For your second project, research the history and development of an invention. Don your sleuth’s cap and find out why something was created and what impact it had on humanity.
Think of an important tool or invention that Carr does not mention in this selection and conduct further research about it. Please, no cell phone or auto topics. Write a paper about how the invention has shaped human behavior and cognition. Look for the history of its development, changes over time, whether those changes were improvements or not, and the status/features of the invention today. Why was it devised/needed in the first place? Why were changes made? What effect did those have on people who used the invention? What is its use today? Is its use different from the past? Why?
Unlike the first project, this project is a traditional academic research paper. In addition to the same heading as you used in the first project at the top left, and the centered creative title, and page numbers in the upper right corner of each page, use at least three sources and supply quotes and paraphrases in MLA 8 style. One long quote must be included in the indented quote style – see Slide 26 of the MLA PowerPoint presentation on documentation: https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/mla_style/mla_formatting_and_style_guide/mla_powerpoint_presentation.html. Remember that Wikipedia and encyclopedias are not considered good college-level sources. You may use academic journals from the Volpe Library Databases, books, and professional/organizational websites.
As you begin writing, think about the reasons why this invention was needed/created. Keep your focus on the reasons why and its impact on people’s behavior and cognition. In other words, how did it change lives? In the ways the inventor(s) expected? How did the changes over time impact users? Has its function changed over time? Did people make different use of it than it was originally intended? Was its invention and use over time beneficial or harmful? In what ways? It may be tempting to write the paper in a timeline format. I advise against this because when it turns into a timeline, it turns away from a focus on the invention’s impact on people and becomes a report – rather than an academic examination, which is what you’re creating.
The paper is 4-6 pages, double-spaced, in Times New Roman 12 point. Include a maximum of one-page worth of pictures – either within the text or as an appendix at the end of the essay. Be sure to label the pictures and document them.
Include a Works Cited page in proper form. The Works Cited page includes all visual material together with the sources used in quotes/paraphrases in the paper. The Works Cited doesn’t count in the length of the paper. Here’s a Sample Works Cited page from the MLA: https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/mla_style/mla_formatting_and_style_guide/mla_sample_works_cited_page.html
