Description
Q: What does recent research drawing on Communication Accommodation Theory tell us about the
theory and practice of communication in contemporary societies? Illustrate your answer by
examining and critically evaluating two recent (post 2010) empirical research articles.
Essays for all students should be 3,500 words (+/- 10%) – these limits are not negotiable.
For example:
Suggested guidance related to structure, examination and critical evaluation
Please note these are suggestions, not instructions! So long as you do as instructed in the
rubric you will be fine.
1. The first section of your essay should be a general literature review of the subject
area in the essay question. This might be around 1,000 words. This should
encompass relevant literature up to the present and be related very clearly to the essay
title you have chosen.
2. Your critical evaluation of each of the articles should relate to articles which present
some kind of data (hence ‘empirical’) and which were published in 2010 or later.
Any connection to the topic area is fine so long as it links to the essay title and to the
more general introduction you have done. I’d suggest each critical evaluation is
around 750 words long.
3. You can then end with a conclusion which links the introduction you have written to
the two articles and relates these to the field as a whole. Be careful here also to return
to the rubric and do as it asks, and answer any questions that it asks. The conclusion
might be around 1,000 words long.
If you need any further help with what examination and critical evaluation is, and how it
might be done, please see the suggested extra resources detailed below.
1. Use Google Scholar and the other research tools you have been shown to find
suitable articles written in or after 2010 to examine and critically evaluate.
2. Critical evaluation starts with critical thinking. To help with this, please see the
Newcastle University Academic Skills Academic Skills Kit on ‘Critical Thinking’.
https://www.ncl.ac.uk/academic-skills-kit/study-sk…
4. See again week 4 materials and associated reading for ALC8003 on critical writing.
This will also help you with examination and critical evaluation and how to present
this in the essay.
If needed class materials provided
