Prospects of Cybersecurity Jobs for Undergraduates
The purpose of this assignment is to give you the opportunity to apply what you’ve already
learned about primary and secondary research and to take it a step further: You will explore a
discourse community with which you are unfamiliar, learn as much as you can through
secondary research, and conduct an oral history interview in order to fill gaps in your knowledge.
Here is a brief outline of your research journey:
• Choose a discourse community. Please choose a community with which you are
unfamiliar and would like to learn more about.
• Develop a research question. What questions do you still have about the community?
Narrow your focus by synthesizing your research (see next bullet point).
• Research your community via secondary sources (you will need at least five for your
final essay, as well as your working references list). This may include a mixture of
scholarly and non-scholarly sources, but at least two must be scholarly. It is important to
stay cognizant of which sources will be helpful to you in learning about your community
and why (recall the CRAAP test). Additionally, record a running list of questions about
the community as your research.
• Conduct 30-minute interview. The person you interview must be willing to be audio
recorded. In preparation for the interview, you will develop interview questions (these
are different from your research question) and acquire audio recording equipment (If you
have a smart phone, you can download a free app called “Otter.”) Remember: you need
to get a signed consent form from the participant prior to completing the interview.
• Write a five- to six-page essay that profiles the discourse community you have chosen to
research. It must include at least five sources (one primary (i.e., interview) and four
secondary). Your essay needs to include a thesis that makes a claim about the community
you researched. Here are some ideas: It could focus on the value of future membership in
this community (e.g., how membership leads to a life of significance and worth), or
barriers to inclusion in this community (e.g., challenges of moving from outsider to
insider).
The purpose of this assignment is multifaceted: (1) To develop your understanding of discourse
communities by analyzing both explicit and implicit manifestations of culture within a
community with which you are unfamiliar. (2) Build upon prior knowledge of primary research
to include conducting interviews. (3) Develop active listening skills. (4) Reflect on how inquiry
contributes to a life of significance and worth. (5) Reinforce prior knowledge of locating and
synthesizing secondary sources.
Attachments area
Answer preview:
word limit:1750