The Senior Capstone Project is a comprehensive, professional, research-based project that you will develop in steps, some as discussion activities, some as graded assignments. This document describes the four types of projects and their components which are available to you for your last Communication Studies degree requirement.
Assessment will be based on the assumption you know and can execute the skills applicable to the project that you have chosen to complete, which would be skills learned in the listed courses or similar courses that you have taken at another institution. You should select the Senior Capstone Project that will best exemplify the Communications Studies knowledge and skills you can offer an employer. For example, if you have never taken a speech class, it would probably not be wise of you to select the Executive Speech option for your Senior Capstone Project.
This section contains information about the Research Report assignment that will help you decide if it is the right option for your Senior Capstone Project.
Coursework Preparation
You will be best prepared for this assignment if you have completed an upper-level writing course (such as UMGC’s WRTG 391, 393, or 394), an upper-level research methods course (such as COMM 480) and 9 credits of upper-level coursework in the communication studies discipline (such as UMGC’s COMM 300 and some combination of COMM 302, COMM 390, COMM 400, SPCH 324, and SPCH 470).
This assignment requires strong research and writing skills, and a deep understanding of business audiences and business documents.
If you are interested in this Senior Capstone Project and are uncertain whether you have prepared well enough to fulfill its requirements, contact your instructor.
Description
If you select this assignment, you will
conduct an original investigation into a timely issue, problem, or question related to one of the communication studies major areas (human/speech communication, mass communication, media studies, journalism, professional writing, group communication, interpersonal communication, and so forth)
write a research report that defines the issue, its history, and its significance, and offers a meaningful analysis for a specific audience, including recommendations for change, possible solutions, or comparative advantages
Sample Topics/Questions
The following list offers some guidance on developing a topic for this Senior Capstone Project.
What is the impact of social media on organizational public relations efforts in a specific realm/industry?
What is the current state of diversity training in the US corporate environment or among multinational corporations? Based on current research in the communication studies field, what recommendations can you make to improve the training?
Select a public issue or problem and analyze the public discourse surrounding it from five different stakeholders.
Investigate the current trend in journalism toward hyperlocal journalism and offer some perspective on what impact this trend may have on the journalism industry.
Investigate, analyze, and evaluate a particular communication plan and/or procedure for a specific issue or organization. Make recommendations to specific stakeholders to make the plan/procedure more effective.
Required Components
The report’s content should be compiled in this order:
1. A Cover Page formatted according to American Psychological Association manuscript rules.
2. An Abstract summarizing the contents of your proposal and concluding with a list of key terms as a separate line (or lines). Include keywords list at end of abstract.
3. A Table of Contents with the page numbers where each section begins.
4. A List of Illustrations (title and page number only). Two illustrations are required.
5. A series of text sections introduced by Boldface Headings that include the following (but not limited to): Introduction, Theme, Background, Conclusion.
6. At least two informative (not merely decorative) illustrations presented on the same page as the text that discusses each; these graphics should be numbered and properly sourced in APA format. If they were generated by yourself then the source for each is Author; if you got their information from another source (Jones, for example) and presented it in a table or chart, then the source is Author, derived from Jones 2012.
7. A References page where your eight or more sources are presented in alphabetic order. These sources must actually be cited in the text and presented in this section and in the text in American Psychological Association format.
You will need to locate at least eight sources from at least 3 different source types. No more than two of your sources can be from interviews. No more than three of any other type of source may be counted toward the minimum number of eight references (although you certainly may use more sources). These eight sources must include peer-reviewed scholarly or professional journal articles.
The bulk of your research should come from the UMGC library’s databases.
8. Appendices.
9. Pagination. Front matter (Abstract through List of Illustrations) should be in lower case Roman numerals; the remainder in Arabic.
10. Word count. The body of the report should be at least 5,000 words.
These components should be submitted as one file.
Required Style
All elements of the report should follow American Psychological Association (APA) manuscript and documentation style rules.
It should follow American Psychological Association (APA) documentation style and include a minimum of eight sources (at least five of which are academic secondary sources).
Remember to proof your own work before submitting it.
Graded Deliverables
You will be responsible for the following graded interim assignments, which you will complete during the course of the development of your Senior Capstone Project.