info (name(s)/email(s)).

2) Any special requests related to exam scheduling.

3) Articulation of the topic/question/problem to be addressed that is clearly linked to the subject of this course.

4) Brief overview (for the purposes of the future exam discussion) of the relevant literature. You must have at least 30% of your literature/reference drawn from the compendium. You should aim for somewhere between 5-7 references total which will provide context, evidence, and theoretical perspectives on your subject.

5) Preliminary statement of findings/analysis/approach.

6) A bibliography that documents the citations discussed in section #4.

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.