Miami University Communications Paper

The final paper, in which you develop your own thesis, will be due at the end of the semester.
Choose one topic/concept/theory covered in the class. Then, critically engage in whether and
how that concept/theory can be applied to our current media environment. Many theories were
developed a few decades ago, and it can be questionable whether the theory can be applied to our
new media environment. For instance, is “agenda-setting theory” (developed by McCombs &
Shaw in the 1960s) still relevant in our current media environment? Does mainstream media’s
framing of issues still have the same level of power it once had? Is cultivation theory still
relevant?
When developing your argument, please base your claims on the concepts, principles, and
theories covered during the class. In order to make a sound, coherent argument, you must
develop and organize your ideas logically and use supporting evidence that is contextualized
properly in relation to your claims. In other words, you must produce an analytical essay that
goes beyond merely sharing your opinion. The research paper can be built upon one or more of
your discussion posts (but, your thesis should be presented in a much more detailed way!).

Introduction (0.5 page)Background (e.g., Description of the new media environment; for instance, you may

present statistics showing that a lot of people these days consume news via social media)
 Definition of the problem (e.g., in this media environment, people do not solely rely on
mass media to get information, so agenda-setting effect is quite questionable…)
 Thesis statement (main idea of the paper)
Body paragraphs (3-4 pages)
 Paragraph 1: Explain the theory in detail (0.5 page)
 Paragraph 2: Explain the distinctive characteristics of the contemporary digital/social
media environment in relation to your topic (0.5 page)
 Paragraph 3: Provide and explain the first reason for your thesis statement & give at least
one example (0.5-1 page)
 Paragraph 4: Provide and explain the second reason for your thesis statement & give at
least one example (0.5-1 page)
 Paragraph 5: Provide and explain the third reason for your thesis statement & give at least
one example (0.5-1 page)
Conclusion (0.5 -1 page)
 Paragraph 1: Summarize the main points
 Paragraph 2: Suggest future research
References- APA 7th style (won’t be too strict but please follow the format as below)
In-text citations: author’s last name and the year of publication for the source
Example: (…) has triggered research on whether social media contributes to an informed
citizenry (e.g., Bode, 2016; Lee & Xenos, 2019).
References at the end: see the examples below– first two: journal articles (single author case, two
authors case/ last one: newspaper/electronic sources
Bode, L. (2016). Political news in the news feed: Learning politics from social media. Mass
Communication & Society, 19, 24–48.
Lee, S., & Xenos, M. (2019). Social distraction? Social media use and political knowledge in
two US Presidential elections. Computers in Human behavior, 90, 18-25.
Bernstein, M. (2002). 10 tips on writing the living web. A List Apart: For People Who Make
Websites, 149. Retrieved from https://www.alistapart.com/articles/writeliving