Final Paper - Communications Campaign:

Write a campaign paper related to a specific topic in which you have personal interest.  It may be some approach we have studied in class or one we have not studied.  The theory- and evidence-based strategic plan should argue for specific target audience segments, messages, channels, or public policies.

Topic - Increasing Low-Income Minority Parents' Involvement in Their Children's Education

Communication practitioners:

1. Partition a target audience into segments with different sets of knowledge, attitudes, and skills and thus different orientations toward a specific behavior.  For instance, a campaign might segment adults into those who are not considering recycling, those who are considering, and those who are already recycling.

2. Develop a message to persuade a specific target audience to enact or not enact a specific behavior.  For example, a social norms message might try to discourage binge drinking among college students.  You must have at least 3 message recommendations in your strategy.

3. Disseminate a message through a channel.  Examples of channels include television and interpersonal networks. You must provide theoretical support, research or recent data to support your claim that this communications channel is the appropriate channel to reach your audience.

4. You may choose to include a public policy that supports the desired behavior.  For example, the U.S. tax code imposes a fine on adults who withdraw money from an individual retirement account or IRA prematurely.  Please note that if you do so, your recommendation must correspond with your theory.

Ensure that your paper has a (a) coversheet, (b) body of paper, (c) conclusion, and (d) references; and that your paper presents the following:|

1. A brief introduction that presents your campaign's (a) goal (e.g., promote early- and mid-career communication professionals to more senior positions), (b) target audience (e.g., adults aged 25 to 54 years across the globe), and (c) desired behavior (e.g., submit an application to the MA in Communication Program).  The introduction should also propose using no more than 2 theories and justify them.

2. A strategic plan that proposes 5-6 recommendations about behavioral change messages, channels, or public policies.  Justify each recommendation using a theoretical construct and at least 2 primary research studies.  As you present each study, summarize its method and results.

Limit your paper to 10 pages double-spaced; this page limit does not include the coversheet and references.