Description
I. Introduction:
A) Introduce the topic
B) Thesis (statement of issue or problem)
B) Significance of the study to intercultural communication
II. Body:
Main point 1: Brief description or background of the topic
Main point 2: Discuss the literature related to the topic (annotated bib) and additional data collected this semester including current news and other sources (interviews, observations) that you gathered. Include a very detailed description of your fieldwork. How did you enter this culture? Who was your contact person? Describe the setting or event (if you attended one)..
List participants but protect their identity. Include excerpts from transcripts by choosing places in the talk that support your claims about the culture.
Main point 3: Synthesize your research and present a strong in-depth analysis of all the communication issues referred to in your topic. Support your arguments with credible, relevant, and timely sources. Demonstrate that you understand cultural concepts and can recognize them in your data.
III. Conclusion
A) Summarize/Review key points
B) Recommendations. What did you learn about yourself?
C. Concluding thought
IV. REFERENCES (use APA or MLA format) include full transcripts of participants after the bibliography of sources.
Questions to Consider for Analysis
*Boundaries of the group: How is it defined? What separates the “in-group” from the “out-group?” Who belongs? Why? When?
*Perception: What are the stereotypes that you had of the group before you began? How did this influence what you saw and did in the culture? Did they have stereotypes of you? Are there any other important perceptual frameworks important in defining this group? Are their perceptions of events different than yours?
*Communication patterns of the group: Is there language (vocabulary) unique to this group? Are nonverbal behaviors common to group members? What purposes do these communication behaviors serve?
*Important rites or rituals that you observed: What does this mean for them? How does this sustain their identity? How do they talk about it?
*Values of this group: How do they influence communication within the group and with outsiders? How are they reflected in the relationships of group members?
*What was the process that your group went through in developing a sense of “understanding” identity in the U.S or creating a sense of group identity in the U.S.?
*Narratives: Do they tell stories about discrimination, assimilation, to name a few.
