Response Assignment #8: 

In response to Reading for Oct. 25th

Due October 25th (minimum 2 pages):

In her last paragraph of the text that I assigned you to read for Oct. 25th's class, Murray asks the following three questions:  

1. "Do we believe that kissing a hologram (or engaging in cybersex) is an act of infidelity to a flash-and-blood partner?
2. "If we could someday make holographic adventures as compelling as Lucy Davenport, would the power of such a vividly realized fantasy world destroy our grip on the actual world?"
3. "Will the increasingly alluring narratives spun out for us by the new digital technologies be as benign and responsible as a nineteenth-century novel or as dangerous and debilitating as a hallucinogenic drug?"

In no less than two full pages, write a response to one of the above questions (what YOU think in response to any one of her above questions) and WHY you believe what you believe/think. 

You MUST draw upon ONE outside source to help make your case. This is not merely a response based purely upon opinion; you must back up your opinion with some semi-scholarly and/or reputable resource. 

One place you might try going in: www.cyberculturestudies.com to find some scholarly resources.

"Scholarly" generally refers to text written by those who are in academia - doing research in or are teaching in colleges or universities. Newspaper journalists, "public intellectuals," and those (experts) who work in certain fields and have a strong background and experience in their field or in certain subjects can also be providers of reputable information. But you would want to avoid magazines and/or zines that generally do not require their writers to do research or provide any factual evidence before publishing their work (otherwise, you are just backing up your opinion with someone else's opinion). Look and see if the article sounds more like an opinion piece or a more serious article; does the article quote others? cite other sources? If it does, then it is likely a more reputable source.

So in order to provide a reputable source, to help your argument have more solidity, you want to provide some type of expert source that "backs up" your claim, opinion, or thought. You can generally find reputable sources in our college library (both online and in person, online if you take notice as to whether that source generally provides articles that also quotes other sources (if an online article quotes other sources or cites other references, chances are, it is a reputable source), and in published materials, such as journals and books. If you are unsure about whether your source is considered either "scholarly" or "reputable," email me with that source and where you found it.

Remember: you must properly cite whatever outside source you use (see how to properly cite your source in your Writers Resource book).  

** Always, always back up your thoughts with some example, quote, or explanation.