COM 126 Final Project Part One Guidelines and Rubric

COM1666

Overview

Does media reflect culture or does it create culture?

For the final assessment, you will be examining this question through the lens of a specific media channel of your choice. This media channel may come from

new media, legacy media, or residual media.

Communication, in the broadest terms, encompasses all media channels through which information is exchanged. That information can be exchanged in a myriad

of ways or channels. As technology has progressed, we have seen the advent of the internet and all the communicative tools available through it. These digital,

largely internet-based tools are called “new media.”

While investigating new media, you may also ask what qualifies as old media, which is referred to as legacy media or traditional media by communication

professionals. This, in turn, will lead you to investigate residual media as well. In the briefest of terms, legacy media refers to books, magazines, cable TV,

newspapers, and movies. Residual media refers to film and film cameras, vinyl LPs and record players, radio, and hand-written letters. For this project you will

have the choice of working with media from any of these three categories: new media, residual media, or legacy media.

Once you have selected your media channel, you will examine how it reflects culture and society, and how it creates culture and society. It is important to

examine both sides of this debate. For example, you could investigate how online dating (a form of social media that falls in the new media category) reflects our

culture and society, but has also created a culture around itself. Another example would be to investigate how the vinyl LP (a residual media) was created by a

culture and its needs, but has also created a culture around itself. A third example would be to investigate reality television (a form of television that is legacy

media). In what ways did our culture create reality television, and in what ways has reality television formed a culture in itself?

The project is divided into two milestones, which will be submitted at various points throughout the course to scaffold learning and ensure quality final

submissions. These milestones will be submitted in Modules Two and Four. The final product will be submitted in Module Five.

COM 126 Final Project Part One Guidelines and Rubric

Overview
Does media reflect culture or does it create culture?

For the final assessment, you will be examining this question through the lens of a specific media channel of your choice. This media channel may come from
new media, legacy media, or residual media.

Communication, in the broadest terms, encompasses all media channels through which information is exchanged. That information can be exchanged in a myriad
of ways or channels. As technology has progressed, we have seen the advent of the internet and all the communicative tools available through it. These digital,
largely internet-based tools are called “new media.”

While investigating new media, you may also ask what qualifies as old media, which is referred to as legacy media or traditional media by communication
professionals. This, in turn, will lead you to investigate residual media as well. In the briefest of terms, legacy media refers to books, magazines, cable TV,
newspapers, and movies. Residual media refers to film and film cameras, vinyl LPs and record players, radio, and hand-written letters. For this project you will
have the choice of working with media from any of these three categories: new media, residual media, or legacy media.

Once you have selected your media channel, you will examine how it reflects culture and society, and how it creates culture and society. It is important to
examine both sides of this debate. For example, you could investigate how online dating (a form of social media that falls in the new media category) reflects our
culture and society, but has also created a culture around itself. Another example would be to investigate how the vinyl LP (a residual media) was created by a
culture and its needs, but has also created a culture around itself. A third example would be to investigate reality television (a form of television that is legacy
media). In what ways did our culture create reality television, and in what ways has reality television formed a culture in itself?

The project is divided into two milestones, which will be submitted at various points throughout the course to scaffold learning and ensure quality final
submissions. These milestones will be submitted in Modules Two and Four. The final product will be submitted in Module Five.

In this assignment, you will demonstrate your mastery of the following course outcomes:

 Analyze the effects of media on culture and culture on media for identifying the past, current, and future trends in communication and mass media

 Apply popular and scholarly tools for researching areas of communication

 Integrate appropriate terms and concepts, fundamental across multiple communication fields, for enhancing the delivery of messages

Prompt
Through the lens of a media channel of your choice, examine the following question: Does media reflect culture, or does media create culture? This media
channel may come from new media, legacy media, or residual media. For the first part of the final assessment, you will provide the instructor with supporting
documentation for your presentation: a narrative with a brief justification of your thesis, a list of scholarly resources, and an outline. In the second part of the
final assessment, your arguments and evidence will be presented in the form of a multimedia presentation posted in a public forum.

Specifically, the following critical elements must be addressed:

I. Topic
a) Identify your topic in a concise thesis statement that states a claim that you will prove and support throughout your presentation. This

statement will give direction to your presentation and should be well thought out.
b) Summarize how you believe this topic both reflects culture and society, and how it creates culture.

II. Resources

a) Provide an APA formatted list of scholarly research sources. For this, you may use resources covered in the course, including the primary text, as
well as outside sources that you’ve found on your own.

b) Describe your vetting of each resource and why it qualifies as a legitimate resource. Ensure you have enough resources to sufficiently support
your thesis.

III. Justification
a) Create a thorough outline that justifies the planned content of your presentation. Be sure to detail what you would include on each individual

slide.
b) Provide a contextual list of two to four quotes you plan to incorporate into your presentation.

Milestones
Final Project Part One Milestone One: Topic Selection
In Module Two, you will submit your topic selection which will include the media channel you have chosen and discuss how it both reflects and creates culture.
This milestone will be graded with the Final Project Part One Milestone One Rubric.

Final Project Part One Milestone Two: Analysis Worksheet
In Module Four, you will submit an analysis worksheet of the resources you have chosen to support your topic selection and thesis statement. This milestone
will be graded with the Final Project Part One Milestone Two Rubric.

Final Project Part One Submission: Justification Paper
In Module Five, you will submit part one your final project: a justification paper. It should be a complete, polished artifact containing all of the critical elements of
the final product. It should reflect the incorporation of feedback gained throughout the course. This submission will be graded with the Final Project Part One
Rubric.

Final Project Part One Rubric
Guidelines for Submission: Your justification paper should be approximately two to three pages, double-spaced, one-inch margins, and use 12-point Times New
Roman font with references cited in APA format.

Instructor Feedback: This activity uses an integrated rubric in Blackboard. Students can view instructor feedback in the Grade Center. For more information,
review these instructions.

Critical Elements Exemplary Proficient Needs Improvement Not Evident Value

Topic: Thesis
Statement

Meets “Proficient” criteria and
thesis statement exerts intrigue
to draw in the viewer (100%)

Identifies topic in a concise
thesis statement (85%)

Identifies topic concisely, but
thesis statement is ill-defined or
unclear (55%)

Does not identify topic in a
concise thesis statement (0%)

16

Topic: Reflects and
Creates

Meets “Proficient” criteria and
makes cogent connections
between the topic and culture
and society (100%)

Summarizes how topic reflects
culture and society and how it
creates culture (85%)

Summarizes how topic reflects
culture and society or how it
creates culture, but not both, or
summary is cursory (55%)

Does not summarize how topic
reflects culture and society or
how it creates culture (0%)

16

Resources: APA
Formatted List

Provides an APA formatted list
of scholarly research sources
(100%)

Provides an APA formatted list
of scholarly research sources,
but there are inaccuracies with
formatting (55%)

Does not provide an APA
formatted list of scholarly
research (0%)

10.6

Resources: Vetting

Meets “Proficient” criteria and
description is exceptionally
clear and contextualized (100%)

Describes vetting of each
resource and why it qualifies as
a legitimate source, ensuring a
sufficient amount of sources to
support thesis (85%)

Describes vetting of each
resource and why it qualifies as
a legitimate source, but
description or vetting process is
cursory or there are an
insufficient amount of sources
to support thesis (55%)

Does not describe vetting of
each resource and why it
qualifies as a legitimate source
(0%)

10.6

Presentation Outline:
Planned Content

Creates a thorough outline
justifying the planned content
of the presentation (100%)

Creates an outline justifying the
planned content of the
presentation, but with gaps in
content or logical structure
(55%)

Does not create an outline
justifying the planned content
of the presentation (0%)

32

http://snhu-media.snhu.edu/files/production_documentation/formatting/rubric_feedback_instructions_student

Presentation Outline:
Quotes

Meets “Proficient” criteria and
context is rich in detail and
insight (100%)

Provides a contextual list of
quotes to be cited (85%)

Provides a list of quotes to be
cited, but context is cursory or
absent (55%)

Does not provide a list of
quotes to be cited (0%)

10.6

Articulation of
Response

Submission is free of errors
related to citations, grammar,
spelling, syntax, and
organization and is presented in
a professional and easy to read
format (100%)

Submission has no major errors
related to citations, grammar,
spelling, syntax, or organization
(85%)

Submission has major errors
related to citations, grammar,
spelling, syntax, or organization
that negatively impact
readability and articulation of
main ideas (55%)

Submission has critical errors
related to citations, grammar,
spelling, syntax, or organization
that prevent understanding of
ideas (0%)

4.2

Total 100%