Step 1. Identify a real-world event.

Objective: You will select and apply a communication studies theory to a real-life scenario.

Step 1. Identify a real-world event. Identify a “real-world” event in the news, media, etc. This should be a specific occurrence so that you can clearly analyze it using a theory. This event or issue that you are interested in. It just needs to be a real, verifiable event (e.g., Norwegian women’s beach handball team breaks uniform tradition and is fined: https://www.nbcnews.com/news/sports/norwegian-women-s-beach-handball-team-fined-not-playing-bikinis-n1274453).

Just make sure I have enough detail to the retelling of the event so that I can understand your topic proposal.

Step 2. Identify the broader issue/question. Step back from the event and consider the broader issue that you want to address. For instance, if you were interested in considering the event of why the Norwegian’s women’s beach team was fined, you would step back and maybe ask: 1) Why are the uniforms this way/why are their bodies regulated in this way? Or 2) What are the group dynamics at play in this situation? Or 3) How do structures within the organization affect the process and effects of protesting? (or some such shenanigans like this).

Basically, I want you to take a step back and situate the event in a specific context: e.g., interpersonal, small group, organizational, rhetoric, media, etc. This will direct you to what type of theories that you should consider!

Step 3. Select a theory to explain/analyze the event. Your theory should be one that corresponds with the context. For instance, if you’re talking about an interpersonal relationship, you would not select agenda setting theory. Be strategic!

ALSO, when selecting a theory: It does NOT need to be one that we have covered in class. I have provided a list of theories below, but it is by no means comprehensive.

Step 4. Start your research! You will need to background research on the event, the context, and the theory itself. You should start with finding at least 5-7 articles that are relevant to your paper (theory and/or context). These should be communication or communication-adjacent articles from peer-reviewed journals. You might also need to find news articles, but this does not count toward your 5-7 articles.

This is to get you on your way. It is probable that you will have to find other articles, which is why you are expected to have 7-10 articles cited in your paper in the final product not including any news/media articles that you might use.

At this point, you should be compiling the information for your annotated bibliography!

Step 5. Start writing the paper. This is a hybrid literature review/analysis paper. You will need the following:

1) Title Page

• • a. Introduction

When writing:

Start with an outline! It seems like more work, but it will actually help you stay on point and streamline the process later.

Format APA style (e.g., 12 pt. font, Times New Roman, 1” margins, title page, reference page). You should be writing concisely and making clear connections so that a reader – any reader – can follow what you’re saying 8-10 pages.