Overview
This assignment assesses:
Your understanding of the relationship between texts and meaning.
Your ability to apply communication theory to an artifact in a textual analysis.
- Your ability to write a paper with a coherent well-structured argument and clear concise writing.
- To accomplish this goal, you will select a particular textual artifact among the choices listed below and analyze it using two different communication theories. Your goal is to convey how the textual artifact produces meaning, and how different theories enable us to make sense of the artifact in different ways.
- A textual artifact is anything that can be read or interpreted as having meaning. For the purposes of this assignment, the artifact is one of the choices listed below. Make sure to identify clearly the artifact you selected.
You must **briefly** (2-3 sentences) describe the textual artifact and research its context. This might include addressing: When was it put into circulation? Who or what organization put it into circulation? Who is the likely audience? What are its main textual features (visual images, language, metaphors, arguments, colors, etc.)?
Apply two communication theories to examine and explain the artifact from differing points-of-view. Use only theories that we have covered this semester. **Briefly** define and explain each theory before applying it to the artifact. How are these specific theories relevant to the artifact you are analyzing, and how do they inform (give meaning) to the artifact now that you can reflect upon it from a theoretical framework? Use specific examples (textual evidence) from your artifact to do your analysis.
Do not try and combine the theories into one analysis. The goal of this exercise is to use two different theories separately. Each theory should provide unique insight. So, divide the paper into two sections: one for each theory.
Do not use a theory that you already used in the Communication in Action paper. If the theory is not on this semester’s schedule, you will not get credit for it.
The word limit for this assignment. You will be penalized for being under or over the word count. The paper should include an introduction and a conclusion. In the introduction, you should make a claim about the meaning the artifact produces, and prepare the reader for what’s to come. In other words, it should include a clear thesis statement and a preview of the main points (sections) to come in the body of the paper. Your conclusion should explain what you’ve gained from the analysis and connect it to the thesis statement you’ve offered about the meaning of the artifact.
Artifact attached below and link
Uvalde school shooting mural:
https://latino.si.edu/exhibitions/mural-gallery