The class will be organized into as many as 4 teams of 5-6 students each, working together to complete a semester-long oral and written project.

This project will be presented to the class on December 4, with the written paper due no later than December 13.  All teams will be expected to work together to complete both activities. Teams will also be expected to complete several team assignments during the course that will generally relate in helping teams complete their semester-long project.

Teams will work throughout the semester to develop and present a review and analysis of a film of their choice that allows for a critical evaluation of the elements of interpersonal communication. This review will include the following elements as pages and/or sections, with an approximate weighting in terms of length:

  • Title page
  • A brief overview of the story contained in the book or movie. (10-15%)
  • A simple definition of at least three applicable concepts from the textbook. (5%)
  • “Thick description” of several instances in which each of the chosen text concepts was evidenced (Descriptions should include as much dialogue as possible and figuratively transfer the reader to the scene.) (35-40%)
  • Clear explanations of how the text concepts were illustrated in all supporting instances; the student’s analysis should contain some discussion of both verbal and nonverbal elements of interpersonal communication (30-35%)
  • A summary/conclusion section to complete the project paper/report. (5-15%)
  • References page

Your review and analysis should be compiled into an APA-styled paper report that adopts an academic writing approach while striving to find a narrative style. All sources must be correctly cited as they are used. At least five peer-reviewed journal articles related to the elements analyzed should be included.  Any additional web-based sources may be used as well. This paper should be in the range of 4000-5000 words, not including the title page and a References page listing full citations for all cited sources.

Each team will also present their review to the class on December 4. Order of presentation will be determined in advance. Teams will make a 30-minute presentation, being mindful of the time limit, while providing a reasonable version of the paper/report’s content. Whenever possible, teams should include appropriate clips of the film via YouTube to help illustrate key points from the paper. The paper will be due in the appropriate Blackboard dropbox no later than midnight December 13, 2024. The presentation is worth 100 points and the paper report worth 150 points, making this activity worth 250 points.