Select a film which poses a question regarding a concept in interpersonal communication
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AnalyzeCommunicationinaMovie.docxAnalyze Communication in a Movie
You will choose a communication concept on which you will focus in the movie. See text chapters for topics
As you prepare to analyze communication in the movie, you might imagine that, as experts about the topic chosen, you have been asked to create an educational presentation for people outside the class. The presentation you design should be: • Attention-getting • Memorable • Impactful • Smart and well informed (use terms, theories, and examples from the book and from published research) • Deep and insightful. (Go beyond common sense or what the average person who watches the movie would notice.
Overall Tips and Guidelines
• Treat the action in the movie as if it really happened. This means you needn’t mention who played which role or anything like that. Instead, focus on the characters as if they are real people. • Go deep. Look and listen so closely that you notice communication phenomena that other people miss or take for granted. • Don’t summarize the entire plot. Instead, zero in specific aspects that are relevant to your topic. contribute fully.
Graded Components
The project involves a combination of individual work and team work, as reflected in the following outline. You will complete the project in stages so that you can stay on track and receive feedback throughout the semester.
Brainstorm and then Watch the Movie
Before Watching the Movie: Make notes in advance about concept-relevant terms, ideas, and tips from the book so you can focus on them in the movie.
During the Movie: Have your notes on hand for quick reference. • Keep an eye out for anything in the movie relevant to your topic. • Jot down notes throughout the movie. • After the movie, Push yourself beyond common sense and obvious evidence. Go deep. Your goal is to teach the audience something they don’t already know.
Develop a Thesis Statement and Planning Outline
After reviewing the guidelines and standards of excellence that follow, create a planning outline that presents a clear and interesting thesis statement, three main points that support your thesis statement, and examples from the movie that support each main point. (This outline doesn’t yet incorporate published research reports. That will come later.)
Drafting a Thesis Statement Your thesis should be a provocative, interesting, and supportable argument you make about the significance or impact of your communication topic in the movie. It’s important to focus on a particular aspect of the communication topic chosen.
Bad Thesis Statement: Characters in the movie display nonverbal communication.
Good Thesis Statement: In the movie While You Were Sleeping, as Lucy becomes less lonely and isolated, her clothing gradually changes to symbolically reflect her brighter outlook.
Identifying Main Points: Your presentation should have three main points, each one supporting the argument you make in your thesis statement in a specific way. Depending on what you are trying to prove, your main points might focus on: • Three actions by one character • Three scenes in the movie • Three characters • Or some other focus on three “things” that illustrate and support your thesis statement.
For example, to support the thesis statement about While You Were Sleeping, your main points might be: • In the beginning of the movie, Lucy wears dark and heavy clothing and a grim expression. • As Lucy begins to spend time with Jack, she begins to smile more and wear lighter fabrics in medium hues. • In the final scene, when Lucy is welcomed into the family, she smiles nearly nonstop and wears lightweight, light-colored clothing.
Supporting Main Points with Examples to make your main points convincing, support them with clear examples of relevant communication in the movie. For example, to support the first point, you might describe the expression (e.g., downcast eyes, mouth turned down at the corners) and clothing (e.g., an oversized dark wool coat, scarf, and gloves) Lucy wears as a fare-taker in the subway at the beginning of the movie.
• Remember to focus on the communication concept chosen• Provide vivid, specific details from the movie. Depending on your focus, you might present verbatim quotes from the dialogue, detailed descriptions of nonverbal cues, elements of the environment that affect communication, evidence of other people’s reactions, or so on. • Assume that readers have seen the movie (you needn’t describe the plot except as it applies to your analysis), but don’t assume that they noticed everything you did or reached the same conclusions. • Don’t include extraneous information. Your main points should explicitly support your thesis statement. Likewise, every bit of evidence you present within a main point should pertain to that point. • Use terms and theories from the course. (Provide a brief explanation of each term and make clear how it applies.) • State outright how the examples you present illustrate your main points (hence your thesis statement).
Creating a Planning Outline Once you have decided on content, create a planning outline. (Do not submit paragraphs rather than an outline. Paragraphs are harder to read at a glance when reviewing and rehearsing your presentation.)
Outlines will be evaluated on the following: • Specific enough to convey important details • Well written and well organized with proper spelling and grammar • Exhibit proper formatting and spacing for an outline (see the textbook).
Identify Trustworthy Studies Relevant to Your Analysis
After reviewing the guidelines and standards of excellence that follow, create a planning outline that presents a clear and interesting thesis statement, three main points that support your thesis statement, and examples from the movie that support each main point. (This outline doesn’t yet incorporate published research reports. That will come later.)
Objective • To gain experience finding trustworthy, primary research reports.
At this point, you know the main focus of your communication analysis, and it’s time to learn more about relevant research. 1. Decide in advance which main point will need research. Back to the hypothetical paper about While You Were Sleeping, you might look for research studies about the communication implications of clothing in various colors and textures, how clothing affects people’s impressions of a person, and so on. 2. At this stage, you should find one academic study about communication that is relevant to your analysis. It’s not necessary that the movie support what research evidence suggests. (For any number of reasons, movie-makers might not be in sync with social science research.) The main point is that you become knowledgeable about the research.
Choosing Trustworthy Sources
As you know, not all information is created equal. You will find many
sources that are biased, incomplete, self-serving, or just downright wrong. It is unethical to convey this information to others who trust you to be truthful and reliable. In fact, savvy listeners will realize that your sources are untrustworthy, and they will conclude that you, too, are untrustworthy. Clearly, we want to avoid that.
Here are some questions to consider when judging the trustworthiness of a published source. Every source you cite should pass this test 100%. Do not use a source if you answer no to any of the following questions about it.
1. Is this source primary? _______ __________________ A primary source is written by the people who personally collected data and analyzed it. By contrast, a secondary source summarizes information in primary sources. For obvious reasons (remember the rumor game) it is important to rely on primary sources, not secondary ones. Primary source: Academic journal article by the researchers who actually conducted the study
Secondary sources (thus off limits): Textbooks, encyclopedias, news stories that summarize scientific studies or other news stories, and so on (Some books are primary sources, but many are not.) 2. Is the author and/or publisher a trusted authority on the topic? The Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved is a trustworthy source of information about health disparities. Sources such as blogs, websites, Wikipedia, and Good Housekeeping are not trustworthy authorities. Likewise, unknown or disreputable sources are definitely not trustworthy. 3. Does the source include full citation information? Books citations require author, date, title, place of publication, and publisher. • Article citations require author, date, title of article, name of periodical, volume number, page numbers, and URL or DOI if applicable. You may not use any information you find online unless it is authored by a recognizable and reputable source with all of the previously listed information. (This rules out most websites. However, it includes thousands of academic publications you can find through the college library.) 4. Is the date of publication appropriate to your topic?
Things change! As a general rule, only rely on data that are less than 2 years old. 5. Is the source objective? For example, gossip and company websites are not objective. They are meant to entertain or to persuade. Steer clear of these and focus on sources that are dedicated to providing clear, unbiased information. 6. As far as you can tell, does information in this source compare well with information in other sources? If most sources say one thing but yours says another, you should ask yourself why. If you don’t have a good answer, don’t trust the information. If you do, explain in the summary why this source is more accurate than others.
Summarize Published Studies Relevant to Your Analysis
Now that you have identified trustworthy and relevant research reports, it’s time to summarize them in your own words so you can integrate that knowledge into your presentation.
Objectives: To enhance your ability to synthesize and apply published research. To master the techniques of citing sources in APA or MLA Style,
Deliverable: Need to submit a reference citation for all research cited in APA or MLA Style at end of outline.
It’s probably not necessary to mention this, but as with all work, the highest standards of academic integrity apply. It is critical to use your own words and not copy verbatim from the article.
1. Once you know that the communication study you have chosen is acceptable, review the following on subsequent pages of this workbook: • Sample APA Citation and Research Summary • Standards of Excellence for Research Summary • Format for Reference Citations
2. If the study you cite contradicts what you see in the movie, it’s fine to say so with a statement such as, “The movie suggests that boys who watch video games are prone to violent crime. The reality may not be so simple. Research published in the journal Social Justice suggests that male criminals often consider movie gangsters to be role models, but we can’t assume that media images caused the men to commit crimes.”
3. Note that long quotes are not permitted in the speech. Instead, paraphrase the details in your own words.
Sample APA Reference Citation and Research Summary*
Hall, S., Winlow, S., & Ancrum, C. (2005, Spring). Radgies, gangstas, and mugs: Imaginary criminal identities in the twilight of the pseudo-pacification process. Social Justice, 32, 100–112. Retrieved online through Expanded Academic ASAP via Thompson Gale.
APA Format for Reference Citations
Following are formats for common reference list citations. For others, see the APA Publication Manual (6th ed.).
Book
Borisoff, D., & Victor, D. A. (1998). Conflict management: A communication skills approach (2nd ed.). Boston: Allyn & Bacon.
Chapter in Edited Book
Bloomberg, D. J. (2003). How men and women talk about world events. In A. B. Mitchum & C. D. McCall (Eds.), Gender and current issues (2nd ed., pp. 105–155). New York: Plenum.
Journal Article
Bloomberg, D. J. (2003, November). How men and women talk about world events. Gender Issues, 65(3), 105–155.
Online Journal Article (must have reputable publisher)
Radison, M. (2002). Raising boys in the United Kingdom. Sex Roles, 54(1), 3315–3335. doi: 10.1038/02786133.24.2.225 Radison, M. (2002). Raising boys in the United Kingdom. Sex Roles, 54(1), 3315–3335. Retrieved from www.cdc. gov/nchs/fastats/hexpense.htm NOTE: If the URL is excessively long, or if access to it is limited by a password, as with databases on a library website, it is permissible to write the name of the database instead, as in Retrieved from Communication Source. Also note that you do not put a period after a DOI or URL, since it might be mistaken as part of it.
Multiple Authors
Bean-Mayberry, B. A., Chang, C. C., McNeil, M. A., Whittle, J., Hayes, P. M., & Scholle, S. H. (2003). Patient satisfaction in women’s clinic versus traditional primary care cares in the Veterans Administration. Journal of General Internal Medicine, 18(3), 175–181.
Corporate Author (must be reputable)
American College of Healthcare Executives. (2002). A race/ethnic comparison of career attainments in healthcare management. Retrieved from www.ache.org
Multiple Works in Same Year by Same Author
American Medical Association. (2003a). Low literacy has a high impact on patients’ ability to follow doctors’ orders. Washington, DC: Publisher. doi: 10.1038/0278-7133.24.2.225 American Medical Association. (2003b). Table 11: Income/total by year. Washington, DC: Publisher. Retrieved from www.ama-assn.org/ama/pub/article/171-206.html
Motion Picture or Videotape
Jones, J. D. (Producer), & Roberts, A. F. (Director). (2001). Romantic comedy: The sequel [Motion picture]. United States: Paramount Pictures.
Television Broadcast
Loaded, E. M. (Producer). (2001, November 1). The nightly news hour. [Television broadcast]. New York: Central Broadcasting Service.
Now that you have summarized published research about your topic, integrate that research into your team outline and presentation.
Review in Advance before submitting outline
Do include information about at least one relevant, current academic study in each main point. (You may or may not include all of the articles your researched.) Do present interesting, trustworthy information the audience does not already know. Do describe how the researchers collected data and what they concluded. Do include an oral footnote for each academic study you describe (and any other sources you mention). An oral footnote need not include all the information in a reference citation, which would probably baffle and distract listeners. Instead, include just enough information so the audience can evaluate the trustworthiness of the source for themselves. For example, you might say, “According to a 2015 article in the journal Sex Roles . . .” Do include reference citations at the end of your outline (see Format for Reference Citations) that includes all sources you reference in your presentation (and none that you don’t).
Don’t use websites as sources of information. Don’t forget to have fun and seek out fascinating information. The audience is likely to love what you love!
Design Audiovisuals
Audiovisual Checklist: Includes interesting, memorable, and relevant graphic elements. If words appear on slides, there are only a few at a time (Otherwise the audience will be distracted.) Supplementary aids clear/loud/large enough for everyone in audience to easily appreciate Be sure to have rehearsed with audiovisuals. Speakers are prepared to maintain eye contact with the audience rather than looking at the visual aids. Rehearsed timing so audiovisuals won’t upstage you or give away what you are about to say.
Rehearse, Rehearse, Rehearse!
Use the guidelines in Chapters 12 through 14 of the textbook to guide your efforts.
1. Practice the entire presentation several times. 2. Practice where to stand, volume, pitch, eye contact, and other aspects of delivery. 3. Practice using audiovisuals during rehearsals. (Remember to present information just after you present it rather than before.) 5. Decide on what you will wear (see syllabus) so that you may look professional and confident.
Delivery Skills Reminders
