Due May 2, 2008, by noon central time.

For your second paper, discuss Internet-related laws and public policies, related to a topic we covered in our course this semester.  Suitable topics include the digital divide, spam, online privacy, online identity theft and phishing, Internet sales taxes, security in online communication and transactions, digital democracy, Internet and terrorism, and music downloading - really any topic covered during the semester.  Your paper should cover all aspects of this issue, including how it impacts American society today and specific laws and public policies that pertain to this Internet-related issue.  This is to be a research-based paper, and you will need to provide sources to support the statements you make in your paper.

You will propose your topic to the class, and your classmates will assist you (and you them) in refining, organizing, and researching your topic.  As with the first paper, you will write your second paper in two phases.  In Phase 1 - the research and discussion phase - you select a topic (your choice), propose the topic to the class, and locate numerous Internet resources that are related to this topic.  Other students are then required to assist you by suggesting additional ideas for you to cover in your paper, how to organize your paper, web resources, etc.  You also are required to assist at least 3 other students with their paper topics.  In Phase 2 - the submission phase - you write your paper and submit it to a plagiarism detection website (turnitin.com), to me (for evaluation), and to the class (for class discussion.)

In order to receive full credit for your paper, you must follow all of these instructions carefully.

1. For your paper, you are to use a minimum of 5 Internet-based primary resources relevant to your chosen topic; many topics will require 15 or 20 sources to cover the topic in depth.  In addition, you must incorporate and cite specific comments from the Phase 1 Discussions with the other students in the class.  Citations of input from the other students must include the author's name and the date the comment was made, and be listed in the "Works Cited" or "References" section.

2.  Write a paper in which you discuss all aspects of a public policy issue involving the Internet from among the topics covered during the semester.  You should describe in detail the Internet-related laws and public policies that are relevant to your topic.  You must use material from the Internet websites you and your colleagues locate in your research, as well as comments made by your classmates in the various class discussions.  It must be very clear to me that you have incorporated the research resources and ideas contributed by your classmates into your paper.

3. The minimum length of your paper is 2000 words of original content plus a References list. Important note: direct quotes from other sources are not counted in determining the "word-count" length of your paper.  The web resources must be cited properly (see instructions on the web) and should be listed on a numbered References list;  a parenthetical reference [e.g. (4)] should  be made in the text of your paper whenever information from that source is used.  Remember, your References (or Works Cited) list must also include citations of the discussion comments from your fellow classmates that you use in your paper.

4.  This is a research paper, and you must include references to support the statements you make in the paper.  For example, if you write "The time that American children are spending online is increasing at a rate of 20% per year.", you must have a reference that will allow the reader to know where you found that information -- "The time that Americans are spending online is increasing at a rate of 20% per year (4)." -- where (4) is the numbered reference in your "Works Cited" or "References" section that has that information.

5.  UIS has a strict policy against plagiarism (go to that page and search on the word "plagiarism").  Plagiarism of any form will not be tolerated in PAC 442. You should understand the basic definitions of plagiarism (including improper paraphrasing) and how to avoid it.

Instructions for discussing and submitting your paper will be forthcoming.