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CMN 6000: Introduction to Organizational Communication 

All Written Assignments will be evaluated based on the Standardized Writing Rubric. (See document posted in Blackboard under the Syllabus and Resource page).

APA Format is required for all writing assignments in the MS Corporate and Organizational Communication program. 

APA Citation Basics: 

When using APA format, follow the author-date method of in-text citation. So if you are paraphrasing material from a source, you need to cite the source. Example: According to Jones (1998), the concept of serial distortion applies to a wide range of...... 

If you are directly quoting from a work, you will need to include the author, year of publication, and the page number for the reference (preceded by "p."). Introduce the quotation with a signal phrase that includes the author's last name followed by the date of publication in parentheses. Example: According to Jones (1998), "Students often had difficulty using APA style, especially when it was their first time" (p. 199). 

Academic Integrity and Citation:

Please review this link to learn about correctly formatting in-text citations and reference pages: https://guides.lib.unc.edu/citing-information/apa-intext

Check out this other link to ensure you use the ideas and work of others appropriately in your academic writing: Avoiding Plagiarism.

Assignment 1 – Reflections Essay

Assignment Guidelines

Due Date:

DRAFT to OWL: End of Week 3

FINAL PAPER due to PROFESSORS: End of Week 4

Page Requirement:  5-6 pages, 12 point font, double-spaced. 

WHY: By reflecting on your cultural background and identity and their impact on your styles of communication, you will better understand yourself and others.

WHAT: This assignment asks you to examine the results of your communication style self-assessment and use evidence from your life to make connections regarding why you communicate the way you do and how has your cultural identity shaped you.

In doing so, you must 1) report your overall scores from the ICEdge (pick only two), 2) explain some of the behaviors and traits associated with your score, and in doing so, quote the self-assessment, 3) define which aspects of your cultural identity and upbringing contribute to and/or cause each of the behaviors and traits you have, and 4) support your defined aspects using specific stories with specific interactions from your life that are part of your cultural identity and upbringing.

Aspects of identity, cultural and otherwise, will include one’s country, family (parents or grandparents, siblings, aunts or uncles), neighborhood, relevant jobs or internships, gender, religion, socio-economic status, and relevant experience from school/university.

The audience will be your classmates and professors in your professional program. Your papers will be used for class discussion, so please ensure that you are comfortable sharing your reflections with your classmates.

You must use a thesis statement to guide your essay. You must also use the provided rhetorical form to structure the essay. Guidelines on both are found below.

You must use APA citation to document the ICEdge assessment results and relevant material in Zaremba, Chapter 1.  You must also include a references page at the end of the essay that follows APA formatting.

HOW:   The questions and exercises below are to help you brainstorm material for your essay.  Use the assessment and the brainstorming questions to support your thesis statement as modeled above. Follow the instructions on Rhetorical Form to help you organize your essay. Include all the Idea Development suggestions in each body paragraph.

Begin by visiting the link to ICEdge (Intercultural Communication Edge) and purchasing the “What Is My Communication Style” assessment. Complete the assessment online and review the written report you receive. This link will be available from your instructor.

Brainstorming:

After reviewing the assessment results, write quick answers to these questions as notes. Begin to take notes on specific stories about specific interactions you had.

You do not need to answer every question, and there may be points you include in your paper that aren't addressed by the questions.  Do not use these questions to organize your essay.

· What are my racial, ethnic, national origins? How do they define me?

· How does my gender define me?

· How did growing up within my family define me?

· How does my social class define me?

· Are there particular myths, stories or rituals from childhood that define me?

· How do I communicate both informally with friends and family, and in more formal settings as, for example, a work environment, the classroom, or a club? Some aspects of communication style you could comment on are:

· topics you frequently find yourself talking about

· use of nonverbal communication

· use of interruption or silence when others speak

· affinity for or dislike of argument and conflict

· forms of communication you rely on

After answering these questions, use the results from the online assessment and your writing/brainstorming to create your thesis and write your essay.

Introduction paragraph questions to answer:

· How does communication help us succeed or fail in the workplace? At school/university?

· How might one’s upbringing change the way they interact with others?

· How does an environment alter the way one communicates with others?

Writing a thesis statement:

SUGGESTED THESIS MODEL STATEMENT

BECAUSE of ________________ and ______________ (here, list the two or three significant aspects of your identity that shaped the way you communicate in terms of the two chosen quadrants), it did/did not surprise me to score ___ in ______________ (first chosen quadrant) and ___ in _______________ (second chosen quadrant) of the ICEdge self-assessment.

SAMPLE THESIS STATEMENT

Because my parents and schooling taught me to always follow schedules and pay attention to the time, and because my strict Christian Church taught me the things of the spirit matter more than the things of the body, it DID surprise me to score 2.1 in time management and 4.4 in sensory style on the ICEdge assessment. 

Conclusion paragraph questions to answer:

· Were you surprised by the scores for the two quadrants you chose?

· Did the communication behaviors and traits matchup exactly with how you think you behave and with who you are?

· What insights have you gained about yourself and others through the assessment itself and also the writing of this essay?

Rhetorical arrangement:

Each body paragraph should highlight one score from one of the quadrants you selected. Each quadrant breaks down into three sections on the ICEdge assessment report, so you will use three paragraphs to discuss each quadrant. That equals six body paragraphs total. An outline looks like:

· Intro paragraph including thesis statement at the end

· Body paragraph 1 (focuses on one of the three sections of the first chosen quadrant)

· Body paragraph 2 (focuses on one of the three sections of the first chosen quadrant)

· Body paragraph 3 (focuses on one of the three sections of the first chosen quadrant)

· Body paragraph 4 (focuses on one of the three sections of the second chosen quadrant)

· Body paragraph 5 (focuses on one of the three sections of the second chosen quadrant)

· Body paragraph 6 (focuses on one of the three sections of the second chosen quadrant)

· Conclusion paragraph

Idea development in every body paragraph:

· Include the relevant score, descriptions of the traits and behaviors associated with it in the assessment.

· Make connections between the traits/behaviors you laid out and the aspects of your identity that influenced or shaped those same traits/behaviors.

· Provide specific examples from your life that clarify how each part of your identity you want to focus on has influenced your communication style.

· Remember, you can use your brainstorming notes to help develop material for the essay.

Academic Integrity and Citation:

Please view this link to learn how to format in-text citations or make a references page: 

https://guides.lib.unc.edu/citing-information/apa-intext  

Please view this link to learn what plagiarism is and how to avoid it: 

http://subjectguides.lib.neu.edu/plagiarism