Clarifying Components of the
Project
• Communication question
• Communication question
• Object(s) of study
• Communication question
• Object(s) of study
• Scholarly conversations
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Communication question
Object(s) of study
Scholarly conversations
Theory-driven rituals
• Communication question
– What is the problem or phenomenon you wish to
understand?
• Communication question
– What is the problem or phenomenon you wish to
understand?
– In what (specific, actual, concrete) communicative
practices does it appear?
• Communication question
– What is the problem or phenomenon you wish to
understand?
– In what communicative practices does it appear?
– For whom should this matter and why?
3-part question/proposal
3-part question/proposal
I am studying __________
because I want to find out
who/what/when/where/whether/why/how
_______
In order to help my reader understand _______
3-part question/proposal
I am studying __________ (what you are studying)
because I want to find out
who/what/when/where/whether/why/how
_______ (what you are seeking to learn)
In order to help my reader understand _______
(why this matters).
3-part question/proposal
I am studying doctor/patient interactions during
childbirth
because I want to find out whether doctors use
standardized checklists for patient safety
In order to help my reader understand how poor
communication contributes to life threatening
patient safety problems.
3-part question/proposal
I am studying video footage of baseball players ingame interactions.
Because I want to find out what non-verbal
communication tactics they use.
In order to help my reader understand the
communicative richness of baseball and improve
players communication skill.
3-part question/proposal
I am studying leaked diplomatic cables from arms
negotiations.
Because I want to find out how representatives
balanced their roles as diplomats and salespeople.
In order to help my reader understand the US role in
global violence
3-part question/proposal
I am studying customer/employee interactions at
my workplace
Because I want to find out how employees manage
the burdens of "emotional labor”
In order to help my reader understand how
corporations script employees’ interior lives.
3-part question/proposal
I am studying a press conference held by NFL
commissioner Roger Goddell
Because I want to find out what rhetorical tactics he
used to deflect blame.
In order to help my reader understand how NFL
leadership help perpetuate a culture of domestic
violence.
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Communication question
Object(s) of study
Scholarly conversations
Theory-driven rituals
• Communication question
• Object(s) of study
– What specific texts will be your primary “data?”
• Communication question
• Object(s) of study
– What specific texts will be your primary “data?”
– Remember: our claims must be supported by
things real specific people actually do and say
• Communication question
• Object(s) of study
– What specific texts will be your primary “data?”
– Remember: our claims must be supported by
things real specific people actually do and say
– A communication theorist has no access to
people’s minds, intentions, etc. We only have
words (and other symbols) to work with. Gather
these.
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Communication question
Object(s) of study
Scholarly conversations
Theory-driven rituals
• Communication question
• Object(s) of study
• Scholarly conversations
– What have other communication scholars been
saying in published scholarly work about your
subject?
• Communication question
• Object(s) of study
• Scholarly conversations
– What have other communication scholars been
saying in published scholarly work about your
subject?
• Communication question
• Object(s) of study
• Scholarly conversations
– What have other communication scholars been
saying in published scholarly work about your
subject?
• Identify the main argument made by a theorist/critic,
explain how they arrived at their judgment, and why it
matters to your study.
• Communication question
• Object(s) of study
• Scholarly conversations
– What have other communication scholars been saying
in published scholarly work about your subject?
• Identify the main argument made by a theorist/critic,
explain how they arrived at their judgment, and why it
matters to your study.
– Cite your sources properly along the way, using MLA,
APA, or Chicago style.
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Communication question
Object(s) of study
Scholarly conversations
Theory-driven rituals)
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Communication question
Object(s) of study
Scholarly conversations
Theory-driven rituals
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Communication question
Object(s) of study
Scholarly conversations
Theory-driven rituals
– Identify the rituals that sustain the
problem/phenomenon you are studying
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Communication question
Object(s) of study
Scholarly conversations
Theory-driven rituals
– Identify the rituals that sustain the
problem/phenomenon you are studying
– Identify the underlying theories that drive the rituals
(remember cat/dog/tree/squirrel, ontological,
epistemological, and axiological assumptions)
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Communication question
Object(s) of study
Scholarly conversations
Theory-driven rituals
– Identify the rituals that sustain the
problem/phenomenon you are studying
– Identify the underlying theories that drive the
rituals (remember window-bashing,
cat/dog/tree/squirrel, and the politics of
experience)
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Communication question
Object(s) of study
Scholarly conversations
Theory-driven rituals
– Identify the rituals that sustain the
problem/phenomenon you are studying
– Identify the underlying theories that drive the rituals
(remember window-bashing, cat/dog/tree/squirrel,
and the politics of experience)
– Focus on clash, conflict, and contradiction
Remember
• Write clearly and with good grammar and
style
Remember
• Write clearly and with good grammar and
style
• Keep folders for writing/texts that contribute
to each of those four sections
Remember
• Write clearly and with good grammar and
style
• Keep folders for writing/texts that contribute
to each of those four sections
• Cite your sources as you go and stay organized
Remember
• Write clearly and with good grammar and
style
• Keep folders for writing/texts that contribute
to each of those four sections
• Cite your sources as you go and stay organized
• Use your homework as drafts of sections and
consider keeping a online notebook
Remember
• Write clearly and with good grammar and
style
• Keep folders for writing/texts that contribute
to each of those four sections
• Cite your sources as you go and stay organized
• Use your homework as drafts of sections and
consider keeping a online notebook
• Make written, documented progress each
week