ALC101Contemporary Communication: Making Sense of Text, Image and Meaning This task requires you to undertake scholarly (or peer-reviewed) research relating to one of the units topics/themes, such as:
· Narrative theory
· Semiotic theory
· Ideology
· Gender & Communication
· Film
· Advertising
· Organisational / Professional Communication
· Audiences and meaning-making
Your literature review, which is a survey of scholarship on a certain area/subject, should be formatted in 3-4 paragraphs, drawing from your sources using select quotation or paraphrasing, and referencing the sources you use appropriately.
You might, for example, focus on a specific theoretical concept highlighted in your readings (other than intertextuality, which will be the focus of the example provided), or your focus might be broader. You might use a point from your textbook to lead into your discussion, but the main focus of this task is scholarly research beyond the prescribed reading. You should expect to spend a substantial amount of time reading widely in a relevant area(s), and you will not necessarily be able to use every source you look at – this is the very nature of research!
This exercise is the first of two tasks designed to assist you in working towards your research essay. When completing the exercise, it’s a good idea to have some sense of what you will write on for your essay as you may draw on this task in your final piece of assessment, although you are not ‘locked into’ anything and your focus for the essay might change.
Skills developed: scholarly research; use of sources; scholarly writing; referencing