Category: Communications and Media

Length: 4-6 sentences per prompt
Step 1: Read the following questions before watching the documentary:
1.) In Ch. 9.1 the text suggests 7 important things we can do to reduce stereotyping and discrimination within relationships. Specifically with of these seven things do you think the main characters of the film used to reduce negative stereotypes of their peers? Please specifically link your answers to the content in Ch. 9.
2.) Reflecting on what we learned in Ch. 7.2 about ingroups and outgroups, how do those concepts reveal themselves in this particular film. In your answer please define the terms (ingroup and outgroup) in your own words. 
3.) Many important conversations and interactions were featured in the film. Reflecting on Ch. 5.3, please share how time and space were factors in how the teenage girls communicated and worked through their cultural differences. 
Step 2: Watch the documentary My So-Called Enemy: Celebrating Diversity, Interfaith and Intercultural Understanding (1hr 30min)Links to an external site.
**If the link does not work, the film can be found on the CRC Library Kanopy website.***
Description: A coming-of-age film about the vital role of listening and empathy in bridging bridges across personal, cultural, religious, political and gender divides.
In the spirit of Michael Apted’s “7 Up” series, the award-winning MY SO-CALLED ENEMY follows six courageous Palestinian and Israeli teenage girls who participated in a cross-cultural women’s leadership program in the U.S. and documents how the transformative experience of knowing their “enemies” as human beings in US meets with the realities of their lives back home in the Middle East over the next seven years.
A film about not making assumptions about, or creating “an other,” MY SO-CALLED ENEMY presents the complexities of the Israeli/Palestinian conflict through a human lens, and the possibility and hope that come from listening to each other’s stories.
Winner of Jury Prize, Best Conflict & Resolution Film at the Hamptons International Film Festival.
“Aired on the ITVS-curated “Global Voices” series (WORLD Channel)”

Your  version of a script/outline must be at least 3  pages in length. The topic must be a proposed piece of legislation (State or Federal) that was debated recently (no more than one year old). You must cite at least 4 or more sources. You should consider how you would incorporate a visual aid or other presentational aid but are not required to include one for this assignment.

Assignment Objective: To assess understanding and application of small group communication theories in a real-life setting
Learning Outcomes Assessed: 
Student demonstrates an ability to define, explain, and apply communication theories
Student demonstrates an ability to research concepts
Student demonstrates an ability to cite sources in appropriate formatting
Student demonstrates an ability to write using accepted rules of grammar, punctuation, and spelling
Length: Your paper should 1,500 words (=/- 10%). It should present your interpretations of your group process. The analysis papers are not a group assignment, but an individual one, thus it will necessarily be different from papers written by other members of your group. You will work on this alone, so the rules plagiarism and cheating apply here.
Content: The paper should be a critical analysis that demonstrates your understanding of at least 5 small group theories and concepts learned during the second half of the semester and applies behaviors you observed in your team interactions.   Your understanding of communication terms and concepts must be demonstrated in your analysis. You should supply not only a definition of the terms used, but clear evidence through analysis and examples of a deeper comprehension, with appropriate applications and explanations.   Especially important in your analysis is the application to your group. This should be descriptive and specific, meaning that you need to use specific examples to back up your application.
Be sure to consider your own role: What did you learn from your small group experience that you can apply to other small groups that you will be a part of? How did this group differ from other groups that you have been in? What would have been other ways to handle the issues?    All information in this paper will be kept confidential. I will not show nor discuss your paper with any group members. Consider topics like: 
Conflict
Personality Styles
Group Think
Creativity
Leadership
Problem Solving
Paper Checklist
1) Do I have a 5 concepts or theories that we covered in class in my paper?
2) Do I have a formal definition for each one with a source cited in the paper that is NOT provided in your small group course, a textbook, the professor’s lecture or Wikipedia?
3) Do I have a works cited in APA 7th edition style at the end? Writing Center guide can be found here:
4) Did I a) define the concept, give a source, and b) give a specific example of application to my group experience? 
5) Did I run my paper through a rigorous editing process to check for grammar, punctuation, spelling, and word choice? Grammarly is a great choice:  https://www.grammarly.com/grammar-check
6) If I outlined my paper would it look like this
Introduction: 
Get my attention and get me ready to read what you are about to say
Preview your main points
Theory/Concept 1
Define (with source)
Explain
Apply to your group
Theory/Concept 2
Define (with source)
Explain
Apply to your group
Theory/Concept 3
Define (with source)
Explain
Apply to your group
Conclusion: Self-reflection based on what you learned above
List Sources in APA 7th edition format 

Final Project: Literature Review-Annotated Bibliography Assignment Due May 11 (200 Points).
See annotated bibliography guidelines below.
Choose any topic in your textbook that interests or puzzles you about the role or effect of the media in the United States. Next, frame the topic as a research question, which now becomes the title of your paper.  
In your annotated bibliography presentation, start with an introduction of the topic for an intelligent but uninitiated reader who is not as familiar with the topic as you are. Secondly, describe the rationale for choosing this topic (you may wish to study the topic in your textbook to help strengthen your reasoning). 
Thirdly, under method of study, summarize each research article you selected in the literature (peer reviewed research articles published in communication academic journals) to show the relationship between each article and your topic of interest (see annotated bibliography format attached). 
Finally, under conclusion, provide an interpretation of the topic, similar to an executive summary of the sources in your methods section.
______________________________________________________________________________
Choosing the right research topics
Just a Reminder: The literature review topic must come from the textbook and must be researchable, which means, you should be able to find at least 10 research articles about the topic in the WSU library communication databases. Try writing down on paper, several topics from the textbook to ultimately choose the one that interests you the most. Then break down the topic into smaller chunks of issues that are related to it.
Once you have settled on a particular topic, go to the WSU library homepage to search the Databases by Keyword/Title/Subject for peer reviewed research articles, or send email to subject librarian for communication, Shu Qian,  .
Some communication research topics
These are broad topics that could be narrowed down to specific interests or angles:
Media and Body image
Media and Censorship
Media and Children’s programming
Media and Advertising
Media and Copyright
Media and Freedom of speech
Media and Materialism
Media and Stereotypes
Media and Feminism
Media and Racism
Media and Ownership
Media and Minorities
Media and Political correctness
Media and Portrayal of women
Media and Reality television
Media and Talk radio.
Media and Television violence
Etc.,
Guidelines for Annotated Bibliography
See video links for samples: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3rsNakv8PNY and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cxkhja-bxDg  
What’s an annotated bibliography?
An annotated bibliography is a summary and/or evaluation of list of sources, in this case, from peer-reviewed academic journals. 
Your annotations will do the followings.
Paraphrase: What are the main arguments? What is the point of this article? What topics are covered? If someone asked what this article is about, what would you say? The length of your annotations will determine how detailed your summary is. For more on paraphrasing sources without plagiarizing, see part 2 below.
Evaluate: After summarizing a source, it may be helpful to evaluate it. Is it a useful source? How does it compare with other sources in your bibliography? Is the information reliable? Is this source biased or objective? What is the goal of this source? For more on evaluating resources, see Part 3 below.
Reflect: Once you’ve summarized and assessed a source, you need to ask how it fits into your research. Was this source helpful to you? How does it help you shape your argument? How can you use this source in your research project? Has it changed how you think about your topic? 
Why should I need an annotated bibliography?
To learn about your topic: Writing an annotated bibliography is excellent preparation for a research project. Just collecting sources for a bibliography is useful, but when you have to write annotations for each source, you’re forced to read each source more carefully. You begin to read more critically instead of just collecting information. To help you formulate a thesis: Every good research paper is an argument. 
The purpose of research is to state and support a thesis. So a very important part of research is developing a thesis that is debatable, interesting, and current. Writing an annotated bibliography can help you gain a good perspective on what is being said about your topic. By reading and responding to a variety of sources on a topic, you’ll start to see what the issues are, what people are arguing about, and you’ll then be able to develop your own point of view. 
What should I do before writing an annotated bibliography?
1. Roughly how many sources should you include? At least 10.
2. What types of sources (academic journal articles only)? Yes.
3. Should you summarize, synthesize, or critique your sources by discussing a common theme or issue? Yes.
4. Should you evaluate your sources? Yes.
5. Should you provide subheadings and other background information, such as definitions and/or a history? Yes.
What’s the format of annotated bibliography?
1. The bibliographic information: Generally, though, the bibliographic information of the source (the title, author, publisher, date, etc.) is written in either MLA or APA format. For more help with formatting, see the MLA and APA handout in the Information page of your course website.
2. The annotations: The annotations for each source are written in paragraph form. The lengths of the annotations vary from a paragraph to a page.
Part 2: Paraphrasing
A paraphrase is…
1. your own rendition of essential information and ideas expressed by someone else, presented in a new form.
2. one legitimate way (when accompanied by accurate documentation) to borrow from a source.
3. a more detailed restatement than a summary, which focuses concisely on a single main idea.
Paraphrasing is a valuable skill because…
1. it is better than quoting information from an undistinguished passage.
2. it helps you control the temptation to quote too much.
3. the mental process required for successful paraphrasing helps you to grasp the full meaning of the original.
6 Steps to Effective Paraphrasing
Reread the original passage until you understand its full meaning.
Set the original aside, and write your paraphrase on a note card.
Jot down a few words below your paraphrase to remind you later how you envision using this material. At the top of the note card, write a key word or phrase to indicate the subject of your paraphrase.
Check your rendition with the original to make sure that your version accurately expresses all the essential information in a new form.
Use quotation marks to identify any unique term or phraseology you have borrowed exactly from the source.
Record the source (including the page) on your note card so that you can credit it easily if you decide to incorporate the material into your paper.
Some examples:
The original passage: Students frequently overuse direct quotation in taking notes, and as a result they overuse quotations in the final [research] paper. Probably only about 10% of your final manuscript should appear as directly quoted matter. Therefore, you should strive to limit the amount of exact transcribing of source materials while taking notes. Lester, James D. Writing Research Papers. 2nd ed. (1976): 46-47.
A legitimate paraphrase: In research papers students often quote excessively, failing to keep quoted material down to a desirable level. Since the problem usually originates during note taking, it is essential to minimize the material recorded verbatim (Lester 46-47).
An acceptable summary: Students should take just a few notes in direct quotation from sources to help minimize the amount of quoted material in a research paper (Lester 46-47).
A plagiarized version: Students often use too many direct quotations when they take notes, resulting in too many of them in the final research paper. In fact, probably only about 10% of the final copy should consist of directly quoted material. So it is important to limit the amount of source material copied while taking notes.
Part 3: Source Evaluation
Evaluating sources is an important skill. It’s been called an art as well as work—much of which is detective work. You have to decide where to look, what clues to search for, and what to accept. You may be overwhelmed with too much information or too little. The temptation is to accept whatever you find. But don’t be tempted. Learning how to evaluate effectively is a skill you need both for your course papers and for your life.
When writing research papers, you will also be evaluating sources as you search for information. You will need to make decisions about what to search for, where to look, and once you’ve found material on your topic, if it is a valid or useful source for your writing.
Evaluating Bibliographic Citations
When searching for information in library catalogues and online article databases such as EbscoHost or Proquest Direct, you will first find a bibliographic citation entry. A bibliographic citation provides relevant information about the author and publication as well as short summary of the text. 
Before you read a source or spend time hunting for it, begin by looking at the following information in the citation to evaluate whether it’s worth finding or reading. Consider the author, the title of the work, the summary, where it is, and the timeliness of the entry. You may also want to look at the keywords to see what other categories the work falls into. Evaluate this information to see if it is relevant and valid for your research.
Evaluating While Reading
After you have asked yourself some questions about the source and determined that it’s worth your time to find and read that source, you can evaluate the material in the source as you read through it.

Here is the instruction: 
ESSAY I 15 PTS
Compare and contrast (a) the assigned reading (the original study), (b) the in class-activity (both personal experience and general findings), and (c) related phenomena in the real world. The essay should have required parts and formats below.
Summary of the Original Study 2 pts
Briefly summarize the study’s research question(s) and finding(s) that pertain to the in-class version. Skip aspects that were not reflected in the in-class version. Be brief in this part, and it should be no more than 20% in length of the essay (i.e., 1 page).
Rubric: Elegant ~ Accurate (2  ~ 1.8); Minor Unclear ~ Minor Misunderstanding (1.7 ~ 1.5); Major Misunderstanding ~ Missing (1.4 ~ 0).
Technical Comparisons 4 pts
What’re the specific differences between the in-class activity and the related part from the original study, which could have led to the differences in findings? (Do not compare the activity with the not-included parts from the original study.) Focus on one or a few differences that actually mattered, rather than listing all remote differences. The key is not to just list the differences, but to explain why and how the differences are responsible for the different findings. The explanations should be ≥ 50% in length of this part. This part itself may be 30% – 40% in length of the essay (i.e., 1.5 – 3 pages).
Take Cyberball for example, you may discuss what differences between the original study and in-class activity’s setups might have contributed to the fact that we did not replicate Beekerman et al.’s (2016) findings? These could include, but not limited to the study designs, procedures, contexts, and participants. 
Rubric: Insightful ~ Reasonable (4 ~ 3.6); Ineffective ~ Insufficient (3.5 – 3.0); Lacking Explanation or Face Value ~ Missing (2.9 ~ 0).
Theoretical Conditions 3 pts
Beyond the technical differences, discuss more general factors that would theoretically alter the expected phenomena behind both the original study and in-class activity. This whole part can be 30% – 40% in length of the essay (i.e., 1.5 – 3 pages).
Take Cyberball for example, do not discuss the original experiment or in-class activity per se, as those are for the “Technical Comparisons” above. Instead, be theoretical,  focusing on need to belong, social exclusion, and negative affect/stress in general. You may, for example, talk about in general (and in real life) what factors could change the tendency that those with a high need to belong tend to emotionally suffer more from social exclusion, compared with those with a low need to belong (which is the take home point of Beekeman et al., 2016). 
Take Bavales’ Box for another example, you may talk about: Under what contexts would some of the three network structures theoretically promote group performance? What aspects of the group performance are theoretically most likely to be influenced by each of the three network structures?
Rubric: Insightful ~ Reasonable (3 ~ 2.7); Ineffective ~ Insufficient (2.6 – 2.3); Lacking Explanation or Face Value ~ Missing (2.2 ~ 0).
Real-World Examples 3 pts
Identify everyday examples or personal experiences that reflect the theoretical concerns (i.e., the take-home points) behind the study.
Rubric: Insightful ~ Reasonable (3 ~ 2.7); Ineffective ~ Insufficient (2.6 ~ 2.3); Lacking Explanation or Face Value ~ Missing (2.2 ~ 0).
Easy to Read & Error-free 1 pts
Write a well-organized and easy-to-read essay. 
Rubric: Enjoyable to Read ~ No Obvious Error (1~0.9); Minor Errors ~ Effortful to Read (0.8~0.7); Challenging ~ Unable to Read (0.6~0).
Format Compliances 2 pts
Comply with the required formats.
5-8 pages excluding figures, tables, and reference list
1 inch margins
11 pt font size
Double-spaced throughout, including no extra space between paragraphs
Coherent paragraphs with reasonable length (each > 1 sentence, < 1 page) Bold, centralized title/headings with the same font size and line/paragraph spacing as normal paragraphs No disclosure of author information No excessive reliance on others’ work (cited work < 50% of main text) Sources credited both in-text and as a separate list of references at the end Reference list, figures, and tables (if there are any) located at the end and properly labeled with headings, and referred to in texts Rubric: Each point above is worth 0.2 pt. Any incidence of violation for each point deducts the whole 0.2 pt. This essay should be written around in-class activity. The in-class activity is Bavelas’ Box. Bavelas Box is an experiment done by Bavelas Smith and Leavit. The prof re-did this experiment in class. But by letting students use mobile phones or computers to communicate. So there are some errors. There are about 70 students in the classroom. But the most primitive way to experiment before was by handwriting on paper. The development of science and technology and the differences in experimental sites and objects will lead to changes in the experimental results. Analyze these changes and provide explanations.

1) Chose an image/Advertisement to analyze from the three provided in the Assignment
2) Descriptively break it all down into these components:
A) The “Literal Message(s)” in the ad
i) What are the literal, obvious things that are in the image? Do a direct, literal description of what is in the ad
B) The “Linguistic Message” – If there is text in the ad, evaluate it by discussing:
i) “Denoted” text: What are the linguistic messages (tag lines, other text in the ad, etc) that are obvious that are in the advertisement (if any…some ads many not have a lot of words in the them, or any).
ii) “Connoted” text: What are the messages in the text that are inferred? Meaning, what might the “hidden” messages be within the printed text? What are the words trying to say if it is not direct?
C) The “Symbolic Message(s)”
i) Find the signs or symbols that are within the Image (rather than the text). What are the NON-verbal (non-linguistic) parts of the message the advertisement is trying to show you? What does the “art” part of the ad (the illustration, the photograph, etc) say without using words? Just do your best to come up with things to find and talk about here!
3) Brainstorm a word list related to the image: Write down whatever comes to mind regarding the advertisement. What do you see? What don’t you see? What are the shapes? Colors? Messages? Objects? Symbols? Creative materials and forms used within the image (Does it use mostly photography? Illustration?), etc…Let your mind wander…
4) Create an ‘Image Cloud’ in either GIMP or your own chosen image manipulation software…Also, here are some tips:
i) Make the file large enough so that you can move the layers around and scalem them down to fit everything in
ii) Don’t forget that it helps to GROUP your selected images into “topics” based on your word list AROUND the main image of the advertisement you are analyzing, as well as use SCALE to indicate what you feel is more or less important for what you want to emphasize

In this assignment, you will be analyzing interpersonal communication
in a personal or professional relationship between two specific people.
The paper should make a claim about how interpersonal communication
competence is employed to achieve a more positive relationship or how it
could be employed to achieve it. The paper should apply six to ten key
interpersonal communication concepts in this in-depth analysis. The
paper should also include at least three recommendations for improving
communication in this relationship. It should cite at least five-course
sources including the three assigned readings from this week. 
Aside from introduction, body, and conclusion, the organization of
this paper should be in narrative format (i.e., no bulleted lists) and
is roughly 70% focused on analysis and 30% focused on the description of
the case. This assignment also will be graded on course content
integration and depth of analysis, as well as organization, grammar, and
mechanics. In addition to these criteria, please use the evaluation
rubric to guide your approach to the paper.

#1. Introduce yourself with a short text (250 words max), and detail your interests in the Digital Humanities, your disciplinary focus and interest in taking this course. For context and information on the Digital Humanities, see Drucker Ch. 1 pp. 1-18 and for a broader overview of topics in the Digital Humanities.
#2. Include your thoughts on the following THREE readings, which can be brief comments as to a statement, insight, concept, or practice that interests you and/or which you have questions about. Each comment should refer to a specific passage in each text, with an-text citation with a page # for ease of reference.
(1)Johanna Drucker’s Digital Humanities Coursebook, Ch. 1 pp. 1-18 Download Ch. 1 pp. 1-18. (2021). Full text is available via UofT Library.
(2)Drucker, Lunenfeld, Presner, and Schnapp’s  Digital Humanities Manifesto V.2  Download Digital Humanities Manifesto V.2   (2008)
(3)Marshall McLuhan’s The Anti-Environment Part 1
#3. Provide a short note on what you see as the most pressing current issue in tech, in our academic context, or the world, could be AI, Generative AI, other relevant matters and concern, Feel free to include images and/or media. 
#4. APA format – in-text citations & Works Cited. Need pages number

This week we will be looking at how race and gender are represented in the music and digital media industries, as well as the production of content. What would you like to see change in these industries? What do you think they do well?
Assignment
List 10 ways in which you believe music resists and/or reinforces stereotypes
List 10 ways in which you believe digital mdia resists and/or reinforces stereotypes

Networking and Outreach Assignment:
This project will prepare you to network on social media in a proactive and professional manner. You will submit a complete report that includes the following:
1) Identify an industry and area you want to work in being a Communication, PR Major
2) Research professionals that you would like to connect with;
3) Draft an initial outreach message to the contacts and;
4) Reach out via social media.
This assignment will help you learn to utilize social media platforms to establish and maintain professional contacts that you can leverage for mentorship, career advice and perhaps even career opportunities.
DELIVERABLE- 5-page report with the following sections clearly labeled. (NOTE- Since this is a report, you can include screen shots/visual aids. There should be no more than one visual aid on each page, and the visual aid should take up no more than 25% of the page.)
Cover page (does not count toward 5-page minimum)
Introduction
Industry
Professionals
Outreach- include a screen shot of your outreach message
Experience
Conclusion
***RUBRIC ATTACHED****
WHEN CHOOSING WHO TO OUTREACH TO, DO SOMETHING IN THE PR FIELD (BEAUTY, WEDDING COORDINATING, COSMETICS, EVENT PLANNING) 
ALSO ATTACHED IS A PREVIOUS STUDENT’S EXAMPLE AS A REFERENCE. SINCE OUR “OUTREACH” IS SO LATE JUST SAY THE DID NOT RESPOND LIKE IN STUDENT’S EXAMPLE. MAKE YOUR OWN MOCK UP OUTREACH LIKE IN EXAMPLE.
THANK YOU!