Requirements for Comm. 4800 – Special Study/Individual Projects
1. What is the purpose of Comm. 4800 – Special Study/Individual Projects?
This class allows you to work one-on-one with a faculty member on a project of special interest. This class requires about 60 hours of work for each semester hour earned on your part and requires a lot of time on the faculty member’s part as well. You must find a faculty member who will agree to devote the required time. Students should appreciate faculty members who agree to go above and beyond expectations by agreeing to work with a student for Comm. 4800 credit. Comm. 4800 should not be used as a substitute for other communication requirements except in extreme extenuating circumstances.
2. What can I do for a Special Study/Individual Project class?
There are four main options you may choose from to fulfill the requirements of Comm. 4800.
A. Research project3. How do I choose a topic for a Special Study/Individual Project class?
A research project involves some combination of library research and/or data collection on a topic of your choice. The final product of a research project is usually a paper. The paper will be graded on the quality of your ideas, analysis, insights, and writing skills, with some emphasis placed on quantity of work.
B. Creative project
Examples of creative projects are literary journalism pieces, investigative and/or documentary journalism, Web pages, brochures and other special publications, video and audio productions, CDs or DVDs, advertising campaigns, and public relations campaigns. Other kinds of projects not listed can be suggested. Creative projects will generally be accompanied by a process paper discussing how the project was conducted and what the student learned. Projects will be graded on the quality of the work and on the amount of thought that went into planning and producing the project.
C. Directed reading
Directed reading involves reading a series of books or journals on a topic area. The final product is usually a paper that does two things: summarizes the main ideas in the book and includes an application section explaining how you have applied ideas from the book to some aspect of communication. The paper will be graded on the quality of your ideas, analysis, insights, and writing skills, with some emphasis placed on quantity of work.
D. Research assistant
Working as a research assistant involves finding a faculty member who is involved in a research project and working as an assistant on at least one project. This may involve working on the literature review, contributing to the study design, collecting data, analyzing data and writing the final report. The research assistant will be required to write a paper after the experience discussing his/her contribution to the project and what was learned.
Select an area of communication you have discussed in another class that you would like to explore in more depth, or select an area of communication that has not been explored in the rest of the curriculum. Focus on a topic about which you feel passionate and committed because you are primarily responsible for the content of this course. This should also be a project that will not only contribute to knowledge on a particular topic, but act as a stepping stone toward your career or graduate school plans.
4. What steps do I need to follow to successfully complete this course?
A. Choose a topic and an approach.
The students who have the most success with Comm. 4800 are those who know what they want to do before the semester begins. It is up to the student to come up with an appropriate idea. Note that any student who uses a project from another course in 4800 (without approval from both instructors) will receive an “E” for 4800.
B. Find a faculty member who will agree to supervise the 4800.
This faculty member must have expertise in the topic area, as well as the necessary time to supervise the project. Students should realize that faculty members are not required to take on Comm. 4800 students and are going above and beyond expectations when they agree to do so.
C. Complete and sign contract form.
Complete and obtain the required signatures on contract forms by Friday of the second week of the semester. This contract must be turned in by this date to the faculty member coordinating Comm. 4800 for the semester (this person’s name is listed in the schedule) and the faculty member supervising the Comm. 4800 course. It must be signed by the student, the instructor coordinating Comm. 4800 and the supervising faculty member. The instructor coordinating Comm. 4800s may also agree to act as the supervising faculty member.
D. Write a prospectus.
Write a two- to three-page prospectus by Friday of the third week of the semester. The prospectus must describe the paper/project in detail. The student and faculty member must meet to complete this step. At this meeting, they must agree on a schedule of meetings and deadlines throughout the semester to ensure the progression of the paper/project. They should also agree on how the paper/project will be graded. These things must be mutually agreed on by the student and the supervising faculty member. The student is required to type up the schedule and grading requirements and provide a copy to the supervising faculty member for reference. The supervising faculty member should email the coordinating faculty member when this step has been completed.