CMST 4107
General Expectations: In lieu of a sit-down final exam, students will submit an Annotated Bibliography with at least 6 sources and a 10-15 page thesis-driven paper that critically analyzes a communication artifact that is related to or about motherhood. Further instructions will be outlined in an assignment sheet on Moodle.
Students are strongly encouraged to discuss their topics with the professor. Papers will be evaluated based on quality of argument, originality, and use of sources. Students should not be concerned with whether the instructor agrees with their standpoint, argument, or position, but rather that their arguments are well-articulated and properly supported by source material and citation.
Your essay should be double-spaced, 12 pt., Times New Roman font (or similar). You will also be graded on spelling/grammar, so please PROOFREAD your documents before submitting.
Final Essay Assignment Points = 30% or 300 points
Annotated Bibliography = 5% or 50 points
Finals Essay (10-15 pages) = 25% or 250 points
Due Date = Thursday May, 12th @ 11:59pm via Moodle folder
Format:
1. Introduction
Introduce the topic and justify why it is worthy of study.
Introduce your argument.
Introduce your approach briefly and explain the rationale for this approach.
2. History (Background Information) * can be smaller section in introduction
This section provides background information on your topic. Further justifies the importance of your artifact/study. Provide the historical context necessary. Think in terms of telling a good story.
3. Theory
In this section, you develop the theory that will be used to help understand your text. You should conduct a literature review and discuss/develop the theory in a way that sets up your analysis.
4. Application/Analysis
Here you are developing your evidence for substantiating your thesis statement. This is where you analyze your text and explain to your reader the relevant and interesting elements. This is where you blend theory and text.
5. Conclusion
This section is a summation and restatement of your thesis a summary of the major findings. This is also where you explain how these findings advance our understanding of human symbol use, rhetoric, motherhood, or culture.
You should state clearly why this work has been important and identify areas for future research.
6. Annotated Bibliography (Works Cited or References)
This is a list of all your sources, with a paragraph description of the source. You should incorporate major themes you are drawing from each source in the relevant paragraph.