COMM 120 Observation Paper
Assignment Description
Studying communication and the various theories that apply to human interaction can be
a valuable asset in your personal and professional lives. If used properly you can improve your
relationships, your ability to persuade others, your chances at career advancement, and a host of
other benefits that becoming a better communicator provides. In order for you to gain a deeper
understanding of these concepts, it will be important for you to begin applying them. Theory
without application will not allow you to use what youve learned and thus, you are less likely to
benefit from it. Therefore, this assignment is designed to give you a hands-on experience with
going out into a natural setting and using some of what you have learned in class.
To aid you in this process you will be required to choose a setting in which others are
communicating with one another. The form of communication you choose to observe depends on
your own preference. You can observe people interacting directly through conversation, playing
sports, working together, etc. or you can observe examples of indirect communication such as
strangers in crowded places, intimate partners spending time with each other without actually
speaking to one another, or someone reacting to something they have witnessed.
You will observe the people interacting in this setting, and provide your analysis
regarding what you thought to be significant about the communication that took place, in the
form of a term paper. To aid you in your writing you will need to choose three specific course
concepts or theories that relates to your observations. Examples include: Selection what forms
of stimuli were present in the situation and how did the communicators respond or negotiate
those stimuli? Social Roles what social roles did you pick up on and what was it about the
interaction that communicated those roles? Nonverbal Communication Repeating: did you
notice any particular gestures that the communicators used to reinforce what they were saying
verbally?
Once you have selected the concepts to work with and explained how they functioned in
the situation you observed, you will then need to provide an analysis of what you learned from
this experience. For example: what are your thoughts about what you witnessed? Did it confirm
or disconfirm any of your assumptions about communication? Was there anything that surprised
you? If so, what was it and why did it surprise you?
Since you will be choosing a textbook concept for this assignment, you will need to provide
a reference page including in-text citations in APA style. Your paper will be judged according
to the following criteria:
1. Your ability to support your analysis through the use of relevant examples
2. Your ability to connect classroom learning to your observations
3. The application of appropriate communication concepts and/or terminology from lecture
or the textbook
4. The demonstrated ability to think critically about what you observed (quality of your
writing/insights)
5. Proper grammar, spelling, and overall format
