Essay Part 1
(15 points, due Tuesday, September 26)
The beginning of a finished essay will include it’s main proposition, or
thesis statement. But when
planning
an essay, you first need to establish a
problem to be solved or question to be answered, either of which will later help
compose your thesis. Part 1 of this essay project is to identify your
communication problem or question of interest. The problem or question can
arise from your own communication experiences or observations, or from some
of the kinds of sources (media, books, etc.) mentioned above. A communication
problem might be stated like this: “Many people seem to be inadequate at
arguing effectively.” Or a communication question like this: “Why do people seem
generally inadequate at arguing effectively?”
Your assignment for Essay Part 1, then, is to establish the communication
problem or question that will be the objective of analysis using the theory that you
select later. The task components of Essay Part 1 are to:
1.
State your communication problem or question of interest. State it
clearly, concisely, and in a way that draws attention and interest. (3
points)
2.
Explain how you arrived at this problem or question — what have you
observed or experienced that presents the problem or raises the
question? (3 points)
3.
Explain how it is a problem or question of communication. Here you
may want to consider our definition of communication and its key
concepts. How does the problem or question align with the definition
and its elements? (4 points)
4.
Having made at least a cursory review of communication theories
presented in our textbook, state one or two theories that you think
might help address your communication problem or question, and why
they apply. (3 points)
5.
Conclude with a brief statement that succinctly summarizes and ties
these introductory points together. This will help set the stage for Essay
Part 2 in a few weeks. (2 points)
