DIGITAL DIVIDES & DIVERSITIES

Read/View the following pieces, then add your own found sources – one primary, one secondary:
(1) Karen Grisby Bates, “Q&A with the Black Twitter Engineer Who Left Over Diversity Problems,” NPR News Series, Code Switch: Race and Identity Remixed, November

6th, 2016 (read links within the piece, too): http://www.npr.org/sections/codeswitch/2015/11/06/454949422/a-q-a-with-lesley-miley-the-black-twitter-engineer-who-left-

over-diversity-probl
(2) Kate Losse, “The Art of Failing Upward,” NYT Sunday Review, March 5th, 2016. http://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/06/opinion/sunday/the-art-of-failing-upward.html?

_r=0
(3) Benjamin Mendelsohn (dir.) “Bundled, Buried, Behind Closed Doors” (10-minute, video, 2011): https://vimeo.com/30642376
(4) Primary Source of your Choosing:this could be a recent news piece that speaks to the issues;
(5) Secondary Source of your Choosing (but should add a differing view of some kind): a critical piece that itself synthesizes the work of others to draw

conclusions about the causes, effects, and solutions of access in light of your chosen focus.
The causes, effects, and solutions of “access” to the internet and digital media are not clear cut but they are, undoubtedly, issues we have to confront as a society.

Matters of “inclusion” can depend on how/whether infrastructure has enabled possibilities beyond experiencing only those like yourself; building access hubs accessible

to all inhabitants of underserved areas would seem critical, too.

For this lab, you will write a page or around 250-400 words assessing the impact of digital media access and inclusion on differing communities, in whatever way you

define this difference.

Addressing key areas brought up in the readings and in your additional sources (relating to community, content, filtering, infrastructure), how does “access” or a

“lack of access” (however you define it) impact the demographics represented in your chosen focus? Does the “digital divide/diversities” issues pose a real threat to

their economic or social well-being? Are there other “digital diversities” issues that you see as being relevant to how or whether people feel as if “access” leads to

feeling included in a community? Be sure to reference your sources; be sure to offerpossible solutions to problem(s) identified?
Your response should have: (1) a catchy subject heading title; (2) strong introduction with a well-worded thesis statement (underline it, please); (3) well-supported

ideas throughout and a strong conclusion.
Some Grading Criteria:
• Has compelling introduction and subject heading title –makes you want to click it!
• Well-developed thesis statement (that argues and explains view point).
• Uses clear examples from primary sources, like interviews, news or other testimonials.
• Clearly ties sources to ideas from class and readings.
• Offers insights on the impact of “divides” or “diversities”and demographics they represent.
• Persuasively argues a stance on the threat (or lack thereof) posed by the digital divide/diversities.
• Persuasively argues for solutions to the digital divide/diversities issue or problem taken as focus.
• All ideas are clearly presented, leading to a strong concluding paragraph.
• Includes Work Cited for given and chosen sources (not part of overall word count).
• Final brief reflection on process: what was learned, what difficulties or questions, if any (also not part of overall word count).