PTC 604: Communication Theory and Research

Instructor

Professor Norbert Elliot

Course Description

This course reviews major theories of communication and provides strategies for theory-based research in the field of Professional and Technical Communication. The course focuses on the following research methods: problem statement and hypothesis formulation derived from theory; research design and data generation; existing information sources and their acquisition; and analytic techniques. Our goal in the course is to allow students to develop analytic methods--drawn from traditions in both the humanities and the social sciences--which are necessary to generate a well-considered research.

Prerequisites

Students must have graduate standing and are usually enrolled in the PTC Certificate or the MS in PTC. If you are not in these categories, permission of the instructor is required.

Texts

The basic text, statistical software, and the handbook must be purchased before the first day of class:

The basic text:

H. Russell Bernard. Social Research Methods: Qualitative and Quantitative Approaches. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage, 2000. ISBN: 0-7619-1403-X

The statistical software:

Use Package ISBN: 0132243900X. This ISBN will yield the following--

Marija J. Norusis. SPSS 14.0 Guide to Data Analysis. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 2005. ISBN 0-13-199528-6

SPSS 14.0 Brief Guide. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 2005. ISBN 0-130173847-X

SPSS 14.0 for Windows Student Version. Packaged with SPSS 14.0 Brief Guide.

The handbook:

Joseph Gibaldi. MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers. 6th ed. New York: MLA, 2003. ISBN: 0-87352-986-3

The following texts are standard and will be very easy to obtain either in a good library or through NJIT interlibrary loan. During the course, you will need to consult many of the following:.

Jay Bolter and Diane Gromala. Windows and Mirrors: Interaction Design, Digital Art, and the Myth of Transparency. Cambridge: MIT P, 2003.

Jay Bolter. Writing Space: The Computer, Hypertext, and the History of Writing. 2nd. ed. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Earlbaum, 2001.

Jay Bolter and Richard Grusin. Remediation: Understanding the New Media. Cambridge: MIT Press, 1999.

Kenneth Burke. A Grammar of Motives. Berkeley: U of California P, 1969.

Paul Cobley, ed. The Communication Theory Reader. London and New York: Routledge, 1996.

Terry Eageton. Literary Theory. 2nd. ed. Minnesota: University of MN P, 1996.

Stanley Fish. Is There a Text in This Class?: The Authority of Interpretative Communities. Harvard: Harvard UP, 1982.

Linda Flower. The Construction of Negotiated Meaning: A Social Cognitive Theory of Writing. Carbondale: SIU P, 1994.

Northrop Frye. Anatomy of Criticism: Four Essays. Princeton: Princeton UP, 1957. With a forward by Harold Bloom, 2000.

Barney G. Glaser and Anselm L. Strauss. Discovery of Grounded Theory: Strategies for Qualitative Research. New York: Aldine De Gruyter, 1967.

Martin Heidegger. "The Question Concerning Technology." Basic Writings. Ed. David Farrell Krell. New York: Harper, 1977. 287-317.

James Kinneavy. A Theory of Discourse. New York: Norton, 1980.

George Landow. Hypertext 2.0: The Convergence of Contemporary Critical Theory and Technology. Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins UP, 1997.

Janice M. Lauer and J. William Asher. Composition Research: Empirical Designs. New York: Oxford UP, 1988.

Amia Lieblich, Rivka Tuval-Mashiach, Tamar Zilber. Narrative Research: Reading, Analysis, Interpretation. Thousand Oakes, California: Sage P, 1998

Edward Tufte. Visual Explanations: Image and Quantities, Evidence and Narrative. Cheshire, Connecticut: Graphics P, 1997.

The Portfolio

Copies of all assignments-both in hard copy and on disk--will be kept by each student in a portfolio retained by the instructor at the end of the course. This document will reflect the overall quality of your work.

Late Assignments

Late assignments are not accepted and will receive a failing grade unless prior arrangements are made. If there is an emergency, I may be reached at either my office or by e-mail.

Assignments and Grading Procedures

Your assignments, their point value of your final grade, and the dates due are described below:

--Critical Review of Theory 1: Literary Theory (10 pts)
--Critical Review of Theory 2: Composition Theory (10 pts)
--Critical Review of Theory 3: Hypertext Theory (10 pts)
--Initial Research Proposal (10 pts)
--Critical Review of Qualitative Research (10 pts)
--Update of Research Proposal (10 pts)
--Critical Review of Quantitative Research (10 pts)
--Final Research Proposal (10 pts)
The Exercises
--Exercise 1: The Literature Review for PTC (2 pts)
--Exercise 2: IRB Training on the WWW (2 pts)
--Exercise 3: Qualitative Research (2 pts)
--Exercise 4: Software-Excel, SPSS, and JUMP (SAS) (2 pts)
--Exercise 5: Working with Data (2 pts)
--Exercise 6: Working with Charts (2 pts)
--Exercise 7: Calculating the correlation coefficient-Pearson r (2 pts)
--Exercise 8: Calculating the t-Test (2 pts)
--Exercise 9: Calculating the F-test (2 pts)
--Exercise 10: Putting It All Together (2pts)

The final grade will be based on your cumulative effort in the course; that is, your grade will be based on your improvement, not solely on a sum of grades.

Syllabus (This is a sample syllabus. While the basic elements of the course remain consistent across semesters, elements of the course change. For distance learning courses, the final syllabus is provided on the WebCT site. For traditional classes, the final syllabus is provided the first day of class.)

Part 1. Background to Research

Week 1

Discussion 1: The Foundations of Social Research: History, Theory, and the Realities Field Research

Textbook Reading:
Bernard, Chapters1, 2, and 3

Exercise 1: The Literature Review for PTC due

Part 2. Literary Theory

Week 2

Discussion 2: Literary Theory: The Nature of Experimental Thinking (Hermeneutics, Semiotics, Structuralism, Reception Theory, Deconstruction, and Political Criticism)

Library Reading:
Hermeneutics:
Martin Heidegger. "The Question Concerning Technology." Basic Writings. Ed. David Farrell Krell. New York: Harper, 1977. 287-317.

Semiotics:
Ferdinand de Saussure, "The Object of Lingusitics." Eds. Charles Bally and Albert Sechehave, trans. Wade Baskin. Course in General Linguistics. Glascow: Fontana, 1974. 7-47.

Charles Sanders Peirce. "A Guess at the Riddle." Eds. Charles Hartshorne, Paul Weiss, and A. W. Burks. Collected Papers of Charles Sanders Peirce. Cambridge: Harvard UP, 1931. 365-367, 269-472.

Structuralism:
Northrop Frye. Anatomy of Criticism: Four Essays. Princeton: Princeton UP, 1957. With a forward by Harold Bloom, 2000.

Reception Theory:
Stanley Fish. Is there a Text in This Class?: The Authority of Interpretative Communities. Harvard: Harvard UP, 1982.

Deconstruction (in Cobley):
Jacques Derrida. Writing and Difference. Chicago: U of Chicago P, 1980.

Political Criticism:

Terry Eageton. Literary Theory. 2nd. ed. Minnesota: University of MN P, 1996.

Critical Review of Theory 1: Literary Theory due

Part 3. Composition Theory

Week 3

Discussion 3: Composition Theory: The Nature of Experimental Thinking

Library Reading:
Kenneth Burke. A Grammar of Motives. Berkeley: U of California P, 1969.

James Kinneavy. A Theory of Discourse. New York: Norton, 1980.

Linda Flower. The Construction of Negotiated Meaning: A Social Cognitive Theory of Writing. Carbondale: SIU P, 1994.

Critical Review of Theory 2: Composition Theory due

Part 4: Hypertext Theory

Week 4

Discussion 4: Hypertext Theory: The Nature of Experimental Thinking

Library Reading:
George Landow. George Landow. Hypertext 2.0: The Convergence of Contemporary Critical Theory and Technology. Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins UP, 1997.

Jay Bolter. Writing Space: The Computer, Hypertext, and the History of Writing. 2nd. ed. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Earlbaum, 2001.

Jay Bolter and Richard Grusin. Remediation: Understanding the New Media. Cambridge: MIT Press, 1999.

Critical Review of Theory 3: Hypertext Theory due

Part 5: Proposing Research in Professional and Technical Communication

Week 5

Discussion 5: The Research Proposal: Ethics, Design, Validity, and Reliability

Textbook Reading:
Bernard, Chapters 4 and 5
Gibaldi, esp, 1, 2, 3.1, 4, 5, 6, and 7

Exercise 2: IRB Training due

Initial Research Proposal due

Part 6. Qualitative Research

Week 6

Discussion 6: Systematic Observational Methods: Qualitative Research

Textbook Reading:
Bernard, Chapters 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10

Library Reading:
Barney G. Glaser and Anselm L. Strauss. Discovery of Grounded Theory: Strategies for Qualitative Research. New York: Aldine De Gruyter, 1967.

Exercise 3: Qualitative Research due

Week 7

Discussion 7: Narrative Research; The Documentary Tradition

Textbook Reading:
Bernard, Chapters11, 12, and 13

Library Reading:
Amia Lieblich, Rivka Tuval-Mashiach, Tamar Zilber. Narrative Research: Reading, Analysis, Interpretation. Thousand Oakes, California: Sage Press, 1998

Critical Review of Qualitative Research due

Part 7. Quantitative Research

Week 8

Discussion 8: Empirical Design in Professional and Technical Writing

Textbook Reading:
Bernard, Chapter 14

Library Reading:
Janice M. Lauer and J. William Asher. Composition Research: Empirical Designs. New York: Oxford UP, 1988.

Discussion 9: Randomized Experiments

Textbook Reading:
Norusis, Chapters 1, 2 and 3

Exercise 4: Software-Excel, SPSS, and JUMP (SAS) due

Week 9

Discussion 10: Quasi-Experimental Design: Quantitative Research

Textbook Reading:
Norusis, Chapters 4-9

Exercise 5: Working with Data due

Week 10

Discussion 11: Summarizing Data

Textbook Reading:
Norusis, Chapters 4-9 continued

Exercise 6: Working with Charts due

Update of Research Proposal due

Week 11

Discussion 12: Examining Relationships: The Correlation Coeffecient

Textbook Reading:
Bernard, Chapter 15
Norusis, Chapters 19 and 20

Exercise 7: Calculating the Correlation Coefficient due

Week 12

Discussion 13: The t-Test

Textbook Reading:
Bernard, Chapter 15
Norusis, Chapters 10-14

Exercise 8: Calculating the t-Test due

Week 13

Discussion 14: The F Test

Textbook Reading:
Bernard, Chapter 15
Noursis, Chapter 15

Exercise 9: Calculating the F Test due

Critical Review of Quantitative Research due

Part 8: Putting It All Together:
Arrangement and Design of the Final Research Proposal

Discussion 15: A Checklist for the Final Research Proposal

Week 14

Library Reading:
Edward Tufte. Visual Explanations: Image and Quantities, Evidence and Narrative. Cheshire, Connecticut: Graphics Press, 1997.

Exercise 10: Putting It All Together due

Week 15

Final Research Proposal due

Portfolio due