Term Paper Assignment
Please read the following general information carefully and see your TERM PAPER RUBRIC for
more detailed information.
General Instructions:
In this 10 page paper, you will apply your knowledge of basic communication terms to an analysis
of a film. In general, you will:
1. Select a primary communication context (e.g., interpersonal communication.) that is
reflected in a particular film of your choosing. Also, you will use several, specific terms
(e.g., self-disclosure, relational dialectics, stages of relational development, etc.) that are
related to your communication context.
2. Conduct scholarly research in order to fully understand your chosen context. In other
words, you will find three journal articles and use your textbook to help you understand
and apply course terms in your paper. This becomes the evidence for your paper.
3. Lastly, you will define and explain the terms, and analyze how they are presented in the
film. In addition, you will cite your journal articles and your textbook within your paper
as evidence and support of your ideas.
4. Please note that you will submit two copies of your paper. You will attach one copy to the
assignment posted in Canvas and upload a second copy to Turnitin.com.
Your main goal in this paper is to apply communication terms to
a film in order to demonstrate your understanding of these terms.
Section-by-Section Instructions (follow these instructions closely!):
Introduction
1. First paragraph
a. Begin with a few general statements about ideas relevant to your paper, such as a
few statements about communication, relationships, conflict, public speaking,
organizations, etc. Whatever your paper’s topic, lead into it for the reader.
b. Indicate the film that you will analyze.
c. Next, clearly explain your goals for this paper. In other words, what is this paper’s
thesis? What is the purpose of this paper? What will it accomplish? What will
your paper explain and illustrate about the communication seen in this film?
d. End your introduction with a preview of the main points of your paper. Your main
points will be the terms that you will apply and analyze in the film.
2. Second paragraph – briefly summarize the film (about 4-5 sentences)
COMMUNICATION 101 – STUDENT WORKBOOK P. 5
Body (For each paragraph in the Body, do these in this order):
1. Define and explain one or several terms that you have researched fully. As you define your
terms, be sure to cite evidence (quote) from your textbook and your journal articles.
a. Describe how the term is demonstrated in your film. For example, here is where you
explain how the characters in your film demonstrate “depth of self-disclosure,” “conflict,”
“groupthink,” or some other term. Be sure to provide examples from the film, and be sure
to explain yourself fully. This becomes your analysis of their communication.
b. Use a transition to move the reader to your next paragraph.
c. Repeat these steps until you have enough content to meet the assignment guidelines for
the page requirement.
d. HINT: Try organizing your paper chronologically to match the order of the film.
Conclusion
1. Provide a summary of the main points of your paper.
2. Close your paper with a few comments on the importance of competent communication.
ANSWER:
“The Notebook” is a romantic film directed by Nick Cassavetes. The film features a young couple Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams, who fell in love in the early nineteenth century. The period of the movie was way long before World War II and the location of the film is in South Carolina. The film takes place in a nursing home and brings about interactions between different characters. It presents several themes, including the theme of love. The movie presents different interpersonal communication concepts as well as communication conflicts between characters. The paper will focus on the interpersonal communication concepts featured in the movie “The Notebook,” looking at different characters. The featured interpersonal communication concepts include nonverbal communication, listening, writing, reading, perception, touch, dysfunctional communication, social penetration, verbal response, gestures, and chameleon effect, among others.
There are two kinds of communication; verbal and nonverbal communication. Verbal communication entails the use of words of mouth to pass information… To continue reading, click on the button below.