<p>Society, Technology & the Future Professor Silver</p><p>FINAL PAPER: Correlation v. Causality</p><p>Many times throughout this course, we’ve discussed social trends that have become more pronounced during the period people have been using information technology. We’ve repeatedly explored the question:</p><p>To what extent does the use of information technology cause these social trends, as opposed to merely being correlated with them?</p><p>Please address this question by writing about three social trends of your choosing that we’ve discussed during the semester. For each, provide details from assigned sources.</p><p>Your paper should be in essay form, following the following structure:</p><p> Introduction – 1-2 paragraphs laying out your argument about the extent to which there is causation/correlation between people’s use of information technology and these social trends.</p><p> Body - Several pages of discussion about each of the three trends, providing details from relevant sources.</p><p> Conclusion – 1-2 summary paragraphs that tie your argument together. Include thoughts about what you see as the value of distinguishing between correlation and causation when it comes to assessing the social implications of the IT revolution.</p><p>Bear in mind the following:</p><p> Provide citations in parentheses for references you make to assigned sources – such as (Boyd, p. 87). If you directly quote, you must put that material in quotation marks and cite it.</p><p> You don’t need to attach a bibliography.</p><p> I don’t expect you to do outside research.</p><p> While you may discuss ideas with one another, the writing you submit must be entirely your own work.</p><p> I strongly encourage you to seek help from CASA. Make sure to proofread before submitting.</p><p>Your paper should be 6-8 pages. Send it as a Microsoft Word attachment (.doc or .docx) to [email protected] by 11pm on Wednesday, December 20 th.</p><p>I will grade your work based on two factors:</p><p>1. Argumentation – The clarity of what you say and how specifically you support your ideas with details from assigned readings.</p><p>2. Style – The quality of your writing, grammar, and spelling.</p>