CARS Assignment Guidelines

Case Analysis and Recommendation Summaries (CARS)

1. CARS should persuasively argue and reason 2-3 major points (not an exhaustive list of issues). Your audience is familiar with the issues/challenges highlighted in the case. So, drawing explicitly from the concepts/frameworks used in the course (as well as other Movement & Exercise Science and Psychology courses), your audience requires your critical insights, analysis, and recommendations.

2. Each CARS should be 700-900 words, written in paragraph form, with a minimum of 2 references in APA (6th Ed).

3. Write up should consist of the following information and headings:

1. TITLE: create a title for you case study
2. WHAT: What are the most important issues/challenges that confront the individual, individuals, or group?
3. SO WHAT: What is your analysis of these issues? This should be based on concepts and theories from the readings.
4. NOW WHAT: What, exactly, should the individual, individuals or group do? Recommend an explicit, feasible plan of action that will assist the individual, individuals or group in achieving the desired outcome. Note that at the end of each case study in the text, Gill and Williams offer questions that can guide this. Again, this section should be based on concepts and theories from the readings.
5. CONCLUSION: A concluding paragraph should restate your major purpose and give your report a sense of completion. Your conclusion gives you an opportunity to make a dramatic restatement or appeal; a conclusion allows you to make generalizations related to your purpose.
6. REFERENCES: in APA (6th Ed)

4. As in all case studies, there are no right answers. Indeed, even if the instructors disagree with your recommendations, you will receive high scores for supporting your analysis and recommendations with theory, analysis of research, and persuasiveness of your recommendations. However, there are oftentimes wrong answers:

1. Inappropriate or incorrect use of analytical and strategic concepts
2. Inconsistencies between analysis and recommendations
3. Recommendations not clearly supported by thorough analysis
4. Lack of details in recommended course of action

5. You must also read your classmates CARS via their blogs and respond with thoughtful comments (approx. 150 words) to at least one classmate each week (there is a 10% penalty for not responding to a classmate).

WELCOME to GRADUATE SPORT PSYCHOLOGY CLASS!

Welcome everyone to the fall 2010 semester of the graduate sport psychology class! We will be using blogs throughout the semester to examine, respond to, and analyze case studies. Each of you will be creating your own blog to post your Case Analysis and Recommendation Summaries (CARS).

For those of you who need assistance in setting up your blog, please watch the YouTube video below. Once you have set up your blog, send me the web address, and I will link to each blog. Each class member should set up an RSS feed to know when blogs have been updated.