3-4pages

Assignment: Application Paper 1

Purpose: The assignment provide you with an opportunity to more deeply understand a concept through your application of concepts from the class or the textbook to your own personal experience.

Specifically, you are asked to demonstrate:
   1. Your ability to explain a theory based on your reading and class discussion
   2. Your ability to recognize the presence and relevance of that theory in a communication event
   3. Your ability to analyze a communication event using the theory as criteria
   4. Your ability to express your ideas in writing clearly, coherently, and accurately

General Description: The paper should contain a clear introduction, three inter-related parts, and a conclusion.

NOTE: PLEASE CLEARLY LABEL EACH SECTION OF YOUR PAPER!!

Introduction: ( 1-2 paragraphs) You should introduce the paper with a brief overview of the theory that you chose to discuss AND a description of the communication event that you intend to analyze. Provide a preview for the reader of what is to come in the paper.

Part 1: Select and describe a theory from the first two cycles of the course. (about 1 page)

-You should explain the theory completely and accurately, yet be concise.

-You should NOT use extensive quotations (more than a couple of phrases. You should describe the theory completely in your own words. Note: Do not use examples in this section; just describe the theory conceptually.

-Be sure to define the import terms, state important propositions or assumptions, and describe how the theory works.

-Note: Your description of the theory can be based on class discussion, the textbook, readings from the "Recommended Readings" at the end of the chapter on that theory, or other sources you might find. Be sure to include the full source information that you refer to, quote, or paraphrase in that section.

-Hint: Use the study guide to help you determine important material.
 

Choose from the following:

Meaning of Meaning
Symbolic Interaction
Interpersonal Deception Theory
Expectancy Violation Theory
Social Penetration Theory
Uncertainty Reduction Theory
Social Judgment Theory
Elaboration Likelihood Theory
Social Information Processing Theory
The Interactional View
Relational Dialectics
Cognitive Dissonance

Part 2: Describe a Communication Event! (about 1 page)

This can be a scene from a movie, TV show, or book. It can also be a personal experience. Please don't just look for examples that illustrate each part of a theory. Instead, use the theory to analyze one event (or even a series of events over time).

Example: If you are using Social Penetration Theory: DON'Tfind a different relationship that illustrates each phase of social penetration.   DO use social penetration theory to analyze how and why your relationship with one person evolved from "stranger" to BFF.

No reason be be long-winded or provide excessive detail. Just provide enough information such that the event is clear to your reader and your analysis will make sense, but not so much that it becomes irrelevant or confusing to the reader (or to you!).

Part 3: Analyze the Communication Event! (about 2-3 pages)

Please analyze the communication event in the terms of the theory you have chosen. How does the chosen theory give you / us insight (or understanding) into what happened in the communication event?

In this section, you should use specific quotations or provide direct dialogue examples from the event whenever possible.

This is the place for your personal insights, but those insights must be informed. Use the specific principles or assumptions, terminology, and concepts of the theory in developing your analysis.

How does the theory help us explain what happened and why the event occurred as it did? How does the theory suggest the experience could have been different, or better, or more constructive?

This is the most important part of the paper. Everything else leads up to this section. So be sure to keep your focus!

Conclusion

You should conclude the paper with a brief summary of the major ideas and re-visit your overall thesis for the paper. Take a look at how well the theory you chose has done explaining the communication event that you described. Does the theory make the event more clear or understandable? Does the theory hold up well when used to analyze your communication event? Does your analysis reveal any shortcomings of the theory? Would you say that the theory is a good (or not-so-good) explanatory tool?

Grading Criteria for this assignment: Please see the attached PDF file for the specific criteria!

Free advice: DO NOT read past student papers as a guide. It's really much easier to do your own work. In addition, you should be well aware of the criteria and the rules about plagiarism. If the material you use or the idea you advance is not original with you, and you don't cite the original source, that's plagiarism. That's true even if you change the words around of use synonyms. As stated in the syllabus, plagiarism will result in at least failure of the assignment, possibly failure of the course, and could lead to dismissal from the University.

Please feel free to check with Sam or Prof Sweet or Abby if you have any questions about this assignment (or nearly anything else). Please also feel free to run ideas by us for some feedback. We MIGHT actually be helpful!

Please also see the attached file: "Essay Writing Tips"