LEARNING OUTCOMES
This course will guide you toward fulfillment of the following graduate program learning outcomes:
Learning objective: Acquire intellectual and practical communication, analytical inquiry, and information skills appropriate to their areas of inquiry.
Learning objective: Integrate knowledge from across their graduate studies in meaningful scholarly activities appropriate to their areas of study.
This course is designed to familiarize you with the rationales and methods for conducting academic and professional research in communication/mass communication. Our primary focus will be on research that is considered "scientific" and "behavioral," though we will also look at various "softer" forms of media research as well. We will examine both the methods of communication research and the ethical implications of their use. We also will explore how computers and the internet are changing research.
We will examine research both as an abstract process and as a practice in the everyday worlds of scholarly and professional life. Students are encouraged to bring their own professional research tasks and problems into the class as subjects for discussion.
Students should expect to participate actively in the learning process--to truly "master" a subject, one must actively engage it. Essentially, you will teach yourselves and each other the material of this course. The instructor's role at this level is more that of a facilitator, less of a lecturer.
For most classes, I will provide a brief overview, with the bulk of the class devoted to student presentations, discussion of readings, and integration of course materials with the presentations. In short, plan on coming to each class, and plan on being prepared for each class.
TEXTBOOKS:
Jacques Barzun and Henry F. Graf, The Modern Researcher, 5th edition, 1993.
Roger D. Wimmer and Joseph R. Dominick, Mass Media Research: An Introduction, cuurent edition.
Publications Manual of the American Psychological Association, 6th edition. Strunk and White, The Elements of Style
I. Required assignments:
II. Assignment descriptions:
A. Journal Reports--in weeks 2-8 we will be analyzing the research process. Students will contribute to this process by researching topics in journals indices and preparing a weekly written report of 2-3 pages based on two articles from academic communication journals. The report should (a) Provide complete and proper APA citations of the articles; (b) summarize the articles, (c) explain how the articles reflect the topic for the week, and (d) evaluate the articles as research--how well do they fulfill the principles of research reflected in the common readings for the week? You should be prepared to summarize your report in a presentation of no more than five to ten minutes in class. During the seven weeks, you must prepare at least five reports--you may choose to do more, with only the five best reports counting toward your grade. Due each week from 9/7 through 10/19. Assessed for Learning Outcome 2--can you locate, digest and explain relevant literature?
B. Seminar report--this will be a fairly lengthy in-class report prepared and presented in groups of 3 (aim for approximately 75 minutes). Topics are listed in the syllabus. I will assign a few "core" articles to be covered in the report, and you should supplement these with your own research. You should describe in this report (a) how research on this topic is carried out--motives, methods, data interpretation techniques, etc.; (b) major findings and recommendations from this line of research; (c) relative merits and weaknesses of this form of research; and (d) future directions this line of research might or should take. See dates on syllabus. Assessed for Learning outcome 4--can the group synthesize knowledge from across areas of study?
C. Review of Literature (due Sept. 23) and D. Research design(due Oct. 14)-each student will design a quantitative study on a topic of her or his choosing. The study should test a hypothesis or hypotheses that you formulate through familiarity with the literature on that topic. The study will be reported in two phases--a review of the existing research, and a descriptive or experimental study designed to test your hypotheses. Assessed for both Learning outcomes below--can you both synthesize knowledge and demonstrate knowledge and ability at research processes?
E. Data analysis you will be supplied with a data set from a study in communication research, and will "complete" the study by performing statistical analysis and interpretation of results. Due by Nov. 4. Assessed for learning outcome 2--can you use the methods covered in class to perform and make sense of statistical analysis?
F. Critical review essay--in approximately 8-10 pages, you will write a critical/qualitative review of some communicative phenomenon. This might be a television program, an advertisement, a public relations brochure, etc. Your paper must cite relevant communication research in defense of your arguments. Due December 2. Assessed for learning outcome 2--can you perform non- quantitative form of analysis?
G. Final exam will be essay format, and will ask you to demonstrate (a) knowledge of how, why and when to use various research methods; (b) a sense of the strengths and limitations of the various forms of research; and (c) the ability to compare, weigh and judge the research literature. Assessed for learning outcomes 2 and 4--both knowledge and process.