Project Overview
For this class’s first full research paper, you’ll explore popular movie and television depictions of Information Technology and Computer Science professionals. Consequently, the research focus for this paper will be on non-scholarly sources. Just because a source is not from an academic, peer-reviewed journal or press does not mean it has no scholarly value. Sources produced for popular consumption, whether for entertaining, socializing, or informing, can play a major role in certain types of research projects, especially those specifically aimed at examining and studying social trends and popular opinions. When using such sources for academic purposes, you nonetheless need to present them in such a way that avoids undermining your own credibility, while also showing how the sources help you illustrate a point related to an original thesis.
The Assignment: Write a research paper comparing popular movie and television depictions of Information Technology and Computer Science professionals with those gathered from professional sources, such as trade publications, organizational websites, and job descriptions. The types of sources you’ll use to present your analysis of the popular image of the profession can come from entertainment media (novels, television shows, films, or reviews of them, for example), current-events articles treating employment and career trends, or even user-created discussion forums speaking about particular professions from an outsider perspective. Your task in writing this focused research paper will be to identify and explain specific similarities and differences in popular and professional images of the profession under examination.
ASSIGNMENT EXPLAINED IN A NUTSHELL: Compare and contrast media portrayals of computer science professionals with real-life accounts (job descriptions, trade journals) of computer science professionals. Use and refer to the attached list of selected reference materials for “Media Depictions”, as well as the “Professional Reality” document. Feel free to use any additional resources you desire to make a compelling case. Use proper APA reference citations and a proper consolidated APA reference list
