Holeton, Research Links for Chapter 3

Chapter 3 index || Forward Thinking || Discussion Threads || More Online Readings & Resources |

1. If you have e-mail and Internet access, subscribe to a listserv or electronic mailing list related to your religious or cultural interests, like the CyberFaith group discussed by Charlise Lyles. Alternatively, join a Usenet newsgroup discussion in the soc.culture or soc.religion group, like those discussed by Max Padilla. Tile.Net maintains an excellent index of both listservs and newsgroups on the Web. "Lurk" (that is, just read the messages posted by others) on the mailing list or newsgroup for awhile to get a feel for the conventions of the group, such as what kinds of subjects and messages are considered appropriate. For newsgroups, you should also try to read the group's FAQ or Frequently Asked Questions document (Ohio State University's Department of Computer and Information Science maintains a list of Usenet FAQs by Newsgroup. When you feel ready, post your own message to the list or group. If possible, keep an archive of the discussion by saving the messages on your computer, so that you can refer back to particular parts of the discussion. Write about what you found valuable and less valuable about the experience, with specific examples from the group's electronic discussion.

2. Whatever your own sexual orienation, make a list of questions you'd like to ask gay or lesbian readers about Steve Silberman's and Max Padilla's articles in this chapter. Then interview gay or lesbian friends, family members, acquaintances, or members of your college's gay and lesbian student organization. If you or they have tried online discussions or chat areas related to sexual orientation, was the experience more like JohnTeen's (from the Silberman piece) or Padilla's? How so?

3. Examine the Queer Resources Directory referred to in Steve Silberman's article; another good resource is the Institute for Global Communications LesBiGay Directory. Explore some of the additional resources listed at these or other gay/lesbian Web sites. Choose a narrow focus, such as sites related to AIDS or sites devoted to socializing, and write a critical, annotated bibliography of selected Web sources for this topic. For each source, write an objective summary or abstract followed by your evaluation of its usefulness in relation to other available sources. If you know how to use HTML (Hypertext Markup Language) or a Web editor, consider publishing your bibliography directly on the Web, including links to the sources you discuss.

4. Among the "thorny questions" posed by Glen Martin's article are these: "In the age of information, can any data be legitimately considered sacred? How do you upload holiness?" Read Mark Fearer's article "Scientology's Secrets" in Chapter 8. How would you compare Native American activists' plans to protect sacred information with attempts by the Church of Scientology to protect its own "sacred texts"? What differences do you think there are in the way the two communities use information or the Net? Conduct research in the library and on the Internet to bring both controversies up to date (using, for example, magazine and newspaper indexes for the last two years). Write an essay comparing, contrasting, and taking a position on the tensions in these cases between the public's interest in open access to information and the interests of cultural and religious groups in keeping some information private.

5. A crucial issue for people of color, poor people, and anyone interested in the social effects of cyberspace is equal access to electronic resources. Research the current state of electronic access for members of particular minority groups, and evaluate how those groups are using the Internet. For example, look at the developing NativeNet Web site referred to by Glen Martin in this chapter. With a search you will find many other Native American resources on the Web. In the case of Native Americans, you could explore the currently available electronic resources for this group and evaluate these resources according to the original goals of Native activists, as reported by Martin in his article; you might also analyze the progress in wiring and improving access on North American Indian reservation lands. Likewise, in the case of Latino Americans, you might research the status of Max Padilla's "affirmative access" to cyberspace and update the policy recommendations made by Anne Larson and Anthony Wilhelm.

6. John Shirley's work -- with its marginal characters and hard-driving, uncompromising narrative and plots -- has been called the epitome of the "cyberpunk" genre (Shirley's background as a one-time street person and punk rock lyricist and musician may contribute to the mystique too). Write a research-based essay on some aspect of cyberpunk as either a literary genre or subculture. You might focus on individual writers, themes, or works of art/cultural expressions. You could start your research in print with Mondo 2000: A User's Guide to the New Edge (HarperCollins, 1992), edited by Rudy Rucker, R.U. Sirius, and Queen Mu, or Fiction 2000: Cyberpunk and the Future of Narrative (University of Georgia Press, 1992), edited by George Slueer and Tom Shippey. You will find thousands of references and resources about cyberpunk literature and culture on the Internet; you might start with the FAQ or Frequently Asked Questions document for the newsgroup alt.cyberpunk.