Expository Essay Assignment Prompt

Reading Material:

The three essays about cell phones and/or multitasking from previous units:

• Paul Goldberger’s “Our Cell Phones, Our Disconnected Selves”

• Sherry Turkle’s “The Flight from Conversation”

• Christine Rosen’s “The Myth of Multitasking”

Prompt: Exposition is a comprehensive description of an idea or theory. In this case, you are tasked with composing an exposition of an idea or theory from your major/minor area of study that can shed some light on how people use technological devices such as phones, laptops, computers and so forth. A prerequisite for this essay is a careful reading of the 3 essays by Goldberger, Turkle, and Rosen. Identify each of these author’s credentials, and the professional point of view from which they are writing. For example, is Goldberger a communication expert, a police officer, or an urban planner? You might have to do some research online to find each author’s credentials.

Your essay should be an informative paper. Approach this essay as an expert in your field of study and use specific ideas, concepts, or theories from your field to shed further light on the use of various mobile technologies in our lives and work. Now more than ever are we using technology to live our day-to-day lives. How does this impact our lives and our work?

Use, reply to, or reflect on several of the perspectives presented by Goldberger, Turkle, and Rosen. Analyzing another person’s argument or point of view requires careful attention (i.e., reading, active listening, etc), so that you can effectively summarize, respond, reflect, analyze, and synthesize their ideas.

The paper should not simply be a summary of the benefits of mobile technologies or a historical essay like “The History of Cell Phones.” Exposition requires analysis, careful thought, and careful editing.

Please include a creative title in your piece.

Please include a works cited or references page (depending on citation style used: MLA or APA).

Purpose: The main purpose of this assignment is to create an interesting, authentic, well-organized, and well-written expository essay that extends the critical conversation on how people use mobile technologies in life and work from the perspective of an expert in your field (you). To do this, use theories or concepts from your field to explore the subject.

Audience: Consider your audience a general reading public: People who enjoy reading as a practice and are eager to think about complex topics; who think critically. Also consider your audience to be composed of people with varying levels of interest in the subject of your essay.