Term paper Preparation how Wolverines view of himself changes based off the interactions he has/ goals

General Instructions:

In this 8 page paper, you will apply your knowledge of basic communication terms to an analysis of a film.  In general, you will: 

1. Select a primary communication context (e.g., interpersonal communication.) that is reflected in a particular film of your choosing.  Also, you will use several, specific terms (e.g., self-disclosure, relational dialectics, stages of relational development, etc.) that are related to your communication context.
2. Conduct scholarly research in order to fully understand your chosen context.  In other words, you will find three journal articles and use your textbook to help you understand and apply course terms in your paper. You should include specific quotes from your journal articles to support your thesis. 
3. Lastly, you will define and explain the terms, and analyze how they are presented in the film.  In addition, you will cite your journal articles and your textbook within your paper as evidence and support of your ideas. 
4. You will submit your paper through the link to Turnitin.com that is posted for you in the assignment in Canvas.

Your main goal in this paper is to apply communication terms to 

a film in order to demonstrate your understanding of these terms.

Section-by-Section Instructions (follow these instructions closely!):

Introduction 

1. First paragraph

1. Begin with a few general statements about ideas relevant to your paper, such as a few statements about communication, relationships, conflict, public speaking, organizations, etc.  Whatever your paper’s topic, lead into it for the reader.
2. Indicate the film that you will analyze.
3. Next, clearly explain your goals for this paper.  In other words, what is this paper’s thesis?  What is the purpose of this paper?  What will it accomplish? What will your paper explain and illustrate about the communication seen in this film?
4. End your introduction with a preview of the main points of your paper.  Your main points will be the terms that you will apply and analyze in the film.

2. Second paragraph – briefly summarize the film (about 4-5 sentences)

Body (For each paragraph in the Body, do these in this order):

1. Define and explain one or several terms that you have researched fully. Use your textbook for all definitions of key terms that you provide.  As you define your terms, be sure to cite evidence (quote) from your textbook and your journal articles. Make sure to put all of your key terms in bold.

1. Describe how the term is demonstrated in your film.  For example, here is where you explain how the characters in your film demonstrate “depth of self-disclosure,” “conflict,” “groupthink,” or some other term.  Be sure to provide examples from the film, and be sure to explain yourself fully.  This becomes your analysis of their communication.
2. Use a transition to move the reader to your next paragraph. Your transitions should help connect your main ideas together. 
3. Repeat these steps until you have enough content to meet the assignment guidelines for  the page requirement.
4. HINT: Try organizing your paper chronologically to match the order of the film.

Conclusion 

1. Provide a summary of the main points of your paper.
2. Close your paper with a few comments on the importance of competent communication.

RESOURCES TO HELP YOU

If you are looking for some additional resources about writing a thesis or using transitions to strengthen your writing, check out these great resources below:

How to Write a Thesis Statement

Developing Your Thesis

How to Use Transitions

Signposting as A Type of Transition

General Resources for Writing a Good Paper (Including Grammar/Punctuation, Resources for English Language Learners)

Booking An Appointment for Tutoring – SBCC Writing Center

Booking An Appointment for Tutoring –  SBCC Communication Lab

Title Page for Term Paper Assignment

Please note that an abstract is NOT required for this assignment but a title page, in appropriate APA style, is.  Your title page should include the following information and should be centered in the middle of your first page:

Title of Your Paper (Be Creative! “Term Paper” is not an acceptable title.)

Your Name

Your School (SBCC)

Your Class (COMM 101)

Date  (The date the paper is submitted)

The title page is numbered as page 1.

1.  State the thesis for your paper.   This should be one clear sentence that explains what your movie will illustrate about human communication. Make sure your thesis clearly reflects the communication context you’ve chosen to focus on (ex. interpersonal communication, group communication, organizational communication, etc.).  If you prefer, you may follow this with a second sentence that previews the key ideas your paper will address.  This is not required and it is possible to include a preview of main points in your primary thesis sentence if that is your preference.  See below for samples of strong thesis statements.  Also, the student workbook provides a variety of resources to help you with writing a thesis if you need additional support, including links to the Communication Lab tutor and the Writing Center. 

• Gus Van Sant’s film Good Will Hunting provides an excellent example of self-disclosure in personal relationships, demonstrated through Will’s relationship with his therapist, Sean Maguire. The film highlights how different communication concepts such as novelty/predictability, attachment styles, self-sabotage, self-disclosure, and relationship dialects play significant roles in shaping communication climates that cause relationships to either thrive or suffer.
  
• The goal of this paper is to specifically address the listening habits of the protagonist, Mark Zuckerberg, in director David Fincher’s biographical drama film The Social Network (2010). Examples of Mark’s failure to listen and communicate effectively can be traced throughout the film as he slowly degrades his interpersonal relationships and his internal happiness. These examples include ineffective listening caused by environmental distractions, failure to recognize diverse listening styles, monopolizing, literal listening, and lack of empathy, which leads to defensive and discomfirming communication climates. 
  

2.  List the 8 terms from your textbook that you plan to cover in your paper. These should be any of the bold-faced terms in your book. You are welcome to use terms we have not yet covered in the course from the later part of the textbook. Just read ahead in the textbook if you plan to look into topics we haven’t covered yet.  All of the terms you include should be directly related to your thesis and the specific type of communication you are discussing. Note that some types of communication, like interpersonal communication, are covered in more than one chapter in the book.  See below for a breakdown of what chapters cover what communication contexts.

• Chapters 2-10 – Interpersonal communication
• Chapter 8 – Intercultural Communication
• Chapter 11 – Group Communication
• Chapter 12 – Organizational Communication
• Chapter 13 – Public Speaking
• Chapter 14-15 – Mass Communication and Digital Media Communication

3.   List in APA style the 3 academic journal articles you plan to cite from in your paper.  These articles should support the thesis you are making about communication.  The student workbook provides many research resources including some links to research tutorials, the SBCC library website, APA citation style guides, etc.  Remember that these need to be articles from academic journals. You should not submit links to general websites, articles from pop culture sources like magazines, etc.

Your paper should be typed in 12 point Times New Roman font and double spaced.