CMS04220 – Interpersonal Communication

In this paper, your writing objective will be to make an argument regarding the usefulness OR
inadequacy of a concept/principle from Modules 3, 4 or 5 for describing the interpersonal
communication you experience in your daily life. You will choose ONE bulleted concept or
principle from the list on pages 2 and 3 of this document.
Specific Requirements
 Students must explicitly identify the concept/principle selected and establish the
meaning of the concept or principle according to the reading or lecture.
 Students must use at least one example (this can be either real or hypothetical) of an
interpersonal communication situation (e.g. a date, a discussion you had, a time you
ordered from a server in a restaurant) in making their argument for why the
concept/principle is useful OR inadequate.
 The paper must be written with a proper introduction to set up the points to be made, a
body that fleshes out those points, and a conclusion that provides a wrap-up
 Informal references to class content or reading (e.g. According to the lecture on..,
According to the chapter 3 of the text book…, According to the article by Wood…,) are
acceptable; HOWEVER, a formal citation in proper APA or MLA format with a Works
Cited page is required IF:
o a student relies on any source other than those in the assigned reading
 Students are encouraged to consult outside sources in this way.
 Note that sources listed in the Works Cited sections of the lectures are
NOT assigned reading.
o a student uses wording taken from any source (i.e. verbatim/copy-paste)
INCLUDING sources in the assigned reading…if you quote it, you have to cite it
 Both citation systems require quotes around the text, the name of the
author who wrote the text, and the page number in the source from
where it came provided in parentheses at the end of the text. APA has
the additional requirement of including the year of publication.
 A Works Cited page is not required UNLESS it was necessary for the student to
reference a source outside of the assigned reading or quotes any source. This Works
Cited page does not count against page total.
 Any use of MLA or APA will be scored according to the standards described on the
Purdue Online Writing Lab: https://owl.english.purdue.edu/