The COMM 390 Senior Project demonstrates that you understand theoretical and scholarly or creative knowledge that is at the foundation of the Communication field. You develop a final project, based on COMM 200-level and/or Comm321 or 322 work, to further and strengthen your knowledge of the complexity of the human communication process. Completion of Senior Projects enhances your ability to be a responsive, reflective, and responsible change-agent in an ever-changing global society.
----
The Scholarly Project demonstrates your understanding of scholarly communication concepts and processes. It shows your ability to apply communication theories and research methods to analysis of human communication—whether interpersonal, organization, archival or media content.
The Creative Project also demonstrates your understanding of scholarly communication concepts and processes, but adds an understanding of professional concepts and practices – such as documentary collection of photos to preserve knowledge of historical events OR practices necessary to build an effective public relations campaign OR to create a video with a message aimed at an audience.
|
All Scholarly and Creative Projects require you to write a basic thesis paper that follows this format:
1. Introduction: What is my project about, generally? Why am I studying this topic? Why do I care? Why should others care? What should readers expect to learn? Usually no more than 1 1/2 pages. Thesis statement MUST be on 1st page: “The purpose of this paper is ...” OR “This project examines.” You can quote professional magazines and elite journalistic sources in this section to show topic is now creating lots of buzz. You’ll rewrite the section many times. Writing an Intro is messy.
2. Literature Review: This is the FIRST thesis section to complete. It contains ALL background materials that allow you to state that you know the background of this topic and, thus, are able to do a professional-quality project—because you know what others have done before you. This review could be a development and expansion of a paper you wrote in a COMM 200-level course or for COMM321 or 322. It’s multiple pages – 12-15 pages discussing scholarly or scientific literature (and for a Creative Project, add professional literature) that you have read about multiple aspects of your topic. This knowledge then guides your original work to create YOUR senior project.
First paragraph, under subhead “Review of the Literature,” is brief summary of ALL TOPICS that you will cover in your background review, IN the order you will discuss each topic. THEN write the review in sections; each section starts with subhead, using APA publication style for placing 1st level, 2nd level & 3rd level subheads. First section contains general information to help your reader understand the large problem area into which your topic fits.
Read some papers by pioneers to understand early work. But MOST of review discusses recent research (especially most recent 5 years).
3. Method -- This section FIRST describes databases & websites you searched & lists ALL search terms used to find works cited in thesis. SECOND part describes Method and procedures used to do your project:
(a) for scholarly project: describe research method you used, such as a survey or oral history or content analysis. Describe in detail ALL concepts, operational definitions & procedures used to gather findings; be sure to answer questions stated in boldface on p. 8 of your Thesis Packet handed out the first day of Senior Seminar.
(b) for a creative project, answer all boldface background questions asked in p. 7 for creative projects.
4. Findings:
(a) For RESEARCH PROJECTS: What did you find in doing your content analysis or oral history or semiotic analysis? In quantitative projects, put detailed numerical findings in tables (see APA style guide for form) but summarize ALL major results in words in Findings section; as you discuss findings, refer to actual tables in Appendix. Verbatim oral history transcripts MUST be in Appendix (roughly, 2 minutes speech = 1 single-spaced page).
(b) For CREATIVE PROJECTS: This section is represented by your film, audio documentary, photo essay, or marketing “deliverables.” So you would need only to briefly describe the creative project’s theme and its form AND state that it is an appendix to your thesis paper.
5. Conclusions --What additional research should be done before we know enough about your topic? KEY: What are the limitations inherent in how YOU did your project? How does your work relate to previous scholarship and professional commentary in this area? Given studies you’ve read and your original findings, what do professionals NOT know that surprises you? Has much or little work been done on this topic? (How do you know this?) In this section, include your opinions – in reaction TO cited literature. Give reasons for all assertions.
6. References Cited -- Use APA style: alphabetical order, by author’s last name. List every scholarly article; BUT ALSO list EVERY other source- -whether a film, web page, book, magazine or newspaper article that you mention anywhere in your thesis. So ALL sources – scholarly & non-scholarly -- must be in references list. 20 scholarly (and professional if doing a creative project) sources is minimum – but if that’s ALL you cite, expect “C” or lower, depending on whether you found all major sources. Most “A” theses have 35 to 50+ total sources.
7. Appendices (Appendix is the singular form) – all exhibits, such as photographs, films, charts, verbatim transcripts of interviews. You refer to appendix items IN your Method and Findings sections and also, when appropriate, in your Conclusions section. EACH item is a separate Appendix item. THUS, you may have an Appendix A, Appendix B, Appendix C – and so on, depending on how you are creating your project.
|