Research Paper

JOURNALISM 2 -- RESEARCH PAPER/CLASS PRESENTATION

PURPOSE

The purpose of this assignment is to practice media literacy while investigating a media topic of your choosing.  Using research and critical thinking, you’ll write a report and deliver a presentation to teach our class about what you have discovered.  Academic writing is not about proving your thesis is “correct,” rather it is about sharing what you learned during your research.  Use who, what, when, where, why and how to start gathering your data.

What’s the history of this issue?   When did it start? 

How did it start?  Where did it start?

Is it a problem? Why?

Who is affected?  Who isn’t affected – why not?

What have some people gained?  What have some people lost?

Who’s making money? 

What’s “weird” about this issue?

Who is responsible? 

Start with your suspicions and then become a detective.  Examine who, what, when, where, why and how, look at what experts say and then put the pieces together. Think about what you’ve learned.  

DUE DATES

TOPIC CHOICE		DUE:  Week of Nov. 3
ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY: 3 ITEMS	100 points	DUE:  Tuesday Nov. 18
PRESENTATION IDEA		DUE:  Thursday Nov. 20 in class
DRAFT:  RESEARCH REPORT (optional)		DUE:  Tuesday Nov. 25
PRESENTATION	100 points	DUE:  Dec. 2 or 4 as assigned
RESEARCH PAPER AT TURNITIN.COM	200 points	DUE:  Thursday Dec. 4 midnight

ATTENDANCE DURING CLASS PRESENTATIONS

Your final exam in this class will include questions from student presentations.  You will therefore take notes during the presentations to use for the final.  Be sure to attend each class so you don’t miss out on this information because it will severely affect your grade. 

GRADING

The Research Paper will be graded on the four requirements shown on the grading rubric for this assignment.  Each section is worth a maximum of 50 points.

·       Paper organization

·       Research

·       APA citation requirements

·       Quality of writing

The presentation will be graded on timeliness and clarity

            50 points –  Give your presentation on time

            50 points – Give a cohesive, planned presentation that stresses what you learned

PAPER ORGANIZATION 

Your paper should be written in such a way as to be easy to understand, to showcase your research, and to highlight your critical thinking.

Paragraph 1: INTRODUCTION

·     Introduce the topic to the reader, including history for context

·     Include a thesis statement

·     Define any specialty words used to discuss topic

·     Introduce three main points.  EXAMPLE:  “Glee” was a groundbreaking TV show making a case for gay equality because x, y and z.

Paragraphs 2, 3, 4 +: BODY

·     First sentence is a topic sentence that brings together the ideas in the paragraph

·     No quotes in the first sentence

·     Write cohesively with explanations and transitions, not just fact-fact-fact

·     Use summary and paraphrasing to present your sources

·     Direct quotations should be no more than 10 percent of the content of these paragraphs.

Last Paragraph:         CONCLUSION

·     No new research is included in this paragraph

·     Begin with a topic sentence (Your opinion–not facts)

·     Show what you learned

·     Give your own opinion, backed up by your research

·     Write cohesively with transitions, not just fact-fact-fact

·     Last sentence concludes your thoughts

RESEARCH

You are required to use four sources of research in this report.  The maximum is six sources.

These should be from reputable sources and contain reliable facts.  Using information from “.com” websites is often not reliable. If in doubt, talk to me about this before including a source.

Source 1:  MANDATORY – Mass Communication: Living in a Media World by Ralph Hanson

Source 2:  MANDATORY – Scholarly journal article

Source 3:  Your choice – as a scholar you are expected to use reputable information

Source 4:  Your choice – as a scholar you are expected to use reputable information

If you choose to use a blog, or other “opinion-based” data, such as an interview, this will be

in addition to the four required sources. 

Use the most current research you can find, although you may want to show how things have changed over time by using one older source.

APA CITATION REQUIREMENTS

In-text citations are required whenever you include material from a research source.  All sources must be cited within the paper using APA citation style. 

Google “Diana Hacker APA citations” and go to the website.  On the left side, click on “In-text Citations.”  Read the specific instructions for your particular type of citation.

A References page is a separate page at the end of your report. The citations on the References page need to match the in-text citations.  A REPORT WITHOUT IN-TEXT CITATIONS AND/OR NO REFERENCES PAGE WILL RECEIVE ZERO POINTS.

ALWAYS give the original author credit for his/her idea, even if you paraphrase it, with an in-text citation.  If you do not, you are committing plagiarism.  It is both illegal and unethical (see the class syllabus for my commitment to uphold De Anza College’s policy).  

Example of in-text citation:  In the documentary, “Before the Music Dies,” Erykah Badu, a contemporary performer, suggests that female singers must meet the audience’s idea of beauty before they will be given a recording contract (Shapter, 2006). 

 

QUALITY OF WRITING

The purpose of this research paper is to show what you have learned by incorporating critical thinking and research.  The paper should be informative and engaging.  If you do not discuss this topic from a mass media perspective you will receive zero points for this assignment.

The paper is 1,200 words to 1,500 words, approx. 4-5 pages. This word count should not include your References page material.

Set up 1-inch margins (the default setting is often 1.25”), double-spaced, 11 or 12-point font.

Follow the conventions of college-level English writing.  Run spell-check and grammar check (although these are not perfect).  If there are excessive grammar errors you will lose points.  Work with a free tutor at the De Anza Writing & Reading Center in the ATC building if you need help.

            TWO THINGS NOT TO DO IN YOUR PAPER

1.     Don’t use rhetorical questions in a college paper.  

Example:  “The average American loves football, along with baseball and other sports, but do you realize they always have advertisements everywhere?”

Instead,  make a statement.

Example:  Although many Americans enjoy watching sports on TV and attending sporting events in person, they may not be aware all the advertising they are exposed to through these sporting events.

2.     Don’t start your paper with the sentence “The topic that I will be covering in this paper is…….

CONCLUSION

In this section you will tie together your thoughts about this issue.  Using critical thinking, you will help your reader know what you learned. 

OPTION #1:   Maybe, after all of your research, you have come to another opinion than the one you started off with in your thesis.  That’s OK because it shows me you have learned something. Explain what you learned and how you learned it.

OPTION #2:   On the other hand, your research may have convinced you that you were right all along, and that’s OK, too, because you have found experts who share your concerns or back up your thoughts.  So, in this case, you would probably write about what you learned that you didn’t expect, or that surprised you.  Explain your thinking about this.

OPTION #3:   Finally, it is also OK to admit that you are conflicted about the topic.  You may have found research that makes a good case for each side, and you find all of it to be compelling, and something you want to think more about.  Again, this is OK because you have learned that your issue is more complex than you originally thought.  Explain this in detail.

Academic writing is not about proving your thesis is “correct,” rather it is about what you learned during the process of researching and writing. 

JOURNALISM 2 -- RESEARCH PAPER/CLASS PRESENTATION

The purpose of the presentation is to explain your topic and research to the class.

TIMING

The presentation is a maximum of six minutes.  If you will be showing a two-minute video, plan to speak for four minutes to thoroughly explain the history of your topic, your research, and your perspective.  The maximum number of minutes for the presentations will depend upon how many students are speaking each day.

FORMAT

You can use PowerPoint, a blog or a website as a visual aid. Creative presentations such as songs are welcome.

 

POWERPOINT – 5X5

Maximum five slides, five bullet points per slide. Do not use complete sentences. You can include a photo or link to a video clip on one of these slides. Do not use Prezi because our classroom computer frequently does not recognize it.

VIDEO CLIP

If you use a video, limit it to no more than two minutes of your presentation time. If you want to link to a video from a PowerPoint, do not try to embed. Use a link instead.

 

DATE OF PRESENTATION

Students will be given the opportunity to volunteer for Tuesday Nov. 25 or Tuesday, Dec. 2, and then I will assign dates. The only “excused” absence is hospitalization, or some other dire situation.  This is not a cold (no matter how crummy you feel) or that your printer broke or that you ran out of ink. 

I require written confirmation if you missed your presentation date and you still want to earn 50 points.  If you miss your date, you may have an opportunity to present your report on the next class day, but there is no guarantee.  Students who are scheduled for each day always have priority.