1. The assignment should be about 5 pages in length. Follow an APA format to structure your paper and provide references if using any outside sources (besides class presentations or personal notes). You do not need to have a cover page.
2. You are free to structure the essay in a way that works for you, but these are some of the components I am looking for:
(a) Introduce your research question for the class project, and briefly talk about the population that you intend to study.
(b) Why did you choose to study this topic? What drew you to it, what motivates you to learn more about the topic?
(c) What is your position as the researcher here vis-a-vis your participants? What is your social location (gender, ethnicity, race, socio-economic status, education, etc.), your personal experience, or any relevant background in comparison to the participants you are studying? How do you think that will influence your study of the subject (e.g., building rapport and trust?)
(d) What are the qualities of ‘researcher as an instrument’ (refer back to Padgett, Chapter 1 and the Voice thread presentation from Week 2, “Introduction to Qualitative Research”) and how do you plan to bring these qualities to your research?
(e) What is the cultural component of your proposed study? What are some assumptions you may have about the population and the topic? Where do you fall on the staircase model of intercultural communication (refer to the Voice Thread slides for Week 3)? What elements in the cultural iceberg are you setting out to explore?
