Communication Group Project Spring 2005 The 30th and last rendition of 2zero7 Group Film Analysis

The primary goal of this assignment is for your group to apply and demonstrate an understanding of small group theory and principles through analysis of a film.  The secondary goal of this assignment is for your group to have some experience working together and working through the strengths and weaknesses of group work.  There are a number of topics concerning the development of small groups.  The activity is your creative opportunity to observe a group and discuss how these topics are experienced by members of simulate real-life small group.  You will be preparing a paper about your chosen small group film as well as preparing a 25 minute presentation on your findings.

Film Selection

The first part of this activity centers on your group engaging in a systematic discussion of how to go about observing a group.  In doing so, your assigned group needs to select a film that focuses on a group in order to analyze several small group issues.  During the discussion, your group needs to accomplish the following:

• Allow all members of the group to share ideas.
• Identify the film your group wishes to observe and analyze.
• Discuss how the group will obtain the film.
• Discuss times or other arrangements for viewing the film as a group.  You should watch it more than once.  Perhaps individually watch it and then come together as a group to discuss your ideas.
• Discuss a game-plan (time line) for accomplishing the project (e.g. how often will your group meet to discuss observations?).

Your film should be chosen early, so you can begin to apply concepts as we discuss them in class.  Use your text as a guide for decision-making and problem solving procedures.  Group members should keep in mind that they must justify the selection of a film explaining how/why the characters can be considered a small group based on the way we have defined small group's in class reading/discussion.  The following is a short list of films that your group could use.  Your group may want to brainstorm for other ideas, but this should get you started.  Once a group chooses a film, it is frozen from other groups.  All groups must have their selection approved by the instructor before they begin the analysis.

Case Study Analysis

As a group you are to act as consultants for the small groups in your chosen film.  Your overall task is to identify your film group’s strengths and weaknesses based on the concepts we discuss in class.  Then, demonstrate your ideas with specific examples from the film, and provide suggestions to your film group in order to make them more effective group members and a more productive group.  Make sure you have some plan of attack so you are not trying to “remember” what happened after watching the film (e.g. watch the film with some systematic way to observe, take notes…).

Here are the question you should try and ask and answer in constructing your analysis.

1.  Group Background: Identify the names of the important characters; and the basic plot of the film.  Discuss the formation of the observed group.  For example, who is the group? What is the history of the group?  What is the purpose or goal of the group?  What makes these characters a small group?

2.  Leadership:  Discuss the development of leadership of this group.  How does the person(s) get into the leadership position?  What leadership styles(s) emerge?  Is the leadership effective and supported by the group?  Which models of leadership are most useful for understanding the leadership in the group?  Does the leadership change?  If so, how does this affect the group members?

3.  Roles:  Discuss the group roles that develop.  What kind of maintenance, task, and self-centered functions do people play?  How do these affect the group?  Is anyone working with a hidden agenda?  Are there any role ambiguities?

4.  Problem-Solving: Discuss how the group deals with problems/dilemmas.  With what major problems does the group have to contend?  What decisions does the group have to make?  How does the group solve problems and make decisions?  Were there strategies effective and appropriate?  Why or Why not?

5.  Conflict:  Discuss conflict experienced by the group.  How were these conflicts made known?  How were these conflicts resolved or managed?  Were these strategies effective and appropriate?  Note: the discussion of this should be different from those in # 5; you may want to focus more on interpersonal issues for this one.

6.  Culture:  How did culture play a part in the small group?  How did culture affect the group’s behaviors?  Remember that culture is much more than ethnic background.

7.  Verbal/Nonverbal: How did the verbal and nonverbal communication affect the group?  Were there inconsistencies among verbal and nonverbal communication?

8.  Development:  Did the group go through developmental phases/stages?  Explain.  Were the phases followed in order?  Explain.

9.  Gender:  How did gender differences affect the group?  Were there gender power struggles?  Were there any nontraditional gender roles being played?  How did the group react to the different sexes within the group?

10.  Power:  How was power distributed among group members?  Who possesses which power bases?  How did this affect the group?

11.  Comparison to Your Group:  Discuss how the observed group compares to your group.  What are the similarities?  What are the differences?  Is the observed group realistic compared to your group?  Explain.

12. Any other topic your group would like to cover.

Group Essay

Your analysis and observations need to be turned into a paper that organizes and summarizes your findings.  Make sure that you are complete and specific.  Provide a title page with your group name, group members, and the title of your film.  Your paper is a group paper (only one paper per group) and needs to include the following:

1. Introduction

Provide an introduction to your paper which gains attention, provides a reason why your group chose the particular movie and its importance to small group communication, and a preview of what areas your group will discuss.    All insanely great introductions gain attention, establish relevance, build context, and contain a thesis sentence.

2. Main Points/Analysis
3.  

You are to label the areas/categories of analysis.  Your analysis needs to be written in formal prose/manuscript form, keeping in mind grammar, and technical aspects of writing.  Your paragraphs should begin with an overall claim or statement that should describe the point of your paragraph.  Your analysis must provide specific examples to back your claims.  In other words if you said “x character promoted negative behaviors among the group,” then your examples should demonstrate how this character did this behavior.  Do not provide general statements without support for those ideas.  Identify both positive and negative qualities of how your group characters illustrated the concepts from the text.  Refer to the text ideas in your analysis while addressing some of the questions asked above for each section. 

3. Recommendations for the Film Group

At the end of your analysis, provide recommendations for your film group to correct their behaviors.  As consultants, indicate why behaviors of your characters are inappropriate and suggest ways in which your film group can be a more productive and effective group.  In addition, indicate the importance of effective communication in small group interactions.  In other words, now that you know what you know about small group communication and your film group, why is effective communication in groups essential to the outcome of a group’s success?

4. Conclusion

Provide a conclusion to your paper.  Review what was covered in the paper and indicate what your group learned through conducting this small group analysis.

Please remember to label areas with headings in order to make sure all areas are covered.  This paper is a group paper and everyone needs to provide input for the paper in order to make sure all areas are complete.  It is not the fault of the typist or any individual if there are mistakes or an incomplete analysis.  Do not try to write separate sections and then cut and paste them together, you need to blend your ideas connecting the material together effectively.  I encourage you to have all group members in attendance during the several meetings in which you write. final paper so you can help with connections and transitions thereby making the paper reader-friendly.  "Gather round yee friendly computer and CREATE DANGEROUSLY."

Group Presentation

1) Each group will present its findings about the group portrayed in the film.  This presentation will be conducted so that all members from your assigned group speak equally. 

2) You may not be able to cover every topic from your paper in your presentation, so it is up to you to choose the items you wish to discuss.  However, keep 1,  and 12 in the presentation. 

3) Each person in the group must participate verbally. 

4)  You should include at least five digitized film clips  These clips should be stored on a CD ROM and submitted with your final PowerPoint presentation and final team paper.

5)  Also, because your audience is a “captive” audience, you must keep in mind appropriate types of scenes to show. 

6)  It is imperative that you incorporate text/class concepts in your paper and presentation.  Do not just tell what happened in the movie with the characters.  Rather, devote significant time on the analysis of the concepts within the film group.  We want to know how the group interacted more so than what the movie was about.

7) Each team will develop a PowerPoint presentation to structure their presentation.  This course is
    designed to enhance you skill in developing and dramatizing an effective PowerPoint presentation,
    hence each team should pay particular attention to the Requirement for Developing the PowerPoint
    presentation.

8) Review the following requirements carefully.

Film Analysis Overview

The Requirements For The Film Analysis Essay

The Requirements For The Group Presentation

Criteria To Evaluatee Semester Presentation

Click here To see the Basic Template That PowerPoint Presentations Usually Follow

PowerPoint Rubric

Print Out a Copy of the Project Management/Strategic Planning Document (This document is not developed for the film analysis, but may furnish some relevant information)