Content analysis is a research method used to examine a collection of related works. For this assignment, each student will perform a content analysis on a body of activist texts. The products of the content analysis will be:

1. A corpus: a substantial collection of activist texts associated by a common theme, such as organizational affiliation, authorship, or issue addressed. A corpus is bound by at least one limiting factor, such as a particular medium or time period. For example, a corpus might contain all of an activist organization's tweets or all of the Facebook posts, emails, and YouTube videos it released during a particular event. A corpus must avoid cherry-picking data; all of the documentary material within the limiting boundaries should be assembled so that a fair analysis may be made. Texts within a corpus can be in a range of genres, including:
   • personal writings
   • brochures
   • flyers
   • songs
   • poems
   • advertisements
   • television show appearances
   • YouTube videos
   • blog entries
   • tweets
   • Instagram posts
   • Vines
   • Facebook posts
   • podcast episodes
   • emails
   • etc.
   After the corpus is assembled its contents can be analyzed by tabulating the frequency of particular terms or phrases. By making such quantitative measurements it is possible, for example, to characterize how the organization has represented itself differently in various media or how the issues it addressed changed during a particular time period. There are many different ways to analyze a corpus to find meaningful linguistic patterns and deviations.


2. An essay: a document that provides insight into the activist organization by identifying trends within the corresponding corpus. The essay should use concepts found in course readings and discussed in class where appropriate. It should be approximately 1,800 words and in MLA format. Its goal is to do the following:
   1. Provide background information about the subject
   2. Assert a contestable thesis
   3. Offer a description of the corpus and its limiting factors
   4. Identify and discuss evidence drawn from the corpus that supports the thesis
   5. Provide a conclusion that places the findings in context

All elements of the content analysis will be submitted electronically. The essay may be submitted as an email attachment. A list of links may be provided for online texts in the corpus. Tangible documents should be scanned or photographed when possible.