Intro to Communication – Self-concept & Perception
You may choose to write about (1) a time something happened that changed your self-concept, OR (2) a time when you found out your perception of someone was inaccurate. Choose only one of the options. As you develop your paper (in the analysis), make reference to a number of concepts, terms, and/or ideas discussed in textbook and at least one scholarly reference (outside of the textbook). Depending on your focus choice, chapters 3 or 4 will be of great use. You may also find use for some concepts from chapters 1 and 2. The paper should be single-spaced and between 400-600 words in length. Papers should be typed in Times New Roman, 12 pt font, and saved in .doc (not .docx) format.
• *Give yourself time to brainstorm about a specific incident that is still clear in your mind and is fairly easy to explain (a.k.a. not too complicated) as this is only a 400-600 word paper.
•
o I encourage you to pick an experience that (1) you are not currently experiencing & (2) is not too personal (sensitive) to discuss.
• Clearly apply a minimum of 5 terms/concepts. Sometimes making a list of possible terms to apply prior to writing the analysis helps.
•
o Text &Outside source – remember to cite!
• Bold your terms within the paper.
• Remember to cite in APA (Reference page) or MLA (Works Cited page) style. This page does not count in your word count, nor does your name or title.
Paper Setup: (feel free to label the parts if it helps you, but do not count the labels in your word count).
• Introduction: Includes an interesting beginning sentence, followed by a thesis statement that describes the specific issue that you have chosen to discuss. For paper 1 this would be self-concept or perception. Finally, provide a review of how the rest of the paper will be structured (i.e., what will your main points be? Make sure these are in the same order in which you address them in your paper. Be brief in the introduction – three to four sentences will do. Remember you have a 400 to 600 word count. Please revise your paper to fit the word count.
•
o Enticing starting statement
o Thesis – one clear sentence of what your paper is about (including if you are focusing on identity or perception)
o Preview of paper setup
• Description: The second paragraph should feature a description of the people involved, the location, and the nature of the interpersonal transaction. Be brief but also specific about what happened. Cut out extra wording and avoid repetition. You will need to provide enough detail here to allow you to explain how concepts (in your next paragraph) related to your chosen topic (self-concept or perception). Do not explain what the interaction means yet or why it happened.
•
o Who, what where, when
o Brief but specific details (4 to 6 sentences)
o Provide direct quotes/paraphrases &/or specific behaviors
o Do not interpret yet as to “why”
• Analysis: The remainder of the paper (multiple paragraphs) utilizes the concepts, principles, and/or theories discussed in this module of our our readings that tie to your focus (self-concept or perception) to explain and analyze the behavior/interaction described in the former “Description” secton. These paragraphs explain why it happened. When integrating our textbook concepts paraphrasing the concept helps to display your understanding. I will be looking to see that you can correctly apply our course concepts and that you display your understanding of why the concepts apply to your chosen example. Remember to back your points with our book and one outside academic source (scholarly journal, etc.)
o 5 or more course concepts
o cite in correct APA or MLA style
o utilize our textbook & 1 outside academic source
• Conclusion: Finally, end with a brief concluding sentence or two that wraps up your paper.
Rubric: (total 20 points)
Quality of Analysis (5 terms, clear/relevant application, explanation of points, depth/insight) (12 pts)
Quality of Writing (followed paper setup, word count, brief description, spelling/grammar/clarity of wording) (5 pts)
Quality of References/Citing (correct APA or MLA citations, use of outside source, reference/works cited page) (3 pts)