Research Paper Assignment ~ Outl

Research Paper Assignment ~ Outline Due Date March ~~24th~~ NEW DATE March 26th

Term Paper Due April 14th

    A research paper applying some concept of interpersonal communication to a relationship/situation in your life is due on the date listed above. Browse through your textbook to look at all of the concepts. You will also be assigned a group movie project and can use the same concept for both assignments. In the same way you will apply a concept to the “movie of your life.” A minimum of 4 references are needed. References include books, journal articles, magazines, etc. - please make sure that you only use credible sources. Your textbook can serve as one reference!!
    During the course of the semester, we have discussed and will discuss various relationships and relational concepts. Any of these topics can be selected as your topic for the paper as long as you can relate it to a current relationship or situation in your life. The primary purpose of the paper is to provide you with an opportunity to examine in detail some aspect of interpersonal communication and how it affects one of your real-life situations. This paper will allow you the opportunity to explore an area you find interesting. If you are struggling with a topic, please ask me for assistance.
    Upon selecting your topic, you will research the topic in the literature (academic and popular). You may use your textbook as one reference.

Areas to think about:

What is it you want to know? Why do you want to know it? What answers are provided in the literature? Can you use your research to solve a problem you have? What are the major issues of this topic? How is it related to interpersonal communication? What has been verified from experiments? What does the literature tell you about your topic? Where would you like to go from here? How can this information help you in your situation? You may choose to use your paper as a way to explore solutions to a current relationship problem you are having, or you may want to use it to demonstrate why a current relationship you have is so successful.

Requirements
All papers must follow the APA writing style. Your paper must be carefully referenced and accompanied by a reference page. Papers must be double-spaced and typed on standard paper. All papers will have a title page and a reference page and four full pages of content. You must define the concept you are using, define the relationship, then address an area of the relationship as it pertains to the concept, finally address what options you may have and what you have learned.

First you will submit an outline – that is DUE on March ~~24th~~ NEW DATE March 26th
Next you will do your full term paper – with sources!! The final version needs to be turned in with your outline – and your rough draft – rough drafts MUST be taken to the writing center for feedback – so plan ahead and get this done. Papers submitted with out an outline and/or rough draft with feedback from writing center will lose points. Make sure the tutor in the writing center signs and dates your rough draft as proof.

Here is a rough version of what your paper might look like
(keep in mind this is in outline format but your paper MUST be in ESSAY format!!)

(on the title page):
Conflict Styles: Differences Between Mom and Me

Jane Doe

Reedley College, Reedley, CA Spring, 2009

(page 2 and on): (Don't forget to put page numbers on each page)

(heading) INTRODUCTION
Remember all of the elements we included for a speech – use those here but in paragraph form.

1. Attention getter – something catchy to grab the attention of the reader.

2. Thesis statement – what is the overall point of the paper.

3. Preview – what are the main points in the paper (hint: concept, relationship, and how they are connected)

4. Relation to Interpersonal Communication - one sentence that connects this paper to our class

(heading) CONFLICT MANAGEMENT STYLES (or whatever concept you choose – below is just an example) (this section should be researched and contain in-text citations – remember you need 4 different sources – please be careful and do NOT plagiarize.)

1. Different conceptual use of conflict management styles. List them, and maybe even define them.

2. The importance of conflict management styles to interpersonal communication. What do other researchers have to say about conflict strategies?

3. Differences in conflict management styles between family members or what makes people choose particular conflict management styles – for example: age, culture, ethnicity, religion

(heading) THE CHOSEN RELATIONSHIP (call this whatever you want)

1. The problem existing between my mother and me (this doesn’t have to be labeled a problem – it could be just a description of your relationship – mentioning positive and negative aspects – the point of this class is to make ALL relationships better)

2. Examples of our difficulties – or how we respond to each other – how we are different – give specific examples – maybe describe a particular event where a conflict occurred – maybe something you didn’t understand at the time but now can look at it with fresh eyes.

(heading) SOLUTIONS (or suggestions to make the relationship better)

1. What the research says might help our problems and situation – what does the textbook suggest? What have you learned in this class or in your research that can change your relationship?

2. How I plan to implement the solutions – my game plan – possible ways to respond in the future should another event occur – or how you can use this experience and information in other relationships.

(heading) CONCLUSION

1. Recap - Summary of what was discussed in the paper. (For above example it would be something like: Understanding conflict management styles has helped me figure out the differences in how my mom and I handle our problems.

2. Restatement of thesis (re-worded)

3. Attention getter – something to end the paper – maybe a statement or if you have use the information what you learned.

(last page):

(heading) REFERENCES (This is purely an example)

Covey, S. R. (1989). The 7 habits of highly effective people: Powerful lessons in personal change. New York: Simon & Schuster.

Horowitz, S. V. & Boardman, S. K. (1994). Managing conflict: Policy and research implications. Journal of Social Issues, 50, (1), 197-211.

Smith, N. (1997, September). The ways men and women handle conflict. Conflict Today, 104, 100-110.

Carvalho, L. (2004). Romantic conflict: Differences in coping between men and women. Available at: http://speechideas.net Retrieved on 6/12/06.

How I will evaluate your papers:

1. How well does the student synthesize the researched material into a coherent report of what is known and not known about the topic?

2. How well does the student support and illustrate the major issues of his/her topic?

3. How well does the student present the discussion in a clear and organized fashion?

4. How well does the student examine the implications of his or her topic to his or her interpersonal communication relationship/situation?

5. How well does the student follow APA style? Are there in-text citations? Did the student use ALL FOUR of their sources? Has the paper been proofread for errors?