CMNS 130 – MASS COMMUNICATION

Instructor: Shannon Page

Final Paper (20%)

For this terminal assignment, you must research, plan, and write a formal research paper in
either APA or MLA style.
Your research paper will be an in-depth exploration of a mass media case study (a example of
a media company/industry, television show, film, news event, etc.). You will offer an analysis
of your chosen topic using one of the theories that we have studied in class
(encoding/decoding, propaganda model, uses and gratifications, news production research,
agenda setting, etc.).

Proposal (5%)
This assignment required you to create an overview of your research project. You will submit a
proposal of approximately 500 words that outlines your chosen theory, case study, working
thesis, and key supporting points. The proposal should offer the full bibliography/reference entry
for three of the sources that you intend to use in your paper.
Proposals are due on March 14th.

Paper (15%)
This paper is an individual assignment. Your final paper (including references list) is due on
March 28th. Papers must be submitted as a typed, hard copy.
The paper should be approximately 1500 words in length and must follow APA or MLA
formatting and citation guidelines throughout. The paper must contain the following elements:
 Title page and References/Works Cited
 At least 4 sources (only 2 of which may be readings that we have done in this course).
These sources should be scholarly in nature (if you are not sure what this means or have
difficulty finding sources, see me for assistance).
 At least 8 citations

Assignments that do not include in-text citations will receive a grade of 0.

Should you require assistance with the research process or with narrowing down your topic, I am
more than happy to provide guidance.
Information on MLA and APA can be found here: https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/section/2/
General information on writing research papers can be found here:
https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/658/01/

Research Topic Ideas

You may choose a topic that is not on this list, but it is recommended that you speak to the
instructor for guidance.
- Examine a current or recent event that has been in the news. Focus on one or two news
reports (either televised or print) and examine how industry practices have/have not
created bias.
- Examine a current or recent event that has been in the news using Agenda Setting theory.
- Investigate the role that “agenda setting” played in an election (either Canadian or
international)
- Analyze how a television show, movie, music video, or ??? has been interpreted
differently by different audiences using Stuart Hall’s theory of encoding/decoding.
- Choose a newspaper or news story/article and examine how it does/does not conform to
Herman and Chomsky’s ideas of power, capitalism, and communications
- Examine the motivations that audiences have for using a particular form of entertainment
media using Entertainment Theory and/or Uses and Gratifications approach.