SOC302 Project 1: Evaluating Internet Sites
Purpose: This exercise is designed to obtain, document, and assess
information about a religious group on the Internet.
Instructions: Select two Internet sites that contain information about
the religious group or phenomenon you give your presentation and write your
paper on (see Presentation/Paper Assignment). You must choose the same group or
phenomenon unless you have obtained my approval for a change. Write a review of
each site using the guidelines below and the review of the Electronic Frontier
Foundation provided to you as an example.
Format: A short report containing two reviews. Each review needs to be at
least 500 words in length, typed, double spaced, and stapled, and to have
one-inch margins and use 12 point font. Include a word count and all
printouts.
Audience: Other students in this class. (They should be able to
understand it just by reading your report and by looking at the
printouts.)
Criteria for evaluation:
|
choice of sites; |
|
clarity of report; |
|
thoroughness of documentation; and |
|
assessment of information. |
Due: See syllabus.
Guidelines/Questions:
- After you select your site, put its title and URL at the top of the page.
Print out the site’s web pages that contain relevant information. Enclose them
with each review.
- Begin you review by identifying the site’s purpose and its creator/sponsor
(see review of the Electronic Frontier Foundation for an example). If no
author or sponsoring organization is listed, there is no way to ascertain the
quality of the document. Are there any credentials listed that establish
credibility? Is there any indication that the individual/organization has
expert knowledge about the topic? Is there indication of bias that the
individual/organization might have toward the topic?
- What information is provided? What are the criteria for including
information at the site? Are the documents collected for a stated reason? Do
the documents/texts offer a balanced viewpoint? Do they cite or refer to
sources for evidence they offer to support their arguments?
- How is the information presented? Is the site technologically
sophisticated? How often is the information updated? Does the site have an
index, a search page, or email links to find information or to contact the
creators/sponsors?
- What are the site’s major strengths/weaknesses? What is your overall
evaluation of the site?