LEAP 3 — Research Inquiry
Explore a topic related to the theme of media and democracy, and produce an annotated bibliography, a compare/contrast graphic design, and a short video.
This research project should help you gain and apply knowledge about a specific topic of interest related to the important role of media in democratic societies.
DUE: Sunday, April 28 at 9 PM
POINTS: 200 (20% of class grade)
Finding Your Focus
The theme of Media and Democracy is wide and deep. To get started, consider the three guiding questions from COM 250:
· How do people decide who and what to trust? (Chapter 9)
· How do people get the news? (Chapter 4)
· What are the differences between advertising, public relations, and propaganda? (Chapter 5)
As you consider what topic to explore, you may find it useful to skim through Media Literacy in Action (Chapters 4, 5, and 9) to consider some of the many important issues related to the theme of Media and Democracy. In these chapters, you get answers to inquiry questions like:
- Why do American politicians spend so much money on advertising to get elected?
- How does the decline of local journalism affect people in our communities?
- What can be done to stem the tide of disinformation that erodes public trust?
- How and why do conflict entrepreneurs increase political polarization?
- How does media literacy education advance the practice of civic education?
- What actions should digital platforms take to meet the needs of people who are intentionally avoiding the news or choosing false content?
Your own Research Inquiry will be most powerful and effective if it confronts a specific question that you are genuinely interested in and is as focused and narrow as possible so that you can acquire meaningful new knowledge without being overwhelmed. Most Research Inquiries will address “how” and “why” questions. You can reach out to the instructor on Signal or an academic librarian at Carothers Library to get support for crafting a Research Inquiry question.
Deliverables: What You Must Submit
You must complete these components in your Research Inquiry:
1. A Research Inquiry Question: Compose a well-formulated research question on a specific topic related to the theme of Media & Democracy.
2. Annotated Bibliography: Select and read 10–12 high-quality research sources including scholarly articles, magazines, and/or newspaper articles. Provide a full citation in APA format, followed by 2–3 sentence description of key ideas and why you selected it.
3. Compare and Contrast Graphic Design: Investigate two different perspectives on a topic by creating a graphic design that compares and contrasts two different information sources using a graphic organizer like the Venn diagram or the T-chart.
4. Video: Compose a short informative video (3–5 minutes) that provides a detailed answer to your inquiry question. Consider using one of many free digital platforms for video production, including Canva, Adobe Express, Prezi, Vimeo, CapCut, or even PowerPoint. You are of course free to use other video editing tools including iMovie or Adobe Premiere.
5. Reflection Essay. On your Medium blog, you share all content and write a reflective essay describing the stages of the research and creative process. You answer these questions: How did you complete this project? What did you learn about yourself from completing this project? What new questions about topic have emerged as the result of your inquiry?
The Power of Two
You have the option to work collaboratively, but it is not required. If you work collaboratively, only 1 Animated Video is submitted (no longer than 7 minutes in length). Both partners agree to a broad common topic and each student develops a specific research inquiry question. Each partner also creates their own Annotated Bibliography and their own Compare and Contrast Graphic. All five deliverables are posted to each student’s Medium blog, submitted to the class publication: https://medium.com/digital-media-lit-com-250. Follow these simple instructions to submit your work to the class publication.
CRITERIA FOR EVALUATION
The instructor will use these criteria to evaluate your work:
Quality Content. You have submitted evidence that shows that you have moved through a research inquiry process and completed 5 deliverables as described in the assignment. You have demonstrated media literacy competencies in the composition of your Annotated Bibliography, Compare-and-Contrast Graphic Design, and Video. Your work offers important new information about the topic you have selected. The opinions, information, and ideas you showcase address a focused topic and offer a real “aha” type insight for the target audience of college-educated adults. (70 points)
Quality Form. You have creatively used the affordances of print, audio, video, and graphic design to find and communicate information, opinions, ideas, and feelings through the imaginative use of symbols. Evidence of inquiry, planning, organization, creativity, and revision is evident in your completed work. The work you create is well-organized, polished, and professional (60 points)
Quality of Reflection. In creating your work, you have built upon the ideas you have encountered in the course and considered the complexity of a topic on the theme of Media and Democracy. You describe all steps in your research and production process and offer some reflective writing about your growth and learning that is authentic and personal (70 points)
POINTS: 200 (20% of class grade)
