Being able to discern the main points and implications of theories discussed in Griffins “First Look at Communication theory” chapter 5 (symbolic interactionism)
Summary and Implication Papers

The goal of Summary and Implication (S&I) papers is to summarize AND provide insight into a theory described in the Griffin text. Being able to discern the main points and implications of theories will be an important skill to develop in the longer papers as well.

GUIDELINES

Your final draft should be two paragraphs and no more than one double-spaced typed page with one-inch margins and 12-point Times New Roman font. Points will be deducted for not following this format.

Paragraph #1 should describe the theory you are reviewing:

-Try to begin with a sentence that identifies the general focus of the theory. For example, define the issue being addressed or the theorist’s general perspective.

-The remainder of the first paragraph should identify the theory’s key concepts, major points or arguments. For example, identify the claims the theory is making or the assumptions being advanced. As an alternative, you might identify the primary variables or “things” that a theorist examines, and summarize the relationship between those variables, according to the theory.

Implications of Theories discussion

Implications of Theories discussion

Implications of Theories discussion

-This first paragraph is descriptive in nature. In other words, provide enough information to present the basic framework of the theory and all its important parts. You will not have room to expand beyond the key concepts. Lastly, you should not evaluate the theory (i.e., state whether or not you think it’s good or bad).

Paragraph #2 should identify what you consider to be the implications of the theory:

-Assume that the theorist’s claims are true (whether you agree with them or not). Think about what the theorist’s ideas imply about communication processes or human interaction in general or in particular contexts. For example, you might describe other conclusions about communication that could be drawn from the theory that are not specified by the theorist. In a sense, you are to identify what else ought to be true if the theory is assumed to be true.

-Your goal is to identify four claims about communication that are implied by the theory, but not already stated by the theory. Thus, this paragraph should not reiterate assumptions that are part of the theory or implications stated by Griffin in the chapter. Implications should not simply restate what the theory is already telling us. Provide four statements, that we can imply are true if the theory is assumed to be true.

-This paragraph involves extending the theorist’s ideas, not evaluating them. Thus, you should not dwell on whether you think the theory is good or bad, right or wrong, clear or ambiguous, or whether you “like it.”

-Focus on generating general claims implied by the theory, rather than using personal anecdotes to exemplify an implication.

CRITERIA

Three S&I papers will be submitted this semester. Each S&I paper will be graded on a 35-point scale. Together, the S&I papers are worth up to 105 points toward your final grade.

Each paper will be evaluated according to the following criteria:

1. Accurate and comprehensive summary of main points (15 points).

2. Insight into significant implications of the theory (15 points).

3. Clear, grammatically correct writing, effective word choice, careful proofreading (5 points).

PLEASE NOTE

-S&I paper #1 is due Wednesday, September 6th, 2017. You will write S&I #1 on Griffin chapter five (symbolic interactionism). After the first mandatory S&I, each week you will choose whether to write an S&I paper on one of the assigned theory chapters from the Griffin textbook for that week. Only one S&I paper may be submitted per week. Weekly due dates are typically each Monday unless stated otherwise in the course schedule. It is up to you to do at least three S&I papers before the last due date (note: there are 13 opportunities to submit S&I papers). Submit papers to the D2L Dropbox before class (the Dropbox closes when lecture begins) and bring in a hard copy for your TA to grade. Late S&I papers are not accepted (i.e., papers that are not uploaded to the dropbox and submitted as hard copy on time). Please see the course schedule (in the syllabus) for the final deadline for submitting the second and third S&I papers.

Please note that the COMM 300 staff does not pre-grade/read rough drafts during office hours or via email. However, we encourage you to attend office hours with your specific paper-related questions, before submitting your paper for a grade.

-Direct quotes from the chapter are not appropriate in this assignment; your goal is to summarize and paraphrase rather than to extract specific phrases.

-You do not need to cite page numbers or the author as a source. The nature of the assignment identifies the source of your information.

-Although each chapter is written by Griffin, your paper should be a summary of the theory, rather than of Griffin’s description of the theory. For example, rather than write “According to Griffin…” it would be better to write “According to the theory…”

-Papers should be expository or argumentative and should be regarded as exercises in scholarly writing. Do not write in a conversational style that would characterize a journal entry or personal narrative. Personal examples or anecdotes are not appropriate.

-Accomplishing this task in the confines of one page of text requires careful editing. Exceeding the one page limit should be taken as a sign that you have not spent enough time with the assignment. Anything beyond one page will not be graded. Similarly, if you have less than a full page of text, you should check whether you have been comprehensive in your theory review and analysis of the theory’s implications.

-The sample S&I paper illustrates the ideal formatting for an S&I paper.

You must proofread your paper. But do not strictly rely on your computer’s spell-checker and grammar-checker; failure to do so indicates a lack of effort on your part and you can expect your grade to suffer accordingly. Papers with numerous misspelled words and grammatical mistakes will be penalized. Read over your paper – in silence and then aloud – before handing it in and make corrections as necessary. Often it is advantageous to have a friend proofread your paper for obvious errors. Handwritten corrections are preferable to uncorrected mistakes.

Use a standard 10 to 12 point (10 to 12 characters per inch) typeface. Smaller or compressed type and papers with small margins or single-spacing are hard to read. It is better to let your essay run over the recommended number of pages than to try to compress it into fewer pages.

Likewise, large type, large margins, large indentations, triple-spacing, increased leading (space between lines), increased kerning (space between letters), and any other such attempts at “padding” to increase the length of a paper are unacceptable, wasteful of trees, and will not fool your professor.

The paper must be neatly formatted, double-spaced with a one-inch margin on the top, bottom, and sides of each page. When submitting hard copy, be sure to use white paper and print out using dark ink. If it is hard to read your essay, it will also be hard to follow your argument.

 

ADDITIONAL INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE CLASS

Discussion Questions (DQ)

Initial responses to the DQ should address all components of the questions asked, include a minimum of one scholarly source, and be at least 250 words.
Successful responses are substantive (i.e., add something new to the discussion, engage others in the discussion, well-developed idea) and include at least one scholarly source.
One or two sentence responses, simple statements of agreement or “good post,” and responses that are off-topic will not count as substantive. Substantive responses should be at least 150 words.
I encourage you to incorporate the readings from the week (as applicable) into your responses.
Weekly Participation

Your initial responses to the mandatory DQ do not count toward participation and are graded separately.
In addition to the DQ responses, you must post at least one reply to peers (or me) on three separate days, for a total of three replies.
Participation posts do not require a scholarly source/citation (unless you cite someone else’s work).
Part of your weekly participation includes viewing the weekly announcement and attesting to watching it in the comments. These announcements are made to ensure you understand everything that is due during the week.
APA Format and Writing Quality

Familiarize yourself with APA format and practice using it correctly. It is used for most writing assignments for your degree. Visit the Writing Center in the Student Success Center, under the Resources tab in LoudCloud for APA paper templates, citation examples, tips, etc. Points will be deducted for poor use of APA format or absence of APA format (if required).
Cite all sources of information! When in doubt, cite the source. Paraphrasing also requires a citation.
I highly recommend using the APA Publication Manual, 6th edition.
Use of Direct Quotes

I discourage overutilization of direct quotes in DQs and assignments at the Masters’ level and deduct points accordingly.
As Masters’ level students, it is important that you be able to critically analyze and interpret information from journal articles and other resources. Simply restating someone else’s words does not demonstrate an understanding of the content or critical analysis of the content.
It is best to paraphrase content and cite your source.
LopesWrite Policy

For assignments that need to be submitted to LopesWrite, please be sure you have received your report and Similarity Index (SI) percentage BEFORE you do a “final submit” to me.
Once you have received your report, please review it. This report will show you grammatical, punctuation, and spelling errors that can easily be fixed. Take the extra few minutes to review instead of getting counted off for these mistakes.
Review your similarities. Did you forget to cite something? Did you not paraphrase well enough? Is your paper made up of someone else’s thoughts more than your own?
Visit the Writing Center in the Student Success Center, under the Resources tab in LoudCloud for tips on improving your paper and SI score.
Late Policy

The university’s policy on late assignments is 10% penalty PER DAY LATE. This also applies to late DQ replies.
Please communicate with me if you anticipate having to submit an assignment late. I am happy to be flexible, with advance notice. We may be able to work out an extension based on extenuating circumstances.
If you do not communicate with me before submitting an assignment late, the GCU late policy will be in effect.
I do not accept assignments that are two or more weeks late unless we have worked out an extension.
As per policy, no assignments are accepted after the last day of class. Any assignment submitted after midnight on the last day of class will not be accepted for grading.
Communication

Communication is so very important. There are multiple ways to communicate with me:
Questions to Instructor Forum: This is a great place to ask course content or assignment questions. If you have a question, there is a good chance one of your peers does as well. This is a public forum for the class.
Individual Forum: This is a private forum to ask me questions or send me messages. This will be checked at least once every 24 hours.