Reflection essay

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College of Professional and Continuing Studies

University of Oklahoma

LSTD 3003 - Interdisciplinary Inquiry

Unit 3.2 Social Sciences (SS) Reflection Essay

WRITING ASSIGNMENT TOPIC: Social Sciences discipline: COMMUNICATION STUDIES

Write a 500-word interdisciplinary reflection essay by examining the way you personally

communicate with others in the context of the modern world. This reflection essay is NOT a

research paper. You do not need to go online or to the library to find information about this

topic. You will not need to cite references at the end of your paper or make in-text citations. A

reflection essay deals with information from your personal experience, observations of the world

around you, your workplace, and your community. We want to hear your voice and your words

on this topic. For the essay to be interdisciplinary, it must include more than one discipline, so

you will be asked to reflect on different disciplinary aspects communication. Those disciplines

are specified in the instructions below.

THE FIVE-PARAGRAPH ESSAY (INSTRUCTIONS)

When writing this essay, please use the five-paragraph approach. In this case, each paragraph

should be approximately 100 words long. This is by no means the only formula for writing such

essays, but for this assignment, it serves our purposes well. This method consists of:

1. Add a title page with all the information that is highlighted in yellow on the title page of the “APA Sample Paper” that is provided.

2. Do NOT include an “abstract” page. An abstract it not necessary for the purposes of this essay.

3. PARAGRAPH 1 (100 words) - An introductory paragraph Clearly and concisely states the paper’s purpose, which is engaging, and thought

provoking.

a. Set the context –provide general information about the main idea, explaining the situation so the reader can make sense of the topic and the claims you make and

support

b. State why the main idea is important –tell the reader why he or she should care and keep reading. Your goal is to create a compelling, clear, and convincing essay

people will want to read and act upon

c. State your thesis/claim –compose a sentence or two stating the position you will support

4. Three evidentiary body paragraphs (paragraphs 2-4) a. PARAGRAPH 2 (100 words) – (Natural Sciences – the cell phone). Most

people have cell phones. The cell phone is a modern piece of computer science

technology. Technology often affects society and the social sciences. Reflect on

the positives and negatives of texting. Reflect on the positives and negatives of

being connected to the workplace 24/7. Reflect on the positives and negatives of

being connected to social media (Facebook, Twitter, etc.). Reflect on what it

might be like to live your life without a cell phone.

b. PARAGRAPH 3 (100 words) – (Psychology and Sociology – FaceBook). Most people are on FaceBook, but even if you are not, it is a powerful enough

force in the culture that everyone has thoughts about it. Reflect on whether you

feel FaceBook makes you closer to your friends, or if perhaps FaceBook has

redefined friendship somehow. Reflect on what is the best thing and the worst

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thing about FaceBook. Reflect on whether it is a net positive or a net negative

for the society as a whole.

c. PARAGRAPH 4 (100 words) – (Journalism – Newspapers vs the Internet). With the emergence of the Internet, the newspaper business has been

diminished greatly over the last decade. Most people now get their daily news

from the internet. Reflect on where you get most of your news. Reflect on the

positives and negatives of most people getting the news from the internet. 5. PARAGRAPH 5 (100 words) - A conclusion paragraph

In your conclusion, reflect on what you see as the positives and negatives for both the

individual and society in the modern communications era. Reflect on what you have

learned that you did not know before and perhaps what you can use in your personal and

professional life based on your reflections.

6. No citations page is needed. Citations pages are required when you are acquiring information from outside resources. In a reflection essay, the information is coming from

within. It is information from your personal experience, observations of the world around

you, your workplace, and your community.

FORMATTING: Double spaced, Times New Roman font, 12-point text, and one-inch page margins.

College-level writing is expected. The paper will be graded, in part, for content, grammar, spelling,

punctuation, and sentence structure.