Your final project in this class will be a research paper and presentation digging deeper into an aspect of interpersonal communication.
There will be parts to the paper (250 points total):
Research Storm 20 points
Produce a list of 10 sources in APA or MLA style
(no summary or annotation required)
Paper Presentation 70 points
5 minute presentation uploaded to Canvas
Final Paper 110 points due May 16th
Final Paper Requirements (110 points):
5-7 pages
Double spaced
1 inch margins
12 point font
5-7 sources
Including:
Scholarly journals and other academic sources
(Current) News articles
Think pieces from influential community members
The textbooks for this class, etc.
Sources must be listed on a separate page using MLA or APA formatting
Visit https://owl.purdue.edu/index.html(Links to an external site.) (Links to an external site.) for Style Guide specific questions
See attached Instructor Feedback Form for further grading questions
Presentation Requirements (70 points):
5 minutes per person
Deliver your information extemporaneously
Clear thoughtful presentation device linking individual speeches
This will most likely require communication & rehearsal among your group
Suggestions for Preparation:
Use your research skills to lead you in the direction of a thesis.
Once you have identified an exact topic, consider that you have 5 minutes to teach us the most important aspects of that topic.
Consider our critical thinking starter pack
Definitions
History
Examples in the world
Impacts, Significance, & Affects
Consider the balance of depth & breadth of the subject
Don’t forget to put your personal spin on it! Every single one of you would write a different paper about the exact same topic. Consider what specific strengths you bring to this research and let your instincts and interests lead.
The basic outline for a research paper and a good presentation are the same basic outline
See attached
There will be 2 parts to the final project:
Paper Presentation 5 minute presentation uploaded to Canvas by May 18th @ 11:59pm
Final Paper due May 18th @ 11:59pm
Your final project in this class will be a research paper and presentation digging deeper into an aspect of interpersonal communication. What you choose to research and write about can be any aspect of interpersonal communication. I would suggest considering issues like different intersections of identity and their relation to communication, conflict, workplace communication, family communication, etc. You could even cross multiply some of these topics to get super nuanced. Past examples have included: sibling communication, Latino machismo in family communication, communication and the LBGTQ+ community, a linguistic analysis of immigration issues, etc.
Your goal in this paper is to synthesize research about a given topic. It’s more than an annotated bibliography, but it doesn’t quite need to be an original piece of analysis.
You can make an argument about the research itself by doing a critical analysis of some themes within the research. Perhaps you were interested in a particular subject and you researched it, but realized that the research all came from a particular perspective and left out crucial contexts. Your thesis might sound something like, “The research on gender and communication in the workplace left quite a bit to de desired. There were three distinct, foundational issues with the researchthe reliance on the gender binary, underlying patriarchal perspectives, lack of cultural analysis, and no racial diversity in the people studied.” In this version, you are critiquing the way the research was done, what the researchers forgot to consider, or blatant harmful foundations upon which the researchers made assumptions.
Or you could make an argument about your topic itself and use the research to back you up. Your thesis might sound a little like this “My research showed that there are three main strains on sibling communication: moral differences, competition, and unresolved issues.” In this version, you are doing a survey of multiple pieces of research (5-7) and finding the what the common similarities and differences are. Focus your conclusion on reinforcing the idea that your paper gave an overarching view of the research you did. Consider how the research you surveyed might have been limited based on a variety of factors and what you might hope to see from future research.
Consider our critical thinking starter pack
Definitions
History
Examples in the world
Impacts, Significance, & Affects
Consider the balance of depth & breadth of the subject
Don’t forget to put your personal spin on it! Every single one of you would write a different paper about the exact same topic. Consider what specific strengths you bring to this research and let your instincts and interests lead.
Final Paper Requirements (110 points):
5-7 pages
Double spaced
1 inch margins
12 point font
5-7 sources
Including:
Scholarly journals and other academic sources
(Current) News articles
Think pieces from influential community members
The textbooks for this class, etc.
Sources must be listed on a separate page using MLA or APA formatting
Visit https://owl.purdue.edu/index.html(Links to an external site.) (Links to an external site.) for Style Guide specific questions
See attached Instructor Feedback Form for further grading questions
Presentation Requirements (70 points):
5 minutes
Deliver your information extemporaneously
Tell us about what you learned while you researched this topic.
Tell us about the main themes of the research
Consider the aspects of the topic you think the research covered well & what areas of research are still needed
Don’t try to tell us about the entire paper in 5 minutes.
Choose 2-3 really interesting themes, concepts, facts, considerations, etc. and tell us about those.
