Guidelines for Senior Projects

*Note: both stage 1 and stage 2 are to be completed according to the schedule ordained by your instructor's syllabus for the given year in which you are taking the course.

Stage 1: Topic Identification

Communication Senior Seminar Stage #l Report Identification of Topic You will present the class with your topic and why you have chosen it in about 5 minutes. You will turn in this form to Steve Hunt and to your "primary Communication Dept. consultant."

1. Write a simple sentence stating the focus for your study. This is your topic. Creswell p. 2-3.

2. What is the "problem" to be studied? Creswell pp. 48-50 Why is this problem important, important to you, of interest to the Communication field and to Communication seniors and guests?

3. What is the "purpose" of your research? Creswell Chapter 4.

4. What literature exists about your problem area? What methodologies are potentially viable to help you research your problem area? What previous work has been done that is "like your project?" Work "like yours" could be either as to subject area and/or as to methodology.

Stage 2: The Prospectus

The Prospectus should be 8-l5 pages. It should be approved by senior project adviser and Hunt.

I. Title Your title should be catchy yet reveal clearly the subject of your project.

II. Introduction Your introduction should state "the problem" for your project and justify doing your project as a research project, as a communication project, This is where you state the purposes of your project, your thesis, your theme and why it is a good theme. 1-2 pages Creswell 1, 3, and 4

III. Background (research/literature review) Here you provide information about the theoretical background for your subject . This should be your research/literature review of books, articles, etc. about research in your subject area and similar areas. 3-5 pages This section will also provide you with your bibliography. Creswell 2,3, and 6

IV. Research Questions or Objectives Here you state very specific research questions, hypotheses, or goals. It is important that these questions fit within your overall purpose and within the theoretical background you have provided. This is where you nail down the key portions of your project. 1-2 pages Creswell 5 and 7

V. Methodology What method/s are you utilizing for your project and why so? Point to similar research with methods you are utilizing. For non-text projects be sure to provide technical details about how and why you are producing your video, web-site, CD-Rom, or whatever. l-4 pages Creswell l, and 8 or 9 qualitative or quantitative

VI. Planned schedule for Project (a calendar of objectives and dates by which they are to be accomplished. You should set this with advice and cooperation of senior project consultant/adviser.)

VII. Interactions reactions of senior project adviser- notes on your consultations and revisions you are making based on same l page

VIII. Bibliography l-4 pages MLA style. This should include books and articles containing background on : theory background for project, subject matter of project, and research methods for project. It should also contain references to WWW materials and interview information.