Research Paper Tips

As you work on your research papers, here are some things to keep in mind: * Does your introduction invite your reader in? Does your introduction lay the foundation for your research? Is there an introduction to the topic? Is it clear why this research is both relevant and significant? * Does your literature review include all the substantial literature on the food topic? Does your literature review include all the substantial literature on the media's coverage of the food topic? Does your literature review include all the substantial literature on framing theory? Is a majority of your research based on peer-reviewed scholarship? * Is it clear that your research questions follow from the scholarly research you presented earlier? Do each of your research questions address the food topic, media representation, framing and/or themes? Are these questions reasonable? * Does your methods section clearly explain textual analysis AND why textual analysis was used? Does your methods sections clearly explain the method that you used in this study? Is the rationale for the sample media type, time period and sample size both reasonable and clearly explained? Are your methods and sample reasonable to answer the above questions? * Are your findings clearly explained and examples used to flesh out the findings? Are the themes/frames clearly defined and explained? Is it clear why this research is both relevant and significant? Are all of the research questions answered? * Have you clearly explained the relevance and significance in the discussion? Are all of the issues regarding your food topic and media representation presented? Have you tied your research back to the literature in the field? * Have you concluded your research with an explanation of where this scholarship fits into the field and what questions it leads to? Have you tied your conclusion back to introduction? Is the importance of your work clearly explained? * Is the writing done in a sophisticated style and without errors? Is critical thinking clear? Is it graduate-level research?

Oil Spill Impact on Food Coverage

Communication and Society: Oil Spill Impact on Food Coverage The goal of this project is to go through a short, simplified version of the research process as you put together your own research papers. • Topic: How did the print media - specifically American newspapers - cover the B.P. oil spill in the gulf in relation to local seafood. • Literature review: You have been given one article already. o First, summarize your article in terms of the topic above in 2-3 sentences. o Second, list one other academic source that this study led you to find. • Research question: Based on the topic and the article you read, list one research question based on media representation of the oil spill & food. • Method: How would you study the topic? o First, pick one newspaper (Google News is a good place start.) and find five articles on the topic listed above. o Second, based on the five articles you found, what 4-5 themes might you code for in order to come up with a frame? List them specifically based on the topic. ** Bring this information to class on Wednesday to turn in. **

Monday Office Hours

Hello all. Just advanced notice that I will not have office hours on Monday, March 19th due to a faculty meeting - those meetings are posted in Nicholson at the beginning of the semester. I will be checking email that day before and after the meeting if you have questions about your papers.

Midterm Reminder

Hello all. Just a reminder that your midterm is tomorrow, Wednesday. Remember that you can have one page (notes on each side) with you in class. You will also need a Blue Book. Here is a reminder from the review sheet given out two weeks ago: • In class, we discussed the ethics of using a faceless image on the evening broadcast news as a visual representation of obesity. (Remember that is only an ethical issue; it is completely legal to use an image taken in a public place.) Consider these questions based on your readings: o What does this practice tells us about the roles of obesity and image? o About the role of health and responsibility? o About media representation of fatness in news versus entertainment? o About health and being an American?

Midterm Practice Answer

Here is a link to an outline a student wrote about the newspaper article posted earlier. This is how she thought through the P-C-A process. Please note that the student went on to summarize, apply and analyze in her answer.

Midterm practice

Hello all. Below is a midterm-style question based on the newspaper story about labor. Consider your answer and compare it to the answer from a previous semester that I will post this weekend.


Consider this weekend's media coverage of the battle over collective bargaining in Wisconsin, such as this story from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

How would you apply the working definition of framing that we began the class with to the media's coverage of the battle over collective bargaining in Wisconsin?: "Frames are organizing principles that are socially shared and persistent over time that work symbolically to meaningfully structure the social world."
Remember to consider P-C-A.

Food Inc. Viewing Questions

Here are some questions to think about while watching the documentary, Food Inc.

Food,  Inc.                                                                                                   

1. What right to a certain quality of life do animals have? How does the treatment of animals impact our food supply?

2. What right to do people have to know what is in their food  and/or how their food was grown or raised?

3. Who is responsible for keeping our food safe? What are the political realities connected to these decisions?

4. Should access to healthy food be a right for everyone? Why or why not? Who should be in charge of this decision? What is the role of government? Of business?

5.  When deciding what to eat, how much should we consider the workers who pick, process, and transport it? How easy or difficult is it to find this information? What role does/should social class/living wages play?

6.  Does it matter to you which food companies produce your food? Why or why not? How often do you look at the company/conglomerate producing your food?

7.  Should companies be able to own the DNA contained in plant seeds? What are the advantages and/or the disadvantages?

8.  Should a company have the power to decide what information to give consumers about the food it produces? Why? What role should government play? Why?

9.  What individual or collective actions should consumers be willing to take to improve our food system, and what would be their impact?

10. What roles do documentaries play in the mediated messages about food?