Interpersonal Communication Analysis and Critique;Communication Cornerstones
This assignment should enhance your learning of the material through its application, while also
giving you the opportunity to finetune your
writing
and
cr
itical thinking skills
.
It is due at the
beginning of the assigned date.
We will spend that class period discussing your ‘findings.’ These
discussions are an important part of the learning process, and points raised in these sessions will
appear on your
exam.
Overview:
Based on observations for your own personal life or from an observation of a dyad or group of
others, you will compare and contrast this everyday experience with interpersonal research/theory
you’ve learned in class and in the text. Succe
ssful completion of the assignment involves a clear
discussion of the interaction you observed, demonstrated knowledge of theory and research that is
relevant to this interaction, and a thorough discussion of how the experiences appear similar to or
differ
ent from the course material.
Process:
1.
Select a dyad or group interaction
–
preferably one which you naturally observed (i.e., two
of your three roommates have a dialogue in the room), but it may also be an interaction in
which you were involved. (Please
do not intrude on conversations of strangers!)
2.
Briefly describe
the members in this interaction and aspects of the interaction’s context that
are important for our understanding of the phenomena you are about to describe.
3.
Describe two phenomena
that yo
u observed
in this interaction
that have some relevance to
interpersonal and nonverbal communication.
For example, based on your roommate’s
interaction with a new dating partner, you might draw from expectancy violations theory
(e.g., how she asks questio
ns to learn more about his interests) and discuss specific nonverbal
cues that signify attraction (i.e., smiling, closer social distance).
4.
For each of the two phenomena,
describe
how
your observations coincide with
or
work
against specific research and t
heory
from this unit.
For example:
If you feel that the observations closely align with the scholarship, then elaborate as to
how this is a perfect example of the phenomena
–
just as researchers and theorists
describe it. It helps to imagine that you ar
e using this observed episode to
teach
someone
about this particular phenomenon.
If you feel that the observations are quite different from the scholarship, explain the exact
ways that these are different. Then, describe
why
you think there is a differenc
e between
real life and the research. To say that “research is wrong
” will result in a
poor grade.
I
nstead, offer
your own
insight as to why these two things are in apparent disconnect.
Regardless of the degree to which your observations coincide with
or refute the research,
your response should make it apparent that y
ou understand the concepts and
that you
have done some critical thinking as well as some creative thinking. (In class
we will
discuss this further and I will provide you with some example
s.)
5.
Write a 1 paragraph summary
(4
–
5 sentences) of how this assignment effects your
enactment or interpretation of communication in everyday life. What did you learn from this?
What aspect of human communication to view different and/or with greater compl
exity after
having learned some empirical research? What advice
–
coming from the empirical research
and theory
–
might you provide to the people you’ve observed? …These are just some of the
questions that you can answer, but they may all work for you, and
you might have others that
are of interest.
6.
Be prepared to
discuss
this with your group members.
Logistics:
Submit
your final, typed paper to
Seelio
before
the beginning of class
on
Tuesday,
February 10,
2015
.
You should also bring a
hard copy
to clas
s
on
February 10
as we will be referencing your
papers during an in
–
class activity that day.
There is no set minimum or maximum for page
length, but I expect this will take you about
3
–
5
pages to successfully complete.
Grading Rubric
Criteria
Points
Description/Definition of Communication Phenomena 1
/10
Evaluation of Communication Phenomena 1 in relation to research/theory
/15
Description/Definition of Communication Phenomena 2
/10
Evaluation of Communication Phenomena 2 in relation to research
/theory
/15
Reflective Paragraph
/15
Writing style, grammar, and overall presentation
/10
Post final paper to Seelio
/10
TOTAL
/8
5
