How to Write an Application Paragraph
In the application paragraphs each week, you will be applying each theory to some example from your own life and showing how the theory works to explain that example. Focus on the example rather than giving an overview of the theory. A successful application paragraph:
• is approximately 100-200 words
• does NOT give an overview of theory but uses the theory to explain or understand a situation
• uses a SINGLE REAL LIFE example—such as something that happened to you
• applies at least one (but usually 2-3) key terms of the theory
• labels the parts of the real life example with terms from the theory and shows why they apply
(showing that you know what the terms mean)
Here's a sample to explain what we mean:
Information Theory Application Paragraph by Jennifer Lackey
“Autocorrect mistakes when texting make a great example for understanding Shannon & Weaver's information theory, but when I went to look for some from my own texting history, I couldn't find any good examples. So I looked one up from the web (http://www.damnyouautocorrect.com/18413/ hamstas- paradise), which has funny autocorrect mistakes.
My friend: I'm a gangster. I'm a straight up G, the hamster life is the life for me.
My friend: STUPID AUTOCORRECT!!
Me: Been spendin' most of their lives in the hamsta paradise.
My friend: Don't make fun of me . . .
In this case, the information source is “My friend”, who types the message "I'm a gangster. I'm a straight up G, the gangster life is the life for me." into their phone, which is the transmitter. The message is then turned into a digital signal that the phone sends through cellular radio waves to the poster’s phone (me). The receiver is the poster's phone, and they are the destination. During that process, autocorrect changes the last gangster (or gangsta) to "hamster" and the message reads "the hamster life" instead of "the gangster life". This is noise interfering with the accurate reception of the message.”
Even though this example uses several different terms from the theory, we’re happy if you apply just one
term, but in greater depth. The key is to use ideas from the reading to explain what you saw, heard, or said.