Communication 202 Major Paper Assignment

Goals for this assignment:
1. For you to demonstrate comprehension of concepts discussed in this course.
2. To analyze actual communication based on these concepts.
3. To evaluate communication using concepts from this course.
4. To apply the findings of this analysis to your experience of IPC.

You may choose to write a 8-12 page paper analyzing the interaction in one of the following films: (other choices MUST be approved by the instructor)

About a Boy
America's Sweethearts
Big Fat Greek Wedding
Divine Secrets of the Ya Ya Sisterhood
Kiss Me Guido
Kissing Jessica Stein
Say Anything
Swingers
Tortilla Soup
Two Can Play That Game

The analysis must center on FIVE of the following topics:
(you may do others with the instructor's permission)

**Axioms of Communication (Ch. 2)
How Cultures Differ (lect., Ch. 3)
**Principles Intercultural Comm (lect., Ch. 3)
Listening Techniques/Guidelines (lect., Ch. 7)
Ethics (pp. 137, 189-191)
Conversational Turns (lect., Ch. 14)
**Principles/Pitfalls of Messages (Ch. 10)
**Barriers to Verbal Messages (Ch. 11)
Message Characteristics (Ch. 9)
Grice's Conv'l Maxims (lect., Ch. 14)
Territorial Markers (lect., Ch. 13)
Theories about Space (one of) (Ch. 13)
Disclaimers & Excuses (lect., Ch. 14)
Stages/Stage Talk (lect., Ch. 15)
Maintenance Behaviors (Ch. 17)
Types of Friendships (Ch. 20)
Compliance-Gaining Strategies (Ch. 18)
Male-Female Comm. (lect., "gender" in Index)
**Conflict Strategies (Ch. 19)
Stages of Friendship Development (Ch. 20)
Couple Types (class, pp. 356-358)
Comm Patterns in Families (Ch. 21)

NOTE: Most of these concepts have multiple components (e.g., there are 7 axioms). To successfully illustrate these concepts you must find examples of at least three different components. In some cases, however, you must utilize all of the components when the components are interdependent (e.g., you must do all three stages of friendship).

** I strongly recommend you do one or more of the topics identified by **

Required Format for Analysis Paper

The format of your paper must follow guidelines established by the American Psychological Association (APA). Copies of the APA style manual are available in the library, or may be purchased in the campus bookstore. I also have highlights on my website under "writing guidelines."

Title

On a cover page, give your paper a short, but relevant title. Under this title, include (a) your name, (b) the course number and title (i.e., Communication 202: Interpersonal Communication), (c) your Professor's name, and (d) the date submitted. Do not identify yourself in any other part of the paper other than the title page.

Introduction up to 1 page

Offer the reader an orientation to the paper. State the film you will analyze and answer the following questions: What concepts will you focus upon? Why did you choose these concepts? (HINT: "because they are important" or "because they are all in the film" are not good answers).

Analysis 5-10 pages

The analysis must include 5 concepts from the list above. In this section, discuss each concept. For each concept:

1. Briefly explain the concept (if you are getting this information from your textbook, make sure you cite it!).

2. Analyze the film in terms of the concept. For example, if the concept is "conflict strategies" describe the strategies used in a particular segment of the film providing concrete examples . . . "Harry tends to rely on unproductive conflict strategies such as minimization. For example, in an argument early in Harry and Sally's relationship Harry says "Why are you so uptight about this? It's no problem."
Remember that for multi-part concepts such as conflict strategies you must provide examples of several different strategies.

3. Articulate how and why the example you have provided is an example of the concept.

4. USE SPECIFIC EXAMPLES IN THIS ANALYSIS. DO NOT MAKE SWEEPING GENERALIZATIONS (i.e., "Thelma behaves aggressively throughout the film" is not helpful. What specifically did she do that meets the criteria of aggressive behavior?)

5. Move on to the next concept, making clear the connection you see between the two. Use headings/subheadings as a way to organize your thoughts. Try to talk about only one concept at a time in this section.

Conclusion 2-3 pages

You have two goals in this section:

1. What generalizations can you make about the interpersonal communication in this film. For example, what are the connections between the concepts and/or the character's use of the concepts in the film? If two of your concepts are conflict strategies and relationship stages you might discuss whether unproductive conflict skills are associated with particular stages in the relationship (Try to make links between all five concepts). Or you might discuss the characters' communication patters throughout the analysis (e.g., Harry uses unproductive conflict strategies, is aggressive, and does not use active listening techniques). (THIS SHOULD BE THE MAJOR PART OF YOUR CONCLUSION)

2. Compare this film to "real-life" IPC. Is the IPC realistic? Why or why not?

Your use of specific examples to demonstrate the concepts and your insight in drawing conclusions is a critical part of the assignment. Failure to spend a lot of attention to these sections will dramatically decrease the grade you receive!

Character Diagram 1 page

List each character's name (list only those used for your analysis) and their relationship with each other (if any). Also, provide a brief (no more than 3 sentences) overview of the story or the segment of the story on which you are focusing.

Helpful Hints for Writing Your Analysis Paper

1. Start now, and work on your project continuously. Pick a film and watch it several times. Decide which of the concepts are applicable and read about them in DeVito. NOT ALL CONCEPTS WILL WORK WITH ALL FILMS. YOU WILL BE GRADED ON YOUR SELECTION OF CONCEPTS IN ADDITION TO THE ANALYSIS ITSELF.

Aim for a completed draft of your report at least a week before it is due. This will give you ample time for revisions and improvements, not to mention finding those pesky typographical errors. If you have your paper completed in advance, show it to the instructor. She will be glad to provide direction, proofread, etc. Also, feel free to take advantage of the College Writing Skills Center.

2. Write for the intelligent but uninformed reader. In other words, use the appropriate terminology but make sure you carefully explain the concepts you use.

3. Use an appropriate writing style. Generally speaking, the simpler you can say something, the better it is. Avoid an overly descriptive style. Do not use slang or colloquialisms. Also, avoid the use of first person pronouns EXCEPT in the introduction and conclusions sections.

4. Proofread. Ask someone who is a good proofreader to read the paper. Make corrections before handing in your paper. Spelling and grammar count!

5. Check your citations carefully. When citing a reference, you may either quote or paraphrase. To quote a source is to use the exact words the source uses. The quote should be in quotation marks and the author's name, the date, and the page number should be cited. Be correct: refer to the APA manual. YOU MUST CITE YOUR TEXT for concepts used in your paper.

Mechanical Requirements
(APA Requirements)

A. Paper is to be typed, double-spaced (except for extended quotes) using 1" margins (top, bottom, left, right). Justify left (in other words, the right hand margin will be uneven). Do not hyphenate words; simply let the line run short and start on the next line.

B. Number pages consecutively in the upper right-hand corner. Do not start a separate page for each section; simply center the section heading and continue. However, the references and character diagram must be on a separate page.

C. Submit your report by assembling the pages in the proper order and stapling them together in the upper left-hand corner. Under no circumstances should you use a paper clip, nor should you use a folder or plastic cover of any sort.

D. Do not use language that is sexist, homophobic, or ethnically biased.

E. ANY EVIDENCE OF PLAGIARISM WILL CONSTITUTE GROUNDS FOR FAILURE OF THE COURSE. Plagiarism is any instance in which you present ideas, phrases, or other printed material as if it were your own when in fact the material was originated by another person or persons. This includes using papers written by someone else (i.e., "file" papers are a no-no). If someone else said it, and you are using his or her exact words, YOU MUST PUT IT IN QUOTE MARKS AND CITE THE RESPONSIBLE PERSON(S). You do not need to use quote marks if you are merely paraphrasing another's work, but you still MUST CITE the original author(s). YOU ARE HELD RESPONSIBLE FOR KNOWING, UNDERSTANDING, AND ABIDING BY THE CRITERIA FOR PLAGIARISM.

Sample of what you should strive to do: an "A" analysis of one concept

There are several axioms of communication present in the film. For example, the axiom that states that communication is irreversible means that we cannot take back or erase what has already been communicated (DeVito, 1995). This axiom is illustrated early in the film when Harry and Sally stop at a diner on their way to New York City. In the scene, Harry makes a reference to Sally's attractiveness, which she seems to interpret as a pick-up line. Harry denies it was a flirtatious remark and states "I take it back." Sally replies "You can't take it back 'cause it's already out there." Her response implies that since the comment was said it cannot be unsaid; communication is irreversible.
A second axiom of communication is that communication is inevitable (DeVito, 1995). This axiom asserts that we "cannot not communicate" (DeVito, 1995, p. 27). The axiom means that even if we are not intentionally communicating a message, messages might be received and interpreted by others. For example, at the end of Harry and Sally's meal at the diner in the beginning of the film, Sally is busy calculating her share of the bill. She glances at Harry and notices that he is staring at her. She says "What? Do I have something on my face?" In this instance, Harry might not have been intending to send a message at all, or might not have been intending to send a message that Sally had something on her face, but his behavior (staring) was interpreted as a message by Sally. In this case, communication was inevitable; even staring was perceived as communication.

Sample of What NOT to do (this will result in a "C" grade at best):

An axiom of communication relevant to the film is that communication has content and relationship dimensions (DeVito, 1995). This axiom most often pertains to "conflict and its effective resolution" (DeVito, 1995, p. 37). Arguments can be caused by the content of the disagreement topic or by the level of the relationship between the two people (DeVito, 1995).
When Sally speaks to her friend Marie after a game of pictionary she explains that the woman Harry is dating is not good for him. Harry speaks to his friend Jess the same day, about how he does not approve of Sally's date. The two of them are not really upset about the content of their statements, however. Instead they are jealous of each other because the level of their relationship is lower than the level of the relationship between them and the people they are each dating. Each of them deeply cares about each other, and they are jealous of seeing each other in other relationships that are stronger than theirs.

PROBLEMS:
1. Not a clear description of content and relationship levels.
2. No clear examples of communication behaviors relevant to this concept. That is: how do you know this is a relationship-level conflict not a conflict level? How do you know they are jealous? What specifically is said or done to indicate that the argument is based on jealousy?
3. No follow-through explaining why specific behaviors meet the criteria of content or relationship levels.