Essay Instructions: ARTICLE SUMMARY AND PRESENTATION
Procedure: I will leading a small group discussion on a topic not covered in class. I will be responsible for reading two articles about the topic, summarizing the articles. As the moderator of the group, I will lead the discussion with your group members.
Possible Topics: There are a number of topics that we were unable to cover in class. The following list provides a variety of topics that are appropriate for this assignment.
(a) Interracial relationships (romantic, friend, or family)
(b) Cross-sex friendships
(c) Adult and elderly relationships (romantic or friend)
(d) Gay and lesbian relationships (romantic or family)
(e) Family relationships (siblings, grandparent-grandchild, parent-child, step-families)
(f) Similarities and differences between white heterosexual romantic relationships and any minority heterosexual relationships.
(g) Computer-mediated interpersonal communication
(h) Decision-making in interpersonal relationships (often related to a health context)
(i) Social support in specific types of relationships
(j) Taboo topics, topic avoidance
Requirements:
(a) Extend or highlight one concept related to interpersonal communication. . Make sure that you focus on the communication aspect of the topic.
(b) Choose TWO empirical studies related to the topic. The studies must come from scholarly journals or publications in or closely related to the field of interpersonal communication. Explained Below
(c) Prepare a written summary of the articles. The summary should be approximately be 1000 words and follow the guidelines for written work outlined in the course syllabus. Consider the following when summarizing the articles:
a. Why did the researchers explore this topic?
b. How did they approach the topic (what did they do)?
c. What did they find in their study?
d. What are your thoughts on the topic? This should be more than just agreeing or disagreeing with the findings. You should form an opinion and substantiate it with the research presented.
.
Research: The two empirical studies should come from such journals as Communication Monographs, Human Communication Research, Health Communication, Western Journal of Communication, Personal Relationships, or Journal of Social and Personal Relationships. Moreover, there may be Communication books that are helpful such as The Handbook of Interpersonal Communication, Close Relationships, or Interpersonal Communication and Human Relationships, etc. If you find a journal or book that is not listed here, please check with your instructor to determine if it is appropriate for the assignment.
*Examples of APA style
Journal article, one author:
Last name, first initial. (year). Name of journal article. Name of Journal, volume, page numbers.
Book, one author:
Last name, first initial. (year). Name of book. Name of Publisher: City where published.
More than one author:
Last name, first initial., last name, first initial., & last name, first initial. (year)…
An actual example of a journal article, two authors:
Afifi, T., & Steuber, K. (2009). The revelation risk model (RRM): Factors that predict the revelation of secrets
and the strategies used to reveal them. Communication Monographs, 76, 144-176.