Research Paper

LING102

RESEARCH PAPER AND PRESENTATION

Research Paper (20% of the final grade)

Write a paper on a topic of your choice within a field of linguistics. The idea is for you to either take a topic that we discussed in class and examine/research it in closer detail or choose a topic that we did not cover in the class but interests you. Write up what you found, present it to the class and turn in the finished paper. The paper should be typed using Times New Roman 12 point font, double-spaced, and at least 5 pages in length without the references. The paper will contain different parts depending on your topic; however, every paper should contain an introduction, conclusion, and reference section. The paper is due on the last class, December 11, 2014. If you are not turning it in to me during the class, please turn it in to my mailbox in Hale lelo (new Hawaiian building close to Imiloa) on that day. The office will be closed at 4:15 p.m.

Concerns about plagiarism: You should use academic articles, books, as well as the Internet for this assignment; however, you must acknowledge where you got information by citing a source. If you do not cite a source, then your paper will be judged as plagiarized and you will not receive points for the research paper as well as for the presentation. Identify work by other authors (including our textbook that you cited in your paper, such as books or research articles). These must follow a standard format such as MLA or APA. List ONLY sources that you actually cite or quote from in your paper, not works consulted but not cited. At least FIVE sources are required. All of them should be academic sources such as academic books and academic journal articles which can be accessed in the internet or through the UH library system. Speak with me if you think your project requires an exception to this rule. Also, if you have a question concerning the nature of plagiarism or not quite sure how to avoid it, please read sites such as the following: http://www.plagiarism.org/Presentation of the Research Paper (10% of the final grade)Each student will conduct a presentation of her/his research paper during the last two weeks of the semester. The presentation should be approximately 8 minutes. Students need to prepare a handout and/or a Power Point presentation.

Partial List of Possible Topics

Pragmatics/morphology/syntax/phonology of any language

Leaning native language/Foreign language

Brain and language

Sociolinguistics (regional/age/gender differences in pronunciation, words, etc.)Indigenous languages/Language revitalization

Historical change of any language

Slang usage

Language teaching

Language issues (bilingualism, foreign language education, language discrimination, etc.)

---and many more