Essay 1

 

This assignment asks you to explore one topic related to the WWW or the Internet in
3 - 5 pages. The topic may be in your area of study, or simply in an area of interest. Unlike the initial position statement, this essay will discuss one topic in detail. Some possibilities include

web-based applications (email, file-sharing, P2P)
web standards (W3C, ADA, etc)
effects of the web on your profession (nursing, biology, physics, etc)
professional vs layperson use of the WWW
online scientific communication (original reason for the WWW)
the Semantic Web (Berners-Lee's vision of the future of the WWW)

These topics are very broad; you will need to narrow them down in order to write a 3 - 5 page essay. In general, the purpose of this essay will be explanatory and the audience will be the interested non-expert. But consider more specific audiences and purposes: who would want to read this? Who needs to have this topic explained? Why? A clear sense of audience and purpose will be essential to writing a successful essay.

Research is not required, but if you use any sources (including textbooks) you must cite them. This essay is primarily exploratory; it may be procedural (how something works), instructional (how to do something), or causal (analysis of causes and effects).