Requirements: The research paper can be on a theory of your choice. This paper should be in the neighborhood of 5-7 typed pages. For all reports and papers written for this course, papers must be written in proper form and you must use APA documentation style.
This is a SPEECH COMMUNICATION: Dynamics of Small Group Communication.
This research paper should be a well-written thinkpiece based upon library research; seek out seminal books and articles related to your topic. Part of the assessment of your paper will be the quality of the research materials you are able to find. The content and references in the textbook are meant to be an initial springboard for your understanding of the topic, but I want you to try to find and read the original books or articles that introduce this theory to the world. Use book materials and peer-reviewed articles, not quick summary webpages. Look in the citations and reference bibliographies of books and articles to find additional things to look at.
Having an initial sense of what your paper will be about will help you find appropriate materials to read and think about. In the course of thinking about and writing your paper, here are some things that might be good to include:
- the general context of the theory—write about the significance of studying this aspect of communication
- explication of the key elements of the theory
- discussion of the place of the theorist in the scheme of things
- exposition of criteria to be used in analyzing the theory
- critical evaluation of your theory using this criteria
- discussion of ways in which this theory can be helpful in addressing problems or meeting practical needs in the real world