R.S. ZAHARNA Home Classes Weekend Program Research Student Projects
Comm.744 Public
Communication Seminar
Spring 2005
Dr. R. S.
Zaharna
Phone: (202) 885-3995
Office: Mary Graydon
301
E-mail: zaharna@american.edu
Office hours: Wednesdays
Tuesdays
Mondays 10:30-12:30
My new web address is: http://www.academic3.american.edu/~zaharna
Course Design
Work plan - Spring
2005
Texts: Require &
Recommended
Worksheets & handouts
Preparing
your
Master's Project
RESOURCES
Seminar
Resources
Search
& Surf
APA Style Guidelines - http://www.uiowa.edu/~commstud/resources/citation.html
WORKSHEETS
Chapter 1 - Introduction sections to include
ACADEMIC INTEGRITY
** "Standards of academic conduct are
set
forth in the University's Academic Integrity Code. By
registering, you have acknowledged your awareness of the Academic
Integrity
Code, and you are obliged to become familiar with your rights and
responsibilities as defined by the Code. Violations of the Academic
Integrity
Code will not be treated lightly, and disciplinary action will be taken
should
such violations occur. Please see me if you have any questions about
the
academic violations described in the Code in general or as they relate
to
particular requirements for this course."
This class is devoted to the development and submission of your final project as partial fulfillment of your Master's degree.
You will have the benefit of input from your colleagues and myself as we pursue this endeavor together. All the students have partners and extended partners to help them meet their own goals.
The due dates are designed to help you meet the target date of having a completed project by the end of the semester. Please try to meet the target dates and encourage your partners to do the same -- and always, remind them often to "KISS" so they can keep things manageable.
Let us begin, and God willing, enjoy this intellectual exercise!
Zaharna, R.S., Preparing your Master's project. (Available from from Zaharna homepage/Classes under course materials.)
Recommended
American Psychological Association (APA).
Style Manual. (latest
edition).
Ross-Larson, Bruce. Edit yourself: A manual for everyone whoworks
with words. New York: Norton, 1985.
Rubin, R., Rubin, A. & Piele, L. Communication
research: Strategies & sources.
Dr. R.S. Zaharna
Work Plan -- Spring 2005
January 12) Introduction
January 19) Draft
proposal
* 5 page description of your project
- introduce problem & research
question
* background
on the
issue - 2 or 3 pages
- project focus - state issue/problem
- significance - why important, who benefit from study and how
- propose methodology
- organization for your proposed
study
January 26)
Background & Reading List
*
suggested reading list -- 10 entries
*
2 article review
February 2)
4 Article
reviews
* 4 article critiques total
- 2 1/2 page summary of the scholar's work + your assessment
February 9) Chapter 2: Literature Review
* Literature review due with reference
list
- 10-15 page compilation of literature review
February 16)
Research for Case Profile
* Literature
review complete
February 23) Chapter 3: Case Profile or Methodology
* Rough draft of Case Profile
- 10-12 page detailed, descriptive profile of case study or, 5-8
page
methodology section for research projects
March 2) Chapter 3 : Case Profile -- Study Outline (tentative Table of Contents)
* Chapters 2, 3 I, Study outline
March 16) Research for Findings/Case Analysis
* Rough draft of Chapter 4 -
8-11 page
write up of your research findings / or begin analysis of case study
(10-12
page analysis of your findings/case study)
March 23) Chapter 4: Discussion/ Case Analysis
* Chapters2, 3, 4 due
March 30) Fix
chapters 2, 3, 4 -
begin
Introduction
April 6) Chapter 1: Introduction & Chapter 5: Conclusion
* Introduction - 8 pages, coherent,
organized
with subheadings
* Conclusion - 4-5 pages, summary of study and areas of future
research
April 13) First Draft
* Working draft - compile study sections, table of
contents,
title page & references
April 20) Final Draft
CHAPTER I -- Introduction
(Tip: Introductions are usually written last, after you know what
your study
is really about. However, because most people like to start at
the
beginning, here are a few components to get your study started. Don’t worry about polishing the ideas.
They will grow
by themselves as your study and thinking progresses. For now,
just put
the headings and try to put some ideas under each heading.)
1 - Introduction
1 ½ page introduction to get your reader’s attention and to introduce a clear and pressing problem that you want to explore. You can present some critical questions that you think need to be answered.
Try to move your ideas from general to specific. For example:
crime on tv
news –
crime & local news – the station you will study crime
identity branding – identity branding & nonprofits – the
nonprofit
you will study
corporate social responsibility – csr
&
nonprofits – the nonprofit you will study
2 - Statement of the Problem
In one paragraph try to state as clearly and tightly as possible what you is the very narrow item that you are going to study. What is the central goal of your study?
Example:
“In this study I will examine the use of identity branding by
nonprofit organizations to build their national image.
Specifically, I
will focus on Name of Organization as a case study to analyze its use
of
identity branding.”
3 - Statement of Purpose and Objectives
Here you can list some of the more specific or detailed aspects of
your
study in bullet form.
4 - Study Significance
(About 2-3 paragraphs) Why is your topic significant?
Why is it
significant for public relations scholars? For
communication study? For the American
society?
For human kind at large?
You want to make a clear and compelling case as to why the study is
needed
at this time. Why is the problem significant? How does it affect
us? How
will it benefit us? How will it advance
our current knowledge or understanding? Why can't we just forget about
it? You may provide justification based on the magnitude of
the
problem, the dearth of existing information, the benefits offered by
additional
information, or even the advantages of simply looking at the problem
from a
different angle.
Example: . "This study is
significant to
the field of public communication
because . . .
Also, if you are using a case study or have selected a representative station, state why and how this particular organization can serve as a case study. What are some unique features about the organization you selected.
Example: “Name of Organization was selected to serve as a case study
for
several reasons. First . . . and then state some of the features
of the
organization.”
5 - Background
About 5 pages. The "Background" provides additional information about the issue or problem. It can present the context or backdrop of how the problem emerged. It can explain an important piece of legislation or ideology that relates to the problem.
(Tip: I’d recommend leaving this
section blank for
now -- put the heading but not put anything under it. Usually as
you
write the study it becomes very clear what needs to be put in the
background.)
6 - Study Limitations
(2-3 paragraphs) Because the approaches to a phenomenon can be
endless, it
is important for you to state what the study will not cover.
Think about
related aspects of your study that could be studied, and state that
those
aspects are outside the scope of this study. Examples would be
explaining
how there are many organizations that could serve as a case study but
you chose
this one because . . . . and you will not
look at
other organizations.
7 - Study Overview
(About half a page). In this final
portion of
the Introduction, the candidate provides a brief synopsis of the coming
chapters. You can simply state what the chapter is about and highlight
the
purpose or main point in the chapter in one sentence.
(Tip: For this section, you can use the thesis outline from the
email
discussions)