Course Paper 1: Technology and Citizen Participation

Question:

*What effects do the new technologies (e.g., smartphones, computers, tablets, social media) have on citizen participation? Based on your own direct experience (please provide a few examples from your own experience) and current research, how do these new technologies facilitate citizen participation? Also based on your own direct experience (again, please provide examples) and the current research, how do they hinder citizen participation? What policies might you develop to enhance citizen participation in the digital age? (Note: 40-50% of this paper should be your narration of your own direct experiences with how new technologies have influenced your participation in government. If you do not have sufficient examples from your own experience, please interview friends or colleagues and recount their direct experiences.)

writing requirements

*All written material needs to be submitted in American Psychological Association (APA) format. The Web site Purdue OWL (Online Writing Lab) is an excellent source for information. You are expected to review this site and follow the format for in-text/parenthetical sourcing of your references in your papers.

*The required format for Papers is: double-spaced, 1 inch margins, Times New Roman 12 font—with appropriate research and sources to back up your findings and conclusions that “ground” your creative idea(s) in current research and thinking. Papers should specify your research question and have a brief introduction and conclusion (but not an abstract). Include your name and the page number in the header on each page. For each paper, please include a title page displaying the title and your identifying information. The title page does not count toward the page length requirement.

*Papers must be 2 pages (including bibliography)—including a minimum of 2 citations from unique sources. You should put your references immediately below the end of your paper rather than on a separate page.