The portfolio will consist of three assignments. All assignments shall be submitted in Fronter. Check the online information about submission in fronter. Nordic Media students must write their assignments in English. Other students may write in English or a Scandinavian language as they wish.
Important: We will work on these assignments in the working groups, so participation there will make it much easier for you to complete the assignments. All the assignments are based on work relating to these five major research questions (note that not all RQs will fit all assignments equally well):
- Are strategic communications by parties important for electoral success?
- Do the news media have a powerful impact upon the electorate in election campaigns?
- How do politicians use social media in democratic election campaigns?
- How do users find, listen to and share music when they have access to a large world library of music anytime and anywhere?
- How did online debate in Norwegian newspapers change after the terror attacks in Oslo and Utøya after 22 July 2011?
1. Assignment - Qualitative interview guide (2-3 pages)
Choose a research question from the list above. You shall provide a short description of how you understand the RQ, and then why it is appropriate to explore it by using qualitative interviews. Provide also a short reflection on who you want to interview. Then construct an interview guide, based on the course literature on qualitative interviews.
2. Assignment - Content analysis (2-3 pages)
Choose a research question from the list above. You shall provide a short description of how you understand the RQ, and then why it is appropriate to explore it by using content analysis. Provide a short reflection on the proposed sample for your study. Then construct a code book for a short content analysis, based on the course literature
3. Assignment - Reflection on appropriateness of different methods (5-6 pages)
Choose a research question from the list above. First, discuss how two or more different methods would help you research this question. Point to positive and more problematic aspects of choosing one method over another, and how different methods will provide you with both different data and, possible, different answers. Finally, reflect on how you would go about to choose one ore more methods for the research project that would answer the research question you selected.
Important information regarding the assignments
All three portfolio assignments shall be handed in via Fronter by 13. November at 14.00. The site will be open for submission a couple of days before the deadline.