E-4: Virtual Worlds
Harvard Extension School
Mondays 7:35-9:35pm EST, Fall 2007
Berkman Center Conference Room and Live Webcast on Berkman Island
Instructor: Rebecca Nesson

Final Paper Topic Worksheet

Total Points: 50
Due Date: November 26, 12:00 noon EST

In this assignment you will develop the topic and research question for your final paper. The more work you put in to structure your research and your writing early on, the easier it will make the writing task a few weeks down the road. Don't hesitate to spend some time doing research and exploration both to find out a topic that you like and to explore the information and points of view available on this topic at this stage in your work.

Tell Us What You're Working On

Please give detailed answers to the following questions in a text file.

  1. What is the broad topic area of your paper? (Law in virtual worlds, business in virtual worlds, education, technology, art, etc.)
  2. What is the central question or problem that your paper will seek to answer/address?
  3. Who are the major stakeholders in the outcome or resolution of this problem or question? How would they like to have the question resolved? What are the main points of their perspective on the problem?
  4. We assume that you still have more research to do into how this problem can or should be addressed. What will be your methods of doing research? What sources will you use to do your research? Who will you speak to about the question? What real or virtual locations will you visit to gather data? Please be as specific as possible. If you are unsure, please discuss with one of the teaching staff.
  5. What is your hypothesis about what you might find when you do your research? Do you have an idea about how this question should be answered? Of course this will be subject to revision as you learn more and gather more data, but it is often a good idea to have an initial hypothesis that you can test as you gather information. Please write a 1 paragraph statement of this hypothesis that could serve as the thesis statement for a paper.