CHAPTER 2

Research Resources
Check out the following contemporary readings in communication at your library. (Hint: These are good sources to start with if you are asked to write a research paper!)

Chesebro, J. W. (2001). "Gender, Masculinities, Identities, and Interpersonal Relationship Systems: Men in General and Gay Men in Particular." In Women and Men Communicating: Challenges and Changes, L. P. Arliss and D. J. Borisoff, eds. Prospect Heights, IL: Waveland.

Clark, L. S. (2003). "Challenges of Social Good in the World of Grand Theft Auto and Barbie: A Case Study of a Community Computer Center." New Media & Society, 5: 95-116.

Kanayama, T. (2003). "Ethnographic Research on the Experience of Japanese Elderly People Online." New Media & Society, 5: 267-288.

Leonardi, P. M. (2003). "Problematizing 'New Media': Culturally Based Perceptions of Cell Phones, Computers, and the Internet Among United States Latinos." Critical Studies in Media Communication, 20: 160-179.

Valo, M. (2003). "Workmates, Friends, or More?: Perceived Effects of Computer-mediatedness on Interpersonal Relationships." Electronic Journal of Communication, 13.

Tanno, D. V. (2000). "Names, Narrative, and the Evolution of Ethnic Identity." In Our Voices: Essays in Culture, Ethnicity, and Communication, A. Gonzalez, M. Houston, and V. Chen, eds. Los Angeles: Roxbury.


Links to Resources on the Web
* According to SparkLife, its Gender Test "will predict, with 100% accuracy, whether you're a guy or a girl" simply by analyzing your responses to a series of questions. Take the test and then discuss your perceptions of the accuracy for yourself and other students. For instance, you might discuss the value of the test, or whether or not you believe that it only relies on traditional stereotypes of women and men.

* The Job Accommodation Network provides information about job accommodations, the Americans with Disabilities Act, and the employability of people with disabilities. Visit the web site to learn more about what companies are doing to maximize the productivity of their employees with disabilities. Take special note of specific strategies that use technology as a way to make organizations more equal for people with disabilities.

* Visit the Online Slang Dictionary, which includes hundreds of examples of slang words as well as their origins and definitions. Browse the Web and see whether you can find other examples of slang dictionaries. How do words as symbols serve as the basic tools for sharing meaning in communication?