PAPER ASSIGNMENT #1 – Language and Nonverbal Interaction in a Conversation

IMPORTANT: See next page for key info about format requirements, policies, grading criteria, and getting help!

You will be analyzing the communication in a conversation among characters in an assigned television show/episode. You must write your paper on the specific show/episode that your TA assigns you to watch. Once you know which TV program and episode to watch, select one particular interaction/conversation within the show to analyze.

OVERVIEW

Your goal is to show how specific course concepts are operating in the conversation that you choose and to make a case for the importance of those concepts for the characters (as if they were real people). In your paper, you must:

1. 1)  Identify and analyze two important language concepts that are operating within the interaction.

2. 2)  Identify and analyze two important nonverbal codes that are operating within the interaction.

3. 3)  Explain how the language and nonverbal issues that you’ve discussed are operating together to produce

some important effect(s) for the characters (e.g., on their lives, relationships, goals, etc.).

WHICH CONCEPTS MAY YOU CHOOSE?

Language concepts: Choose from these (covered in lecture or Ch 4 or both, as indicated): connotative vs. denotative meaning of words/phrases (lec & Ch 4); euphemisms (section & Ch 4); equivocal language (lec & Ch 4); speech accommodation or code switching (lec & Ch 4); powerful vs. powerless speech styles (lec); high vs. low language (Ch 4); group slang (Ch 4); professional jargon (Ch 4); one of the language & identity issues (such as gender or culture) (Ch 4); one of the problematic language issues (such as hurtful language, labeling, or profanity) (Ch 4).

Nonverbal codes: Choose from these (covered in lecture and/or Ch 5): paralanguage (or specific types of paralanguage); appearance; proxemics; kinesics (or specific types of kinesics); oculesics; haptics; chronemics

SPECIFICS For the introduction: Identify which interaction (in the show) that you are analyzing, and be sure to provide a thesis

statement(s) about what you plan to discuss and what is the larger point(s) of your paper (keep the intro brief!).

For each separate language and nonverbal concept: Define your term(s) (including citing lecture and/or textbook in APA style) and give evidence that the particular language or nonverbal usage is indeed going on in the scene (i.e., provide specific examples of dialogue and character actions). Make a case for how the concept appears to have a significant impact on the interaction(s) between characters (i.e., how the use of the language or nonverbal concept ties/relates to your thesis). This might be something like how the issue(s) ended up creating/resolving conflict or misunderstandings; how the characters’ relationships, judgments, perceptions, or reactions were affected; etc.

For tying everything together: In your paper, you should be building toward some point(s) that you wish to make (i.e., your thesis). So, you will need to do some tying together of your concepts “as you go along” in the paper (i.e., provide good transitions between issues; note an important connection between a verbal and nonverbal issue that happened at the same time, etc.). But you will also need to give some separate space to pull your four concepts all together and discuss how the different issues affect one another, in order to draw your more complex conclusions.

TIPS FOR SUCCESS: 1) Choose your interaction/scene wisely. I suggest you choose the scene based on interesting language use, because

nonverbals are usually much easier to identify in any scene. When you watch, look at the word choices/phrasings characters use. Think about how and why different characters react in certain ways to what is being said, and about whether characters use a particular style of speaking (slang, vocabulary, etc.) in particular contexts or with particular people. Then look through the course concepts to see which ones fit with what you have observed.

2) Choose your concepts wisely. You have a lot of choices, so choose the concepts for which you can make the most interesting/insightful analysis that advances your thesis. Avoid choosing two concepts that are similar or have so much overlap that you end up repeating yourself. For example, the use of euphemisms is closely tied to the connotation/denotation issue, so you would not want to use both of these issues as your two language concepts.

3) Make thorough and thoughtful arguments! Your own opinion is NOT enough – use appropriate reading and/or lecture material to define course concepts and support your claims about their consequences, as well as give concrete examples from the scene. You need to prove to your reader for each issue that you know what the concept is, that it is going on in the interaction, and that it matters for the characters in some important way.

PAPER ASSIGNMENT #1 CONTINUED…

Requirements and Policies

TURNING IN PAPERS: You are required to submit on GauchoSpace, by the due date and time, an electronic version of your paper (saved as a WORD .doc or .docx file). See the submission instructions on GS at the Paper #1 submission location under the Week 5 tab. Emailed versions of papers are NOT acceptable. Late papers are penalized 5 points off per day (slightly fewer if late but still same day as due date). Always keep a file/copy of your paper for your records, and remember that it is your responsibility to upload a proper version of your paper so that your TA receives your paper.

FORMAT: Your paper should be 5-6 pages in length, not counting title and references pages (please number your pages and do not exceed 6), and must be typed, using Times 12pt, double-spaced, with one-inch margins. Note that many word processing programs use different default formatting, so be sure to change your settings! Your paper should also have proper spelling, grammar, and punctuation. Your title page should include a title (of course), your perm #, TA’s name/section, etc. (see GS for formatting and file naming instructions). Do not identify your paper with your name (just perm #). Do not use a running head nor include your name anywhere in your paper–the TAs do blind grading (which means they grade papers without knowing whose paper is whose).

APA STYLE: All source material (e.g., lecture, textbook, academic journal articles, online sources, etc.) must be appropriately cited using APA style (whether directly quoting or paraphrasing). Be sure to use APA (not MLA!) style, both in the text of your paper, as well as in the References list at the end of your paper. See “Using APA Style” on GauchoSpace for examples.

Grading Criteria

Grading is based on how well your paper shows the following: Depth of analysis in using course concepts, effectiveness at articulating and supporting arguments and thesis, accurate and thorough understanding of course material, clarity and authority in writing style and organization, and excellent execution of the assignment. We evaluate these qualities by comparing your paper to others, not to some “ideal” objective we have in mind for the paper. This is because each TA may have a different ideal in mind, so it is the actual set of papers submitted that tells us what level of excellence is achievable. After years of experience with Comm 1 papers, I can tell you that we usually see a very high level of achievement indeed, so it is a mistake to think that if you just “do what the assignment asks” you will get a good grade. Doing the assignment is the minimum, and usually results in an “average” grade (i.e., in the “C+” range). To lift your grade above average, you will need to show sophistication in your thinking and apply and integrate course concepts with clarity, depth, and insight–this is what the high achieving papers tend to do.