This is the home site of CD 315, offered through Marshall University, and part of the required curriculum for students majoring in Communication Disorders.

Fall2005: MRP Instructions

What?

Multigenre Research Project (MRP)

Why?

The multigenre research project is an alternative to completing a standard academic research essay.  A genre is a type of writing.  A newspaper editorial, poem, and treatment plan are all examples of different kinds of genre.  As you might be able to guess simply by thinking about the few examples I provided, different genres serve different purposes, different voices, and different audiences.  For example, you would not expect to see a treatment plan written by the school custodian (an issue of voice).  Likewise, you would not write a treatment plan to hand out to parents at a health fair (an issue of audience).  Finally, you would not write a poem to set forth a course of treatment for a patient (purpose).  Because our knowing something is richer if we approach an issue through multiple voices for different purposes speaking to different audiences, the standard research essay is quite limiting in its ability to help us better understand a problem or issue.  We will be using the MRP, then, to...

• ...allow us to readily and thoroughly examine an issue from multiple points of view.
• ...allow us to write for specific audiences, thus enabling us to be specific enough to demonstrate significant understanding of an issue or problem, and adapt our discourse styles appropriately based upon audience.
• ...allow us to develop an answer for a research question and convey that answer in a unique and creative ways.
• ...allow us to draw upon our creativity and individuality to develop a project uniquely and distinctly different from the projects created by others in the same class.

How?

This project will develop in stages over the course of the semester.  In fact, if you simply complete your weekly assignments, you will have completed this project.  In general, the process will be:

1. Choose a professional issue, problem, or concern that you are particularly interested in. 
   • You want your selection to be somewhat complex (that is, an issue that may be difficult to resolve or one that most likely has multiple solutions). 
2. Turn this issue into a question. 
   • Complex issues worthy of investigation for this assignment often turn into questions that start with words like "how," "why," or "what if."  Your task will be to try to find an answer for your question, not the answer to your question. 
3. Revise research question.
   • Once you have settled on a question, I will review it.  Most of the time, students submit research questions that are too broad and/or general to be dealt with adequately in the time frame provided by a semester.  In those cases, I will generally start a dialogue with you about your question to make it more narrow and specific.  (The due date for your research question will appear in the weekly support assignments.)
4. Begin your research.
   • While you are finalizing your research question, begin your research.  Here's where those online databases are really going to come in handy!
5. Develop a project prospectus. 
   • Specific information about when and how to submit this will be provided in a weekly support assignment. 
6. Continue your research and complete your weekly assignments. 
   • After your proposal is approved, continue your research and begin working on your pieces.  I'll be asking for drafts each week of the second part of the semester.

Format?

You will publish your MRP in your own web space (instructions will be provided).  The Table of Contents for your MRP should include the following (at a minimum): 

• Preface (should provide some indication of how/why you chose your research question; may provide some insight into why you chose a particular genre)
• Acknowledgements (you may have received some special help or inspiration in either completing this project or perhaps on the way to choosing your topic-here's where you provide recognition for those who helped you)
• About the Author (here you provide biographical information - for a professional - so that readers understand the source of the information...make certain you include information that clearly identifies you as a student majoring in Communication Disorders)
• Genre 1
• Genre 2
• Genre 3
• Genre 4
• Genre 5
• Genre 6
• Genre 7 (unifying genre)
• Reflection (see MRP rubric for more information)
• References (APA style; use the APA manual to ensure accuracy; use at least 5 peer reviewed sources - most textbooks are appropriate but if you are uncertain, please ask)

Your MRP must include work from at least three different points of view, or voices, (client, client's family, clinician) and will include seven different pieces of writing.  Your pieces of work must include a poem, a webliography, and a Powerpoint presentation.  You may choose your other genres from the list below (or suggest a genre to me for approval):

• journal entry (2 entries of at least 150 words each entry)
• script from a play (at least 3 pages)
• screenplay in digital format (digital movie)
• interview transcript (at least 2 pages)
• email exchange (at least three messages of 100 words each or a total of 300 words)
• newsletter (2 pages)
• observation report (2-forms will be provided if you choose this)
• lesson plan (3 consecutive days)
• referral letter (1-2 pages)
• letter to parent (1-2 pages)
• public service announcement
• pamphlet
• brochure
• letter to the editor (2 pages)
• letter to a politician (2 pages)
• guest editorial (300 words)

Reflection?

Your reflection on this assignment is part of the MRP (see section titled "Format?" above).

Assessment?

Up to 100 points will be given for the various parts of your MRP.  This rubric will be used and points will be distributed roughly as follows:

• Ideas and Content (20 points)
• Organization (20 points)
• Word Choice (15 points)
• Sentence Fluency (15 points)
• Conventions (15 points)
• Reflection (15 points)

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