So, for this assignment, you are being asked to identify three examples of relationship phenomena, as drawn from online media, and to analyze those examples using principles from the lecture and the text. Your responses will be evaluated for their quality and for the clarity with which they are expressed.
Where will these examples come from? Here is the tricky part. All of the three examples that you provide must be readily accessible to anyone, anytime on the internet. You can link to a YouTube video, a news story, a magazine article, a podcast, online text, an audio file – any source at all, as long as anyone can access it online, and as long as it captures some important phenomena involving or relating to intimate relationships. Anything that is behind a paywall (e.g., Netflix) will not work. I realize that this limits what you can do a bit, but I have heard that the internet is getting pretty popular these days, so I think you will be OK.
As you set out to identify these examples, keep this idea in mind: the closer you get to real people having real experiences, the better your examples will be for this assignment. That is, if you want to present an example of domestic violence in relationships, a magazine article with a few brief quotes from people who are in abusive relationships will not be nearly as good as, say, a podcast or a YouTube video of a few people that goes into greater depth about their experience.
Your completed assignment will consist of exactly three pages (one page for each example). All three of your pages will follow the same basic format, given below. Please use the headings shown below in bold on each page. The first four headings (title, book location, link, type) can be single-spaced, but after that you must use double-spacing.
Title: Give a one-line summary of the phenomenon you are illustrating.
Book Location: Indicate which chapter in the textbook your phenomenon relates to. If your example is only generally related to one of the chapters, that is acceptable. If you can also indicate a specific page in the book, that would be great.
Link: Provide the link (URL) to the online resource you are analyzing. I should be able to click on this link and go directly to the resource.
Type: Indicate the nature of the resource you are analyzing (podcast, video, etc).
Summary: Give a very brief descriiptive summary of the resource you are analyzing. Three sentences should be sufficient. Remember to double-space here.
Analysis: Use the remainder of your page to connect the phenomena you see in your example to some larger principle, concept, or idea. The more you can convey how your example relates to the larger principle, the better your response will be. For example, you might find a podcast showing how two people in a relationship are adjusting to becoming adoptive parents. Concluding simply that ‘Stress is hard on relationships, and here is a good example of it!’ is not nearly as informative as connecting the example to the precise ways in which stress seems to compromise couple functioning, or how characteristics of the couple (e.g., gay versus straight partners), or the stressor, or the immediate environment (e.g., support from family members) affect how well the couple is able to adapt. Go deeper! When I grade these papers, I will be looking for clear evidence that you have learned something from the class that allows you to recognize, appreciate, or otherwise comprehend your specific examples in ways that were unlikely prior to your taking the class. Superficial and obvious analyses will not serve you well. This section should be double-spaced.
Important Details
Your paper should be no longer than 3 double-spaced single-sided typed pages of standard size. Additional pages will not be read.
Use 1” margins, 12-point Times New Roman font (or something very similar), and standard line and character spacing. Do not compress your font or line spacing. If you squeeze additional text on the page in any way, 5 points will be deducted from your grade.
There is no need for page numbers.
Hard copies will not be accepted. All papers must be submitted electronically via BruinLearn. The deadline can be found in the main syllabus, and I will repeat this during class.
Extensions will not be granted for this assignment under any circumstances, and late papers will not be accepted. If you have not submitted a paper following these instructions by the due date, you will receive a grade of zero for the assignment.
There are no extra credit options.
Be careful: You can lose points for failing to use proper formatting, grammar, and spelling.
Higher grades will be assigned to papers that include (a) rich and interesting examples, (b) thoughtful analysis of those examples that connects the phenomena in those examples to course material in detailed ways, and (c) strong and clear writing.
It is your responsibility to submit your paper on time. If you plan to be out of town or are otherwise unable to submit your paper when it is due, submit it early.
Do not use any verbatim quotes from the book.
You do not need any citations or bibliography. This is not a research paper.
All ideas must be expressed in your own words. Do not plagiarize, and be sure to indicate the source of all those ideas in your paper that are not your original ideas. Work independently, and do not copy the ideas or words of anyone else taking the class. Do your own work. If you are in any way uncertain about what constitutes plagiarism, consult the following document; if you are still uncertain, check with the TA or Professor Karney. http://www.registrar.ucla.edu/Registration-Classes/Enrollment-Policies/Class-Policies/Plagiarism-and-Student-Copyright
If the link you provide does not work for me, I will not be able to evaluate your response. Your grade for that example will be zero points.
Your three examples must come from three different chapters in the book. You can use any chapters in the book, even chapters that we have not yet covered in class. In fact, I particularly encourage you to look ahead to chapters in the second half of the class for this assignment, as this will greatly expand your options.
Do not use examples involving yourself or people you know personally.
If you use an example that is not in English, please provide a separate, full translation of the example. This translation will not count against your three-page limit.
How the Papers Will Be Graded
Example 1 (10pts)
Theory and concept (3pts)
Analysis of phenomenon (5pts)
Grammar, spelling, and syntax (2pts)
Example 2 (10pts)
Theory and concept (3pts)
Analysis of phenomenon (5pts)
Grammar and syntax (2pts)
Example 3 (10pts)
Theory and concept (3pts)
Analysis of phenomenon (5pts)
Grammar, spelling, and syntax (2pts)
TOTAL: 30 points
(I need to find even more specific examples than the ones that I have already got…)
