Reasoning and Analysis

COMM 11: Reasoning and Analysis Paper Assignment

Reasoning & Analysis Paper due VIA EMAIL to tara.mokhtari@bcc.cuny.edu July 9th 2020
Homework (See below) due VIA EMAIL to tara.mokhtari@bcc.cuny.edu July 23rd 2020

• Word-limit: 3 pages or 750-1000 words, 12pt, double-spaced, one-inch margins
• General Topic: Intercultural communication
• Your paper will be assessed using the departmental grading rubric.
• The paper makes up 15% of your final grade.
• Follow MLA guidelines for format and citations and include a Works Cited page (bibliography).
• NO LATE PAPERS ACCEPTED!
• For this paper, you will use these sources only:
• one film
• two articles
• chapter 2 from your textbook
• and an example from your own personal experience

What is this paper about?

There are various co-cultural groups represented in the assigned films, and various instances of intercultural conflict, both dramatic and subtle. Your task is to pick 1 character from your chosen film who experienced some type of intercultural conflict, and discuss how 3 different cultural values and norms (see chapter 2) created the conflict(s) your character experienced.

Sources you must use

Select ONE of these three films:
• Higher Learning (1995) (Amazon Prime, YouTube)
• Moonlight (2017) (Netflix)
• Finding Forrester (2000) (Amazon Prime, YouTube)
• Philadelphia (1993) (Netflix)

2. Select TWO of these articles to use in support of your analysis:
• Avruch, Kevin. “Cross-Cultural Conflict.” Conflict Resolution. Encyclopedia of Life Support Systems. n.d. https://www.nottingham.ac.uk/research/groups/ctccs/projects/translating-cultures/documents/journals/cross-cultural-conflict.pdf
• LeBaron, Michelle. “Culture and Conflict.” Beyond Intractability. The Conflict Information Consortium, University of Colorado. July 2003. Web. 29 February 2016. http://www.beyondintractability.org/essay/culture-conflict
• McKeiver, Kathy. “Identifying Barriers to Effective Intercultural Communication.” NACADA: Academic Advising Today. Kansas State University, Dec. 2013. Web. 06 Feb. 2016. https://www.nacada.ksu.edu/Resources/Academic-Advising-Today/View-Articles/Identifying-Barriers-to-Effective-Intercultural-Communication.aspx

3. Chapter 2 in Interplay, focusing on the section of Cultural Values and Norms (textbook)

4. A personal experience that helped you to relate to some aspect of your paper.

How to structure this paper

Your paper should be structured with an introduction that ends with a thesis statement, 3 body paragraphs, and a conclusion that restates your thesis and brings your 3 main points together in a reasoned way.

Your THESIS STATEMENT should be one sentence that clearly states your position on why you believe the specific character you chose experienced intercultural conflict, and briefly introduces the 3 main points you will analyze in the body of your paper.

EACH BODY PARAGRAPH should include:
• A TOPIC SENTENCE which describes the cultural value/norm you are going to examine and how you believe it affected your chosen character.
• REASONING AND ANALYSIS: in each body paragraph, your challenge is to analyze a scene where your chosen character experiences intercultural conflict according to the cultural values and norms from chapter 2, and use the article and your personal experience to support your analysis.
• A sentence that transitions to your next paragraph.
Your CONCLUSION: Restate your thesis, and then answer this question: knowing the impact of co-cultural differences on intercultural communication success, what communication competence strategies could the characters have used to help them better communicate with the other characters?

References and Citations

When you use other people’s words, ideas, or work in your paper, you must cite them. If you directly quote their work, you use quotation marks to signify this and give the page number, as well. If you are simply paraphrasing or borrowing from one (or more) person’s work, you do not need quotation marks, but you still need to indicate whose words you are using with a citation (for example, put their names in parentheses after the paraphrase).

At the end of your paper, you should have a Works Cited page where you list all of the references used in your paper. For the articles, you will find the citation information included on p. 1 of this document. If you need more information on formatting and citing in MLA, go to the OWL at Purdue on MLA formatting: https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/01/.

Homework Due July 9th 2020
Email a draft outline of your paper, including:
• Thesis statement
• 3 Topic sentences (one for each body paragraph)
• 3 Direct quotes (one for each body paragraph)
This draft is worth of your 5% of your course grade