Core Assessment Assignment

The Core Assessment for LE300R, The Ethics and Psychology of Humor in Popular Culture, must meet Park University’s Core Assessment requirements for LE300 Integrative and Interdisciplinary Capstone courses. The core assessment assignment is a paper that covers 100% of the Core Learning Outcomes (which are listed in our syllabus). The Core Assessment in this course will be a major critical paper of no fewer than 5 pages (not counting title and reference pages). Papers must include academic research and appropriate documentation. The due date for the project is in the final quarter of the term.

The Core Assessment Paper for LE300R must apply the ethical and psychological theories of humor learned in this course in an analytical examination and interdisciplinary discussion of one or more examples of humor in the today’s culture. The paper should synthesize perspectives from multiple disciplines and present an analytical viewpoint of the example(s) being used for the paper. The paper must:

• Identify interdisciplinary uses of humor in your professional life or future career goals, and formulate a plan for responsible and ethical applications of and responses to humor in your career setting.
• Create and synthesize a concept for globally responsible values and attitudes toward humor in social media, Pop Culture (television and movies) or other venues that have diverse audience demographics.

The Core Assessment is to be an academic paper demonstrating sophisticated, integrative and interdisciplinary learning about the theories, ethics and psychology of humor in real-world environments. Although the paper may briefly reference comedic cinema, humorous books, comedic television programs or other Pop Culture vehicles, the paper is not to be a ‘movie review’ or ‘summary’ of an entertainment vehicle.

Individual instructors for this course will develop specific guidelines and assignment details.

The Core Assessment is designed to assess Core Learning Outcomes 1,2,3,4 and 5 and its point value is at least 20% of the final grade for the course.

Important Tips and FAQs

The information above might seem overwhelming at first, but if you dissect each paragraph, it all makes sense. Here are some questions that have come up in other classes LE300 classes, and some ways you can avoid some common mistakes:

How many references will I need to use?

• You will need at least FIVE outside references, in addition to the required textbooks for this course. Be sure to have at least five FULL pages of writing in addition to your reference page.

What type of references can we use?

• You MUST use both course textbooks in your final paper as reference sources.
• For the other sources (at least five) you should primarily use academic journals (we have a wealth of them in our online library). Do NOT use Wikipedia, Yahoo Answers, or other non-academic sources.
• One way to start researching your paper is to find articles in academic journals about the ethics, psychology, social interactions and other elements in your career field, and apply the theories of humor from our course to the information in these studies.

What writing style should we use?

• Use the APA style manual for in-text citations as well as your reference page. If you have questions, send me an email.

What is integrative writing?

• This is writing that weaves the disciplines together in sentences and paragraphs rather than listing disciplines separately. It combines, contrasts and shows balance between academic elements rather than treating them as separate entities.

Why can’t our final paper be about a movie or a TV show?

• In this course, the ethics and psychology of humor are analyzed and evaluated, not the plot line or characters in a television show or movie, or how funny it was, or how much you enjoyed it. A paper that reads like a movie or TV review will not meet the requirements of the assignment. You may briefly refer to humor examples in movies or TV shows, but this must not be the focus of your paper.

How does this course relate to my career or my major?

• Humor surfaces in all careers and settings, no matter how serious or sober they might be. By the end of this course, you should readily see how humor is used in your workplace and your daily life, and also identify what types of ethical and psychological theories that are evident in the humor you encounter.