COM 126 Final Project Part One Guidelines and Rubric
 
Overview
Does media reflect culture or does it create culture?
 
For the final assessment, you will be examining this question through the lens of a specific media channel of your choice. This media channel may come from new media, legacy media, or residual media. 
 
Communication, in the broadest terms, encompasses all media channels through which information is exchanged. That information can be exchanged in a myriad of ways or channels. As technology has progressed, we have seen the advent of the internet and all the communicative tools available through it. These digital, largely internet-based tools are called “new media.” 
 
While investigating new media, you may also ask what qualifies as old media, which is referred to as legacy media or traditional media by communication professionals. This, in turn, will lead you to investigate residual media as well. In the briefest of terms, legacy media refers to books, magazines, cable TV, newspapers, and movies. Residual media refers to film and film cameras, vinyl LPs and record players, radio, and hand-written letters. For this project you will have the choice of working with media from any of these three categories: new media, residual media, or legacy media. 
 
Once you have selected your media channel, you will examine how it reflects culture and society, and how it creates culture and society. It is important to examine both sides of this debate. For example, you could investigate how online dating (a form of social media that falls in the new media category) reflects our culture and society, but has also created a culture around itself. Another example would be to investigate how the vinyl LP (a residual media) was created by a culture and its needs, but has also created a culture around itself. A third example would be to investigate reality television (a form of television that is legacy media). In what ways did our culture create reality television, and in what ways has reality television formed a culture in itself?
 
The project is divided into two milestones, which will be submitted at various points throughout the course to scaffold learning and ensure quality final submissions. These milestones will be submitted in Modules Two and Four. The final product will be submitted in Module Five.
 
In this assignment, you will demonstrate your mastery of the following course outcomes: 
 
 Analyze the effects of media on culture and culture on media for identifying the past, current, and future trends in communication and mass media  Apply popular and scholarly tools for researching areas of communication  Integrate appropriate terms and concepts, fundamental across multiple communication fields, for enhancing the delivery of messages
 
 

 
Prompt Through the lens of a media channel of your choice, examine the following question: Does media reflect culture, or does media create culture? This media channel may come from new media, legacy media, or residual media. For the first part of the final assessment, you will provide the instructor with supporting documentation for your presentation: a narrative with a brief justification of your thesis, a list of scholarly resources, and an outline. In the second part of the final assessment, your arguments and evidence will be presented in the form of a multimedia presentation posted in a public forum. 
 
Specifically, the following critical elements must be addressed:
 
I. Topic a) Identify your topic in a concise thesis statement that states a claim that you will prove and support throughout your presentation. This statement will give direction to your presentation and should be well thought out.  b) Summarize how you believe this topic both reflects culture and society, and how it creates culture. 
 
II. Resources a) Provide an APA formatted list of scholarly research sources. For this, you may use resources covered in the course, including the primary text, as well as outside sources that you’ve found on your own.  b) Describe your vetting of each resource and why it qualifies as a legitimate resource. Ensure you have enough resources to sufficiently support your thesis. 
 
III. Justification a) Create a thorough outline that justifies the planned content of your presentation. Be sure to detail what you would include on each individual slide.  b) Provide a contextual list of two to four quotes you plan to incorporate into your presentation. 
 
 
Milestones
Final Project Part One Milestone One: Topic Selection In Module Two, you will submit your topic selection which will include the media channel you have chosen and discuss how it both reflects and creates culture. This milestone will be graded with the Final Project Part One Milestone One Rubric. 
 
Final Project Part One Milestone Two: Analysis Worksheet In Module Four, you will submit an analysis worksheet of the resources you have chosen to support your topic selection and thesis statement. This milestone will be graded with the Final Project Part One Milestone Two Rubric. 
 
 

 
Final Project Part One Submission: Justification Paper In Module Five, you will submit part one your final project: a justification paper. It should be a complete, polished artifact containing all of the critical elements of the final product. It should reflect the incorporation of feedback gained throughout the course. This submission will be graded with the Final Project Part One Rubric.
 
 
Final Project Part One Rubric Guidelines for Submission: Your justification paper should be approximately two to three pages, double-spaced, one-inch margins, and use 12-point Times New Roman font with references cited in APA format. 
 
Instructor Feedback: This activity uses an integrated rubric in Blackboard. Students can view instructor feedback in the Grade Center. For more information, review these instructions.
 
Critical Elements Exemplary Proficient Needs Improvement Not Evident Value Topic: Thesis Statement
 Meets “Proficient” criteria and thesis statement exerts intrigue to draw in the viewer (100%) Identifies topic in a concise thesis statement (85%) Identifies topic concisely, but thesis statement is ill-defined or unclear (55%) Does not identify topic in a concise thesis statement (0%) 16 Topic: Reflects and Creates
 Meets “Proficient” criteria and makes cogent connections between the topic and culture and society (100%) Summarizes how topic reflects culture and society and how it creates culture (85%) Summarizes how topic reflects culture and society or how it creates culture, but not both, or summary is cursory (55%) Does not summarize how topic reflects culture and society or how it creates culture (0%) 16 Resources: APA Formatted List
  Provides an APA formatted list of scholarly research sources (100%) Provides an APA formatted list of scholarly research sources, but there are inaccuracies with formatting (55%) Does not provide an APA formatted list of scholarly research (0%) 10.6 Resources: Vetting
 Meets “Proficient” criteria and description is exceptionally clear and contextualized (100%) Describes vetting of each resource and why it qualifies as a legitimate source, ensuring a sufficient amount of sources to support thesis (85%) Describes vetting of each resource and why it qualifies as a legitimate source, but description or vetting process is cursory or there are an insufficient amount of sources to support thesis (55%) Does not describe vetting of each resource and why it qualifies as a legitimate source (0%) 10.6 Presentation Outline: Planned Content
  Creates a thorough outline justifying the planned content of the presentation (100%) Creates an outline justifying the planned content of the presentation, but with gaps in content or logical structure (55%) Does not create an outline justifying the planned content of the presentation (0%) 32

 
Presentation Outline: Quotes
 
Meets “Proficient” criteria and context is rich in detail and insight (100%)
Provides a contextual list of quotes to be cited (85%)
Provides a list of quotes to be cited, but context is cursory or absent (55%)
Does not provide a list of quotes to be cited (0%)
10.6
Articulation of Response
Submission is free of errors related to citations, grammar, spelling, syntax, and organization and is presented in a professional and easy to read format (100%)
Submission has no major errors related to citations, grammar, spelling, syntax, or organization (85%)
Submission has major errors related to citations, grammar, spelling, syntax, or organization that negatively impact readability and articulation of main ideas (55%)
Submission has critical errors related to citations, grammar, spelling, syntax, or organization that prevent understanding of ideas (0%)
4.2
Total 100%