Communications and Media

This Project will consist of two parts: a creative project + an explanatory paper. For your Final Project, you must produce a creative project involving performance — meaning, I would like you to perform something and capture your performance in either an audio recording or a video recording. And your performance must pertain to the themes of this course and reference AT LEAST TWO READINGS FROM TWO DIFFERENT MODULES on the Syllabus. Your audio or video recording must be NO LONGER than five minutes long. Then, you will ALSO write a 2-page, double-spaced paper in which you EXPLAIN how your project relates to some of the themes of the course, and what two readings you used. For your Project, you could choose to write out an essay about your thoughts on a television show or social media account, relating it to some of the themes you’ve learned in this course, and you could record yourself reading your essay. Whatever genre and style of performance you choose, I advise that you choose something from television or something from social media, like a TV series, or an episode or character from that series, or a social media event, or account, or hashtag campaign, as your main object. Then you should do an explanation or commentary or reaction or parody or re-enactment or artistic re-interpretation of that TV or social media object that references themes from this course. Whatever type of recording you do, you just have to make sure it’s maximum 5 minutes long. It can be a lot shorter than 5 minutes, it just can’t be longer than 5 minutes. you also have to make sure that somewhere in your project, you mention two readings from two DIFFERENT modules of the course. You could cite the readings explicitly, but you could also just incorporate themes, concepts, frameworks, terms, keywords, main ideas from the readings, into your project. The reason that you have the option to not cite the two readings explicitly is that, remember, you will also be writing a 2-page paper explaining your project in addition to doing the project itself, and in that paper, you will state very clearly which readings you used for your project — you should write the titles of the two essays you used, their authors, and if you think it’s necessary or helpful, you should write which arguments, or lines, from the essays informed your project the most. Therefore, I have to be included an audio or video file attached with a 2 pages explanatory paper. Rubrics: This Project will be worth up to 16 points. 4 points will be based on how well your project engages with the themes of the course. 4 points will be based on how well you use the two readings from two different modules. 4 points will be based on the technical and aesthetic aspects of your project — though you don’t have to employ really sophisticated technical skills to do this project, but we want to evaluate how well you executed your concept for the project. And 4 points will be based on your 2-page explanatory paper, and how well you communicate in that paper what your project was about, and how it was inspired by what was discussed in the lectures and readings that make up this course.

If you were to create a podcast and you had the opportunity to interview anyone, what well-known people would you invite on your show? What “ordinary” people would you invite on your show? What would you ask them? Why? Instructions: Your initial post (approximately 200-250 words) should address each question in the discussion directions and is due by 11:59 PM Central Time on Wednesday. Your two response posts (approximately 125-150 words each) are due by 11:59 PM Central Time on Sunday. Please remember to take ownership of your original post and answer all questions posed to you by other course participants. Please refer to the Discussion rubric for detailed guidance about expectations and grading for discussions.

Feature Story Query/ Pitch Letter- I AM COM MAJOR Prior to beginning work on this assignment, your Final Project requires that you consider the importance of visual images in planning feature stories or profiles. As you think about your ideas for the Final The project, consider the types of original visual images you will be able to obtain for the feature. Read Chapters 1 and 2 of White Space Is Not Your Enemy to assist in the planning of your feature story. Review the Week Five instructions for the Final Project for more information about what you will be required to include in the feature story or profile. Then, follow the directions depending on your area of study for this week’s assignment. COM Majors: This week, you will write three proposal letters for real-world publications with your ideas for the feature profile that will be used in the Final Project in Week Five. This assignment requires that you propose your ideas for a communication campaign for a business or organization in your local area with the purpose of helping it to effectively communicate its message to its audience. Each proposal will be written for consideration for a local print magazine, a local digital publication, and a broadcast media outlet. While you will not be required to actually submit the proposals to the local media outlets, you must clearly identify them and understand the audiences they serve. You must be able to conduct research associated with the business or organization to be included in the communications you create. While parts of the proposal letters will be the same, other parts must be written specifically towards the media outlet. Only one list of sources is required.   JRN Majors: This week, you will write three query letters for real-world publications with your ideas for the feature story that will be used in the Final Project in Week Five. This assignment requires that you write about a regionally or nationally significant topic and its impact on your local community, city, town, or state. The query letters will be written for consideration for your local print newspaper, a digital publication, and a broadcast media outlet. While you will not be required to actually submit the letters to the local media outlets, you must clearly identify the media outlets and understand the audiences they serve. You must plan to interview at least two local people who can lend expert knowledge and opinions relevant to the topic that you choose to write about. While parts of the query letters will be the same, other parts must be written specifically towards the media outlet. Only one list of sources is required. Important: Please carefully read the instructions belowand follow them according to your area of study. If you are a COM student, your instructions fall at the front of the “or,” and if you are a JRN student, you should follow the instructions after the“or” in each criteria. If there is no “or” included in a criteria, it applies to all students regardless of area of study. Each one-page query or proposal letter Must include the contact information, including a proper greeting for the query letter. Must create a strong lead that is informative and compelling. Must describe unique selling points. Must include previous work to demonstrate expertise and credibility or your interest in the topic. Must create a concluding paragraph that summarizes the topic. Must provide a preliminary list of four sources of information including the following: The source of factual information related to the history of the business or organization you are profiling or interview of an expert source on the topic or issue (conducted in person, videoconference, or by phone) The source of factual information about the current strategies that the business or organization is involved in or interview of an additional source with an opposing point of view on the topic or issue (conducted in person, videoconference, or by phone) Two credible sources from which you plan to gather facts and/or statistics about the topic (open records, meetings, speeches, news releases, etc.)

For this media analysis, you will analyze how one part affects the whole media production. Note that you should select only a single piece of media; you should not be discussing more than one film, for example. You should choose one1 of the following parts to explore: ? Genre: Explain how the production you chose fits into its genre. ? Camera: Analyze how the camera’s use (camera angles, for instance) affects the overall production. ? Lighting: Describe how lighting is used to enhance or detract from the production. ? Actors/Characters: Analyze how the actors OR the characters themselves enhance or detract from the production. ? Symbols: Explain what the symbols are and how their usage affects the overall production. ? Music: Describe how the music enhances or detracts from the media production. ? Sound Effects: Analyze how the sound effects enhance or detract from the production. ? Special Effects: Explain what special effects are used and how they affect the viewing experience. ? Comparison to a Literary Work: (Note: This option may only be chosen if the film you chose is also in print form.) How are the book and film similar? How are they different? Which is better, and why? Your purpose in this assignment is to explain how or why something works; therefore, you should not include a full summary of the media production. Instead, you can provide context where needed so the reader understands what is happening. The body of the essay must 1 Please review the rubric and note that you will not earn full credit if you analyze more than one of these components. focus on your analysis. You can use the ideas contained in the Media Analysis lesson presentation and the Writer’s Handbook link to help you. As with all college writing, your essay should have a strong thesis statement in addition to an introduction, body, and conclusion. Other than your chosen film, television show, and/or book, you are required to cite at least one other credible2 source for this essay. This resource from the course will help you understand more about evaluating sources. Moreover, if you use specific information from the media production and/or print source, such as a quotations, you should include your chosen media source on your Works Cited page, too. Use proper parenthetical citations or signal phrases, and be sure to include MLA documentation and a Works Cited page for this assignment (this resource from the course will help). Review the rubric to see how your work will be assessed on this assignment. Thesis hints: You might use these guidelines in crafting your thesis: If you are analyzing elements in a production: In (add your one chosen production), (add character 1), (add character 2), and (add character 3) were used to (add how they enhanced the production or explained the production’s message). OR If you are comparing/contrasting a book and film: (Add book) contained (add one aspect that made the book better than the film), but (add film) used (add one aspect that made the film better than the book) and (add a second aspect that made the film better than the book) to better capture the reader’s imagination. Here are more specific thesis guidelines: If you are analyzing elements in a production: In the movie The Lorax, the characters Lorax, Once-ler, and Alocius O’Hare were used to show how environmentalists are fighting against profit-driven industries that are harming the environment and depleting natural resources. 2 Please note: Basic dictionary sources, user-edited websites (e.g., Wikipedia, eHow, etc.), and sites that house databases of quotations are not considered “credible” sources. You will lose points in the Research category of the rubric if your sources aren’t credible. OR If you are comparing/contrasting a book and film: Even though the characters were portrayed mostly the same across the book and the movie in Stephanie Meyer’s Twilight, the setting in the movie was much more detailed, which made the movie a much better overall experience compared to the book. The guidelines for this assignment are as follows: Length: This assignment should be at least 500 words. Header: Include a header in the upper left-hand corner of your writing assignment with the following information: ? Your first and last name ? Course Title (Composition II) ? Assignment name (Media Analysis) ? Current Date Format: ? MLA-style source documentation and Works Cited3 ? Your last name and page number in the upper-right corner of each page ? Double-spacing throughout ? Standard font (TimesNewRoman, Calibri) ? Title, centered after heading ? 1” margins on all sides ? Save the file using one of the following extensions: .docx, .doc, .rtf, or .txt Underline your thesis statement in the introductory paragraph. 3 This resource may be helpful as you are making MLA formatting decisions: https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/01/

The purpose of this essay is to analyze a subculture with a social, economic, and/or political disparity within US American Culture. You will identify the following aspects of this culture: symbols and meanings, norms, and what type of culture this subculture identifies as (see pages 53-55 for more information) In addition, Choose 2-4 concepts (i.e. language, verbal and nonverbal communication, etc.) to research and explain communicative behaviors of this subculture. Paper Requirements: Length: 5-7 Pages APA standards Resources: APA citation, 4 scholarly resources min. In-Text Citations (min of 4) double spaced, 1″ margins Reference page Content Requirements: Introduction (no more than on paragraph) A Brief/history of the culture you have selected An introductory explanation of the concepts you have chosen to discuss in the paper Body Describe Cultural symbols, meanings, and what type of culture this subculture identifies with. Explain the concepts you will be asserting and provide your evidence. Be sure to clearly and briefly define each concept (2-4 required) Explain (with research/evidence) how these concepts affect the communicative behaviors of this subculture when communicating with the dominant culture or other subcultures. And the communicative behaviors within the subculture itself (how do they communicate with one another, how do they reinforce norms within the subculture for example). Do not use lengthy quotes or use lengthy scene descriptions to fill space. Conclusion A clear summary of the main points of your analysis.