Students will choose one of the theories previously covered in class and write a traditional literature review on the theory. This will be a 4–6-page paper analyzing a minimum of 5 peer-reviewed journal articles that utilize the chosen theory. These articles must be drawn from the given list of communication studies journals and should explore different ways that the theory has been applied and utilized over the years. Students must choose a theory that they are not presenting on for the theory presentations. This should be a formal literature review that synthesizes the articles you have found using the literature. This means that your paper should NOT be a list of sources and the information attached to them, but rather bringing the 5 or more sources you have found into conversation with each other to build a picture of the different ways your chosen theory can be applied and expanded upon.
Paper Topic: Agenda Setting Theory.
Overall Format (points deducted for mistakes)
* 4-6 pages double-spaced, 12 inch font, times new roman, 1-inch margins.
* No title page necessary. Heading (to the left of the first page) should be single spaced and look as follows:
* student name
* course
* assignment name
* due date
* Every paragraph indented one-half inch
* Uses direct quotes only if wording is especially compelling
* Every source listed in references is referenced at least twice in the paper.
* References should be in APA citation format
General Outline
* A brief description of the theory to introduce it. DO NOT open with rhetorical or open-ended questions.
* Justification for selecting the theory for analysis and explaining why it matters and is worth reading about
* What theory are you analyzing and why this one?
* Who created the theory and in what contexts has it been previously used and built upon?
* Key concepts and any terms that you need to define for the reader
* Thesis statement – What argument can you make about the usefulness of this theory in the context of studying communication?
Main Points
* A series of paragraphs, that outlines the relevant concepts and key arguments from the scholarly literature previously published on the theory in relation to each other.
* puts these articles into conversation with each other and identify the gaps in the literature.
* A series of paragraphs, each devoted to one main point that supports your thesis
* Each paragraph should begin with a topic sentence that summarizes the main point to be developed.
* Throughout the paper, describe the research you have studied including:
* Research questions or hypotheses
* Phenomena the researcher(s) studied
* What conclusions the researchers reached and how they explain these conclusions
* How did they use and expand on the theory
Conclusion
* A summary of your main points (be specific)
* Your analysis of the most important lessons
Reference List (NOT COUNTED IN THE PAGE COUNT) – should be on it’s own page
* At least five trustworthy, primary sources in proper APA format (You may use additional sources for anecdotal information and examples, but do not generalize from that data.)
* Includes all sources cited in the paper and none that aren’t
References:
1. Aisha Powell (2022) Two-step flow and protesters: understanding what influenced participation in a George Floyd protests, Communication Quarterly, 70:4, 407-428, DOI: 10.1080/01463373.2022.2077122
2. Christopher J. Carpenter & Josh M. Averbeck (2020) What do superdiffusers do when they want to persuade someone about politics on Facebook?, Communication Quarterly, 68:1, 54-72, DOI: 10.1080/01463373.2019.1671886
3. Thomas A. Salek & Andrew W. Cole (2019) Donald Trump tweets the 2014 Ebola outbreak: The infectious nature of apocalyptic counterpublic rhetoric and constitution of an exaggerated health crisis, Communication Quarterly, 67:1, 21-40, DOI: 10.1080/01463373.2018.1526812
4. Fan Yang & Tongxin Sun (2021) Who has set whose agenda on social media? A dynamic social network analysis of Tweets on Paris attack, Communication Quarterly, 69:4, 341-363, DOI: 10.1080/01463373.2021.1951789
5. McCombs, M., & Shaw, D. L. (1972). The agenda-setting function of mass media. Public Opinion Quarterly, 36(2), 176-187.
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