Objective: To use a concept from the course to examine ongoing current events
Assignment: A short essay (approximately 300-350 words or 1 page, typed double-spaced; essays must be at least 250 words and may not exceed 400 words) that explains in detail a concept or idea from the course and uses it to explain a communication-related event in the news or that you observe. Microthemes feature a small amount of writing preceded by a large amount of thinking. You should try to explain a concept or idea from the course so that someone who isn’t in the course would understand the concept and how it is helpful in understanding a current event or issue. You may examine any event, issue, or topic that you’ve seen in the news media, social media, or in face-to-face public communication. You should provide first a brief description of the event and then identify what communication issues or concepts it raises, and where in the text or lecture those concepts occur.
You should develop a concept or concepts that appear in Modules 8-12. You may observe, for example, how social distancing is changing the way people see personal space. Or you may look at how self-disclosure works in a friendly relationship, a family relationship, a romantic relationship, or any other interpersonal relationship you think is interesting. Or, you may choose a work-related group, a club or team to which you belong, or any other task-oriented group you think is interesting. Or you may look at a relationship or group in a fictional popular culture text (e.g. a tv or web show or a movie), or some other topic or issue that interests you.
Preparation: Review your notes and assigned readings for possible ideas and use those ideas to look for a communication-related issue or event that illustrates or exemplifies that issue. You may choose to do some additional research to complete your essay but additional research isn’t required. Be sure to start with a concept or concepts that are part of the class and to keep your ideas focused.
Writing strategies: Be sure to develop a clear thesis for your essay. Often, you will not be able to clearly frame the thesis until after you have begun (or even concluded) a draft of your essay, so be sure to leave time for revision. Be sure to support your claims by referring to the course materials. Be sure also to write in academic voice that is neither pompous and formal nor chatty. Do not write in the second person (addressing your readers as “you”). Be very careful to document accurately and correctly. Don’t try to guess about proper form; look it up in the MLA Handbook, 8th ed. Please be sure to include a word count as part of the heading of your essay. Remember that it is the word count (excluding headings and any references) that determines the length of your essay, not the number of pages. Essays that are too long or too short may receive a lower grade.
Grading: Be sure to look at the Criteria for Evaluating Written Work while preparing your essay. In addition to the general criteria for written work you will be evaluated on the extent to which you provide insight into the issues you address, as well as your ability to effectively integrate course concepts and your observations into an essay.
