Communication Research Project Assignment

Paper draft and Peer Reviews/Feedback (due 4/30, 30 points draft, 20 points peer reviews) Final Paper Presentations (due 5/7, 25 points online, 25 points in class) Final Paper (due 5/7, 150 points)

Purpose and Instructions

You will have the opportunity to reflect on how you’ve made communication theory and research meaningful to you. This will consist of a short presentation online and in class as well as a 10-12 page writing. Here’s what you’ll need to do: Think back to the first day class or our discussion #2—what did you identify as a significant communication “problem” in your life/world? Describe how that “problem” or struggle (or interest or fascination) intersects with one or more of your departmental cornerstones (democracy, diversity, globalization, or technology). Choose a theory from the course that you think might help you better understand or change the problem you identified. Brave the library, local and read/synthesize at least four communication studies peer-refereed journal articles (likely journals include: Communication Education, Quarterly Journal of Speech, Western Journal of Communication, Journal of Applied Communication Research, Critical Studies in Media Communication, American Communication Journal, etc.) that related to your problem and/or theory. Remember to cite these references in-text as well as in your bibliography! You are encouraged to incorporate ideas from West & Turner so long as you cite them appropriately (these do not, however, count toward the four journals articles you need to read for this assignment). Please submit a succinct annotated bibliography of the sources you think you’re likely to use for this writing. For each source provide the correct citation information, a summary of the article’s findings, and a sense of how you think the article might speak to your “problem.”  Write a 10-12 page essay that describes: (a) the problem you hope to address and how it intersects with democracy, diversity, globalization and/or technology, (b) the theory you think will help, (c) each of the articles you read, including their strengths and limitations in as much as they illuminate your own project, (d) how you would apply your newfound understanding of this theory to your problem, (e) what you think might result from taking your approach, and (f) where you think you’d take this project next. (for example, in terms of your own research agenda or personal/professional application) given time, money, energy, etc. Be sure to foreground a specific thesis in this writing (i.e. an argument for how communication theory is relevant and useful in this instance).  Present this work to your colleagues. Develop a short 3-5 minute extemporaneous presentation that dynamically shares with us how you got interested in this project, what you learned, and why it is important.