Researching Everyday Communication 2024-25
You should ensure that you understand the general requirements for submitting assignments to ELAL modules, including requirements for word counts, referencing style, etc. See the Department of Linguistics and Communication Handbook, available via the UG Canvas Hub for more information.
For any assignment requiring you to collect your own data, you have general ethical approval as long as you have completed an online ethics declaration for the academic year 2024/25. Where an assessment does not explicitly ask you to undertake primary research activity (i.e. your own data collection), you should not collect any data without speaking to the module convenor and completing a separate application for ethics review. It is your responsibility to exercise appropriate judgment here, and to read the guidance available in the Department of Linguistics and Communication Handbook.
Assignment 1: 1,000-word Research Proposal
This assignment will allow you to demonstrate that you can: (a) write a research question, (b) consider ethics in relation to data collection, (c) plan a small research project.
You will write a research proposal following the 3 questions at the bottom of this assignment. Your submission must answer all listed questions.
For this assignment, you must choose a communication type to focus on from: (a) Multimodality, (b) Soundscapes, (c) Discourse Analysis, or (d) Reception / Audience Response.
You will then write a research question for your chosen data type. Here are some examples (you may not use these):
o How do L’Oreal advertisements make use of text and images to create a desirable product?
o What do Aldi and Waitrose soundscapes sound like and how does it reflect the branding of each supermarket?
o How do people change their story when sharing it with strangers compared to close friends?
o What effects audiences’ evaluations of film adaptations of famous books?
For your submission, answer the following 3 questions. In brackets you will find suggested word counts for each. Make sure to ground your answers in your own reflections with support from academic references that provide evidence for your decisions.
1. What type of communication did you select? Provide a definition. (250 words)
2. What is your research question? Explain the question and how you wrote it. (250 words)
3. What type of data would allow you to answer your research question? Briefly outline how you plan to collect this data. (500 words)
a. Are there ethical considerations with your data collection? If yes, explain how you will address those when you collect your data.