Research Paper Assignment

THIS DOCUMENT DESCRIBES THE ASSIGNMENT, PROVIDES GUIDELINES AND REQUIREMENTS, AND SHARES THE RUBRIC FOR EVALUATION.

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DUE DATE AND TIME

As an upload to Canvas before 11:59pm – Please check your course schedule for the specific due date.

PAPER VALUE

200 points or 20% of your final grade in the course.

ASSIGNMENT OVERVIEW

• This paper seeks to answer an interpersonal communication question that you pose about specific interpersonal relationships and their dynamics—including friendships, romantic relationships, or family relationships.
• You will answer the question that you have posed in the introduction of your paper in three ways:
  1. Summarizing and explaining research from research you read in scholarly journals, books, and/or articles;
  2. Using a full-length movie or several episodes of a TV series of your choosing to apply and analyze the research information from the first section of your paper;
  3. Comparing and contrasting the research from the first section with the movie/TV series analysis with your own personal experiences or insights and reflections about other people’s experiences. You will provide your final answer to the question at the end of the paper based on the information you gathered and reviewed in the three sections of your paper that I’ve just overviewed.
• Paper length: 5-7 pages, plus a bibliography page.
• You must consistently and properly cite in-text and on your bibliography page in either MLA or APA format.
• Your interpersonal question can be one you choose from the options in this document, or one that you come up with on your own. You do not need my permission for a question to begin your research or writing.

ASSIGNMENT PURPOSE

• The purpose of this paper is to provide you with an opportunity to investigate a specific kind of interpersonal communication question and determine a reasonable and researched answer in the context of this class.
• This paper should help you to understand the uniqueness of each interpersonal relationship and the complexities of communication within these contexts.
• It will also allow you to showcase your growth of knowledge and understanding of interpersonal communication over the course of the semester, and provide you with an opportunity to demonstrate your ability to apply interpersonal communication concepts and theories to real life and a real-life example. Assessment for this paper includes interpersonal content knowledge and application, writing skill, and research formatting in either MLA or APA format.
• Additional parts of the assessment for this assignment include being able to locate proper sources, write with attribution and documentation, and upload the completed assignment on-time and in the proper format.

PAPER FORMAT

• This is a research paper about interpersonal communication that requires the use of at least four pieces of research, and that adheres to MLA or APA research writing standards.
• Finished papers will be 5-7 pages (plus a page of bibliography at the end), double spaced, in an easy-to-read font between the sizes of 10-12 point. The bibliography page at the end of your paper, as well as the required in-text citations for this paper, should consistently be in either MLA and APA format, and as a result should be titled and followed appropriately. More information on the four pieces of research that are required for this paper is detailed below.
• I do not accept papers that are emailed to me since part of the proper completion of this paper is to submit the paper as an uploaded document in Canvas so your paper is timestamped and submitted to TurnItIn for a plagiarism and writing with artificial intelligence analysis. I also cannot accept files that are saved and uploaded as Pages documents (these are Apple formatted documents). I cannot accept Google links to your document. I can accept saved and then uploaded Google documents. I’m sorry but Apple files cannot be read in Canvas or by my laptop. In the past, when I couldn’t see the Apple Pages rendering in Canvas, I had to save your document file, then upload it to a random translator online. This process put student papers “out there” and it bypassed the TurnItIn analysis. I was super uncomfortable putting student work online because I wasn’t sure what the translation companies were doing with these papers and as noted, it bypassed the plagiarism analysis that all other papers were subjected to, which was unfair. Since submitting a link also bypassed the TurnItIn process, I also decided that I could not take Google links. Please just save your document as a .doc, .docx, or .pdf file using whatever program to write in that you prefer, and then upload your final document to Canvas so I can evaluate your paper. Thank you and email me before the due date if you have questions!

LATE WORK

Remember, I don’t accept any late work unless you have an extenuating and true emergency situation (see the syllabus for details). Please contact me right away if you find yourself in an emergency situation the week the paper is due or even a week prior to the due date.

REQUIREMENTS

1. Your paper will use at least four sourcesto write this 5-7 page paper, plus a bibliography page.
   • Two of your sources must be scholarly (these are also called research-based sources and are often peer-reviewed sources).
     • “Scholarly” sources for the sake of this assignment include research-based books and research journals on interpersonal communication that are rooted in research rather than in personal experience or anecdotes.
     • Websites, Psychology Today, Blogs, Podcasts, Scientific American magazine, governmental websites, university “extension” websites, and so on, do not countas scholarly sources for this paper assignment. I can help you find scholarly sources to use to satisfy this requirement. However, you are welcome to do your own research to find the two scholarly sources on your own.
     • I would strongly advise you to use our library’s website and databases that allow you to select “scholarly” and “peer-reviewed” options for searching (rather than simply “Googling” terminology and using whatever comes up for your paper, as even with Google Scholar, the results will often prompt you to pay for sources that our library has for free!).
   • The third source of information you are required to use for this paper is our textbook.
     • The goal in using our textbook is to ensure your paper has its roots in interpersonal communication, not other social sciences like psychology, sociology, anthropology, and so on. That said, I do not want you to write extensively from the textbook. You should take a balanced approach with each of your four required sources, and not just regurgitate what any source says without your own thought, insight, reflection, and analysis. As a reminder, the following citation is for our textbook in APA format.
     • Feel free to copy it and include it on your bibliography page, if you’re citing your sources in APA format. Adler, R. B., Rosenfeld, L. B., & Proctor, R. F. (2021). Interplay: The process of interpersonal communication (15^th ed.). New York, NY: Oxford University Press.
   • The fourth required source is your full-length feature movie or several episodes of a TV show. (I would like you to use a media source that totals at least 90 minutes. If you choose a TV show, you may have to watch more than one episode. You absolutely will need to watch and reference more than a “clip” or snippet of a show. Watching an extended piece of media is critical for nonverbal and verbal aspects (which is why I am saying that you need to watch at least 90 minutes more more), but if you have another option you’d like me to consider besides a TV or movie, please ask! You do not need to get permission from me on the movie or TV show you choose for your paper, but I am here to help you if you have any questions!
2. All research papers require that you prepare and include a traditional and formal bibliography page in APA or MLA style (which corresponds to the citation style you’ve chosen to write your paper in). In addition, your papers will include in-text citations giving credit for paraphrased, summarized, and quoted material from your sources. This is a serious and formal research paper and thus demands proper attribution of expert thought and word. As a result, all four of your sources must be cited in the text of your paper and must appear on your bibliography.
3. If you fail to cite sources in your paper and/or fail to turn in a bibliography with your paper, the paper will automatically fail. Without research and documentation, this is not a research paper and thus will receive a zero. Keep in mind that large sections of quotes from sources are not appropriate for this paper. That said, you should include specific dialogue, character, and/or scene information when you discuss your media example. Finally, your paper should include a substantive introduction and conclusion as well as high quality writing, and professional and consistent APA or MLA formatting and documentation.
4. If you would like to use more than the required four sources for this paper, you are welcome to do so! You may reference non-scholarly sources like Psychology Today, or a reputable non-scholarly Blog, Podcast, Ted talk, magazine article, popular book, other relevant class textbooks, another scholarly, an academic website (websites cannot be personal postings, poems, or other “fluff,” instead they must be academic or “article-ish” in nature; ask me if you want to be sure a website is okay), or other source not listed here. You may want to include a non-scholarly source in order to add to the compare and contrast reflection that you complete as part of section 3 in your paper. In other words, if you’re asking about whether there are real differences between the way the genders communicate in relationships, you may want to include what John Gray writes in his book titled Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus. Gray is not a scholar, but his book became very popular in the early 1990s, and often even researchers will reference the book in their scholarly publications. (Often the scholarly people write about how much of his assertions are just wrong and stereotypical.) So, this would be a good fifth source to include, but you certainly are not required to have more than the four sources outlined here.
5. Finally, you are not required to write in third-person for this paper (in fact, I’d rather have you NOT write in third-person). While this is a research paper with scholarly sources, this is not a scientific and objective paper. I would like you to write less formally and more with your own voice. In other words, please use phrases like, “I think…” and “My experience…”. I have included several excellent student example research papers in Canvas for you to look at, read, and use as models for your own research paper. These papers write in an academic way, providing clear attribution to their sources, but they also write from their own perspectives and with their own voices. The papers are easy to read, understandable, relatable, and exemplify every aspect of the purpose for this assignment.

HELP!

• Somewhere out there, I heard one of you say, “Now, what are we supposed to do? What is MLA or APA again? Help!”
• Remember, I’m here to help you with this paper, and so is The Writing Center (even virtually!), and Librarians in the Library! There is no magic to citations – you just have to copy the format properly. When I don’t know how to cite something, I go through the same process as you! If you need help, use these links to reach out, or simply email me directly.
• As I noted earlier, I am happy to help you find scholarly sources that you can use for your paper.
  • Often, I will start with the research our book provides on the subject. You can do this on your own using the same method.
  • If you find an author listed in the book that seeks to answer your question, turn to the author index at the end of the book and try to find that exact article to read first-hand. If you aren’t sure how to do this, the library and/or I can help you.
  • For example, you’re interested in how romantic couples can maintain their relationships over time. You read about five specific strategies “researchers have identified…that couples use to keep their interactions satisfying” in chapter 10 – section 10.3.2 (page 292). You see the citation for the “researchers” as “(Ogolsky & Bowers, 2013)”. You then turn to the References in the very back of the book and look for the citation that starts with “Ogolsky…” — turn to page R-36 – look down the second column – and you see “Ogolsky, B. G., & Bowers, J. R. (2013). A meta-analytic review of relationship maintenance and its correlates. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 30, 343-367.”
  • You now have a map for finding this article that our textbook cited! Go find it! You can use our library’s databases. Or, even easier — I FOUND IT and already have it posted in our class for you to use! ha! beat you to it!
  • Click on our last module in class – Research Paper Resources – PLEASE use the links below (& supplement if needed). If you are struggling with these resources, please let me know so I can help make them available to you.
  • Then, scroll to the Relational Maintenance Heading and find the article listed as OgolskyandBowers_2013-Relational Maintenance.pdf
• If you search on your own for sources, please DO NOT purchase access to online articles for this paper. Our library already has subscriptions to many of the articles you may find in your own “Google” searches and they are free through the library. They can help you find them, as I can. But, you have to reach out to me if you need help in doing so – or in citing your paper – or if you are lost, unsure, and/or unclear about this paper. I try to anticipate your questions, needs, etc. but just emailing me is better and trust me, I’m open to the emails, your questions, and helping you! I want you to do well! Just try to reach out to me prior to the weekend this paper is due so I can adequately help you.
• So, you’ll remember that this paper is about asking an interpersonal communication question and finding an answer. Your answer comes from 2 scholarly sources, our textbook, a movie or TV series-not just 1 episode, and your own personal experience, or experiences you’ve heard about or witnessed from friends and family. Your paper’s content then is clearly writing out your question in your introduction, and then discussing, summarizing, using small quotes, applying, and paraphrasing all the “answers” you get from your research. More on this process is discussed below.
  
  First though, I’ve come up with some interpersonal communication questions and some movies/TV series that go with the question as this part can be tough for people to brainstorm on their own. Keep in mind that you do not have to choose one of these questions! You do not have to get your choices approved by me first, but remember, I’m happy to help you at any point with this paper! You may use any of the questions or ideas here without my permission!

QUESTIONS AND MEDIA IDEAS

• Here are some questions that you could use to answer in your paper. Keep in mind that you would choose just one question to answer in your paper and that you must stay focused on interpersonal communication and not biology, too much psychology, sociology, or anthropology. Media options follow each section of questions.
  • How do males build and maintain friendships? How do females build and maintain friendships? Can men and women be just friends?
    • Here are some options for a movie or TV show that you could watch as your media source that would go with one of those questions above. You would choose just one movie or several episodes of a TV show: Stand by Me, Office Space, Reign on Me, Jay and Silent Bob, Steel Magnolias, Beautiful Girls, Now and Then, Mean Girls, Old School, Toy Story (any!), Blindspotting, Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, Never Have I Ever, Grumpy Old Men, Gilmore Girls, Big Bang Theory, Outer Banks, The Mindy Project, Surviving Summer, The Summer I Turned Pretty, Stranger Things, When Harry Met Sally, To All the Boys: P.S. I Still Love You, TV Show – Riverdale, Never Have I Ever, The Mindy Project, The Great, The Summer I Turned Pretty
      
  • What makes for romantic attraction? What makes romantic relationships successful? Can romantic relationships be successful if only online via computer mediated communication (social media, zoom, etc.)?
    • Shallow Hal, Something about Mary, The Truth about Cats and Dogs, Hitched, 100 Girls, 13 Going on 30, You, Modern Love, Sleepless in Seattle, Catfish, Her, Virgin River, Jane the Virgin, New Girl, How I Met Your Mother, The Summer I Turned Pretty, The Mindy Project
      
  • How does racism impact interpersonal relationships? How do interpersonal relationships impact racist behaviors/viewpoints?
    • Crash, American History X, Save the Last Dance, Zootopia, Hidden Figures, The Hate U Give, Remember the Titans
      
  • Are there real differences between men and women’s communication styles in relationships?
    • The Breakup, When Harry Met Sally, Harry Potter, The Breakfast Club, Love Actually, Riverdale, others noted above
      
  • Does Mark Knapp’s Relational Stage Model “fit” real romantic relationship progression?
    • When Harry Met Sally, Fifty First Dates, The Politician, The Big Sick
      
  • What role does communication play in family dynamics and family member satisfaction? (or, between siblings, mother-daughter, father-son, all members, etc.)
    • Finding Nemo, Schitt’s Creek, Downton Abbey, Never Have I Ever, Frozen, Frozen II, Lion King, Onward, The Joy Luck Club, The Real O’Neals, Life in Pieces, Black-ish, Modern Family, The Goldbergs
      

WRITING THE PAPER IN SECTIONS

The goal of this paper is to answer an interpersonal communication question you have about specific interpersonal relationships and their dynamics. Here is an outline of what should be included in your paper. If using titles for these sections I have here helps, please use them! Total Pages: 5-7 pages, plus a bibliography page. Format in MLA or APA style. See more specifics about font, spacing, etc. above in Requirements. For examples of how to write this paper in your own voice, while citing appropriately, please read and review the excellent student example paper I have posted in Canvas. The page range for each section below is just a guide. You may be a bit shorter or longer, depending on your style and depth. Papers that are much longer than 7 pages should be edited down. Those that are much less than 5 should be re-examined so more detail and elaboration can be added. Reach out if you need help! I may refer you to our campus’ free tutoring center for writing.

INTRODUCTION (1/2 – 1 PAGE)

You should answer these questions as you write but not include my question.

• What is your interpersonal communication research question?
• What is your interest in the topic? Briefly, what is your experience with this issue in your question?
• Why this topic is important to be studied? (i.e., What is the universal theme? So what? Who cares?)
• What’s your working thesis statement? (A working thesis statement asserts a preliminary and temporary answer to your research question.)
• What do you propose you’ll do in this paper? (What’s the road map for where we’re going?)

THE ANSWER. (4 – 5 PAGES TOTAL)

• Section 1: Scholarly Sources. (2 pages)
  • What answers do your two scholarly sources give you about your question? Summarize as an integrative answer or write about each piece of research separately. (i.e., integrated writing might look like this: “According to two articles, a person’s gender does impact their communication style…”. A separate style might look like this: “According to an article by Smith (2020) a person’s gender doesn’t impact their communication style at all. In contrast is an article by Jones (2015) that suggests gender is the single largest impact on a person’s communication style…”. Either way of writing about your research is fine!)
  • Be sure to define and clarify terminology or theories. Use in-text citations! (Smith 2020).
  • Give enough research to give your reader an educated answer from “the research.”
• Section 2: Textbook. (1 page)
  • What answer or insight does our textbook give in answering this question? Is it similar or different from what the scholarly sources said?
• Section 3: Media Source. (1 page)
  • Transition to your experience to give your reader a media application answer from the movie/TV series. Be sure to summarize and overview the media first. Assume I have never seen or heard of this TV show or movie. Seriously!
  • Then, share specific examples, scenes, and dialogue from the media that help to answer the question. This is where your application and analysis from the earlier sections information should be used to make sense of the examples you’re sharing from the media source. If you’re asking about the impact of family communication style on each family member’s feeling of satisfaction in the family, give some examples of times when members feel heard or not from your media example. For example, If I was using the animated movie called Inside Out to explore this question, I would summarize that the movie is about a family relocating to a new city and the only child in the family feels like she lost the emotion of joy along the way. Then, I would specifically detail a scene of the family at the dinner table right after they’ve moved into their new house, the child attended a new school that day, and the child is clearly showing signs of upset struggle. I would provide specific dialogue or describe the scene in detail to provide an example of how when one family member seeks to assert authority and control of another’s emotional reaction, it can lead to very dissatisfied family members and unhappy outcomes. I would say that this example reflects what the research from our textbook by Alder, Rosenfeld, and Proctor (2021) write about, as well as what Koerner and Schrodt (2014) write about in their analysis of conversation and conformity in the family. (I would write in a better way about these things, but you get the idea.)
  • Summarize and analyze the media piece using the research. Answer whether or not the research from sections 1 and 2 help to understand the dynamics of the people in the movie/TV episodes? How? Is the movie/TV show realistic or is it too “Hollywood” and fake?
• Section 4: Personal Discussion, Reaction, and Reflection (1/2 – 1 page)
  • What do your experiences, critical thinking, and/or reflection after doing this work tell you the answer is to your question? Why? Tell stories, give examples, if you have them. If you don’t, just share your thoughts.
  • Are your experiences consistent or different from what sections 1 and 2 have indicated? How do your experiences measure up to what the media source (section 3) suggests the answer is? What is the “average” behavior or the way most people communicate? (Compare/Contrast your experiences with the conclusions you drew from sections 1, 2, and 3).
  • What do make of your final answer? Was it what you expected? Why or why not?
  • What did you learn that you didn’t know before this class and/or before this paper?

CONCLUSION (1/2 PAGE)

• Review what you’ve done in this paper/for this project. That is, restate your road map— what was the question, the answer, the highlights of all your research and your experience, discussion, etc.
• Give the reader a clear sentence or so that answers the question based on everything you’ve explored, if you don’t feel like this has been stated enough or super clearly so far. The answer can be part research-based, part movie-based, part experience-based, but it must be supported by the evidence you’ve reviewed in this section.
• Finally, end with the significance of the paper’s question and answer. Why does any of this (the paper, the question, and the answer) matter? What can be gained from reading your paper and knowing this information?

BIBLIOGRAPHY (1 PAGE)

• If your paper is formatted in MLA style, your bibliography page will be titled Works Cited.
• If your paper is formatted in APA style, your bibliography page will be titled References.
• Be sure to include your two scholarly sources, our textbook, your media source, and any other sources you decided to use in your paper.
• Alphabetize your list by author last name.
• Add a cover page if your documentation style says to do so (MLA does not; APA does)

ACADEMIC DISHONESTY

Please be sure you’ve read and understand what it means to violate the academic dishonesty policy at the college. I’ve discussed this in depth in the Syllabus and in the page called So, how’s this class work?. In short, don’t have someone else write your paper, or use artificial intelligence to write your paper (even parts). (Talk to me about AI first, please!) Be sure to cite properly and OFTEN. Don’t use a paper you’ve written for another course, or for this course (if you’re repeating the course), without explicit permission from me prior to submission. The best thing to do is to start early and ask questions if you’re in a jam. Even if you haven’t written anything like this before (or in a long time), remember this is a learning experience and I’m here to help you. SERIOUSLY! Don’t miss an opportunity to really learn how to do something – just give yourself enough time (prior to the weekend it’s due).