McDaniel College - COM1103 Introduction to Mass Communication (Online) - R. W. Dillman
Paper Assignment #1
In your own words define the term "communication." Explain why "communication" is so important that some people decide to spend their lives studying it.
The paper should use proper English and should follow the general rules listed below. The paper can be as short as you want (as long as it satisfies the assignment) and should not be longer than about 1000 words.
You can find a sample 1500 word paper at this address: Sample Paper . Your first paper should not be this long - it will not need a summary first paragraph, for example, nor will it need sections and section headers.
If you have been doing your reading and participating in the discussion for the first three weeks, this should be a very easy assignment.
Different experts use different definitions of "communication" and we argue about them all the time. So there is no "right" way to define the term.
• I want to see how you have decided to define "communication."
• I want to see an example of your basic reasoning and writing style.
• I want to see if you can follow directions: use formal English, use a consistent format, make an argument for your point of view, provide supporting evidence and citations. (Spelling and grammar errors are deadly. Be sure to spellcheck your paper. Be sure to re-read it carefully and edit it for grammar.)
This assignment is worth 15 points - 7 points on content and 4 points each on style and format.
1. You are stating your opinion and making an argument that your opinion is a good one. To succeed in this, you need to provide me with evidence that supports your point of view. Evidence can come from books, periodicals, web sites and so on. You need to provide quotations and cite your sources. If you do not provide evidence, then no matter how good your ideas are, your grade will be poor.
2. This is a formal paper, so it needs a title, footnotes, and so on. I am not very strict about this. Mostly, I want you to use proper English and use a consistent format.
You can find an example paper at this web address: Sample Paper.
<http://www.rdillman.com/Dillman/Courses/COMCommon/paper.html>
For more details on footnotes, look at the discussion board topic "Referencing Internet Quotations".
3. You need to hand the paper in by sending it to me as an email ATTACHMENT. This means that you send it as a file attached to an email message - send it as an attachment, do not put the paper in the contents of a message). I would prefer that you send the paper as a PDF file, but an RTF file will do.
More details on how to make an RTF file are in the Sample Paper. The discussion board also has a section titled "How to Hand in an Assignment".