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Final paper assignment 300 points
This assignment is to be prepared in teams of two. For this assignment you are to select an area of study that interests you,* identify the key concept your project centers on,** select a methodology *** to do so, and complete a mini-research project. All projects must include a written paper and an example of what you have studied. I'll consider different approaches depending on what you propose but you must research the topic in addition to how you want to explore it. The resulting paper is to be no more than 10 pages long and no less than 8 (excluding bibliography and examples). The paper must be type-written and carefully edited for style, clarity and grammar. Regardless of the topic you choose, your paper should have the following parts: 1. Introduction that includes brief (1 page) discussion and answer to the question "What problem do I want to solve?", what method you will be using, why you are doing this project and why people should be interested in what you find. 2. Background discussion of topic. This is the literature review part where you see what others have written on the topic and a review of the historical context within which the problem you will study arose. 3. Description of the methodology (what you used and how you'll gather your data). What research question are you asking? 4. Findings - what you found, and what it means.. Also where you'll write your conclussion/discussion. 5. Bibliography 6. Appendixes for examples and other materials.
*How do we get a topic idea? You might already have an idea of what you want to study and are preparing your proposal for me. If not, there are a variety of way to get to an idea. You might start with a medium you are interested in: newspapers, magazines, books, music recording, television, movies; or a related industry such as public relations or advertising. OR related concepts: Mass media ownership, ethics, American Political Communications Political Communications from other countries. You might have a topic in mind such as (examples only) impact of advertising on society, impact of television dramas/comedies/sitcoms. Movies and violence. Media and body image. You might have a particular media vehicle in mind such as Maxim, Cosmo, Sports Illustrated, "CBS Evening News," reality television, soap operas, romance novels. I'm happy to brainstorm with you and your teammate to get you going.
**Key Concepts of Comm Studies: 1. Language is not neutral 2. Representation 3. Materialism and non-reductionism 4. Articulation 5. Power 6. Popular culture 7. Texts and readers 8. Subjectivity and identity
*** Methodologies We've talked about several in class and you've read about them in your books. The primary areas are: 1) Semiotics 2) Ethnography 3) Discourse analysis
Grading criteria will be provided to you. |