Step 1: Select a social problem related to interpersonal communication that you wish to research. A social problem is something that occurs on a mass scale and effects large groups of people in society. Examples of interpersonal social problems may be: Too much self-disclosure/Lack of Privacy Management Sexual Harassment Poor etiquette when using technology Unethical Interpersonal Influences Youth Joining Gangs

Drug/Alcohol Abuse/Addiction Dating/Relationship Violence School Violence/School Shootings (This is more complex than Mental Health and Gun Control-What causes someone to be this violent?) Customer Entitlement Ineffective Communication Skills Employers/Employees Suicide Poor Self-concept/poor self-esteem Ineffective Emotional Regulation and/or coping skills Lack of Empathy You can choose from these examples or you can explore your own as long as you get it approved by me first so that I can make sure that you are on the right track. Step 2: Research the problems origins and effects related to interpersonal communication. (You should have at least three causes related to a break down in

interpersonal communication and three effects that the problem will have on the current/future relationships). Ex: Problem- Teen Pregnancy Cause 1: Lack of Communication between parents and children. Due to the openness/closedness dialect, teens are reluctant to disclose deeply personal information to their family. Due to the discomfort caused by talking about sex, parents lack effective communication discussing the subject with teens. Effect 1: If a teen becomes pregnant, a relationship between their parents and themselves is forever altered. According to ___________source_______________, an increase in conflict is likely to occur in communications between parent and pregnant teen/teen parent. Followed by two more causes and effects. (My example only gave you one cause/effect pairing). You can also do a Cause, Cause, Cause, Effect organization. If the effects are not unique to a particular cause, but apply to all of the causes, this is the approach that you would use. Step 3: Write a paper (it can be in essay format or outline format as I have demonstrated in the above example of teen pregnancy). Discuss the problem and its cause (as a result of ineffective interpersonal communication). For example, cyber bullying: What causes the bully to behave like a bully? Discuss the effects the problem will have on current and future interpersonal relationships. There should be three different causes, three different but correlating effects. Be sure you make a direct correlation to concepts/vocab from the Interpersonal Textbook. Write one skill improvement plan (resolution) to either prevent the problem or reduce the problem. (This should be at the conclusion of your paper/outline) Your plans should follow the four-step method that you have been using for all of your personal skill improvement plans. Requirements: Paper/Outline should be roughly a minimum of 5 pages. : You must utilize the text and apply concepts and language from the course. : You must use a

minimum of 7 sources. : The document you turn in must have parenthetical documentation and a works cited page Essay/Outline Rubrics- Total, 100 Points There is an introduction, a body and a conclusion. (Basic Structure) (10 points) Three causes and three effects were discussed in the body of the paper/outline. Further, 7 sources were used throughout the document to provide documented evidence of the causes and effects of

the problem. (50 points) You apply concepts/vocabulary from the textbook/lecture materials to the cause/effect and solution. (15 points) A works-cited was present at the end of the document. The works-cited is properly formatted using MLA or APA format. Parenthetical citations were used and formatted properly for quotes and paraphrases used in the paper. (25 points)