Course Materials
METHODS ISSUES (FACEBOOK PAGE POSTS) EXERCISE
Part 1 - beginnng of semester
To begin thinking about research in communication and research more generally, this exercise gives you the chance to review and evaluate a collection of news articles and other materials that contain reports of research on various topics. Here's what to do:
- Spend a little while reviewing the different items that are collected
on the Communication
Research Methods Facebook page.
- After you get a sense of what's there, select two posts, one post that contains a report of one or more research studies,
and one post that contains a cartoon or graphic; in both cases pick posts that you
find particularly interesting and thought-provoking.
- In approximately 2 pages (double-spaced using standard fonts and 1 inch margins) identify each of the posts you selected (by title and a sentence or two long summary) and a) explain what it is that interests you about it, b) identify at least one specific question related to the research process that the post raised for you, and c) describe how confident you feel about answering that question (provide your tentative answer if you have one).
Be sure to save your electronic copy of the paper you submit so that you can use it for the followup to this assignment due at the end of the semester.
Bonus: During the semester (and even beyond), send me the urls for items you find that you think could be usefully added to the Communication Research Methods Facebook page.
Part 2 - end of semesterAs we near the end of the course and you've been thinking intensively and learning about research in communication and more generally, we're going to revisit the collection of news articles and other materials and see how your perspective has changed. Here's what to do:
- Re-familiarize yourself with the different
items that are collected at the Communication
Research Methods Facebook page, and in particular the two posts you used in part 1 of this exercise.
- Review the paper you submitted for part 1 and in particular the questions you posed about the research process in the posts you selected. In approximately 2 pages (double-spaced using standard fonts and 1 inch margins) added at the end of a copy of part 1 of the assignment, a) provide your current answers to the questions you developed about the research process and, b) describe how you think your perspective and ability to evaluate research reports has changed since the beginning of the semester.
If you have any questions please do not hesitate to ask!