ENG 102, Spring 2007, E. Johnson

Research Paper Assignment

TOPIC: Language Policy in a country other than the U.S. Choose a country, a region, or an institution and research its rules about language use. What is the official language or languages? In what social contexts is it used and by whom? Some possible areas of language use to consider are the following:

• government
• schools
• signs
• publishing
• business
• religion

Give the necessary background for understanding the issues surrounding decisions on language policy in your chosen context and take a position that you think will solve the problem. Here are some sample topics on language policy:

***How [nation X] decided which language(s) would be official language(s)***Why countries of East Africa retained the colonial language of English after independence ***Multinational corporation Y based in Germany uses English for its manager meetings, but not for board meetings or on the factory floor ***The EU has several working languages:  what are they and how is each one used ***Why Chinese "dialects" are not mutually comprehensible but officially the same language ***How Russian was imposed on all the countries of the USSR ***Indigenous language rights in Country Z ***Why people in the Baltic Republics have language proficiency as a citizenship requirement ***Why schools in Haiti are taught in French, which 90% of the children don't understand ***Why do authors in India write in English instead of Hindi ***The laws mandating bilingualism in Quebec

AUDIENCE and PURPOSE:

Audience: a college professor. Someone who is educated in the field of language and society, but who does not know the details of your topic.

Purposes:

• to inform by linking outside research on a specific topic to class readings.
• to present a solution to a problem and persuade the reader that it is the logical and right solution (logos and ethos)
• to convince your teacher that you have understood the readings and the main concepts presented in class, partly by using appropriate terminology.

FORMAT: Ten to twelve pages double-spaced, in a 12-point font with one-inch margins on sides, top, and bottom, stapled at top left. Use your name and a title as the heading.

Submit the paper in a folder along with the supporting materials listed here:

• invention notes (minimum of 6 pages)
• outline, both a draft and the revision you create after meeting with Dr. Johnson
• works cited page with at least ten entries (see instructions)
• one full-length (10-page) draft of your paper
• three peer review forms (one may be your own)
• final draft marked FINAL

WRITING PROCESS and DUE DATES:

1) gather ideas for a topic

e-mail your topic to ejohnson@berry.edu by Feb. 9

2) pre-writing

you will need to have at least 6 pages (can be handwritten) of invention notes by the time of your conference

3) bibliography

at least six sources, no more than 2 of which can be from your textbook due by the time of your conference

finished paper will have a Works Cited page with at least ten entries

4) outline

what will you include in your paper? give a paragraph by paragraph description of how you’ll develop your ideas and what issue you will argue

skeleton outline due at the time of your conference

5) library seminar

attend the library seminar on research resources and take notes

if you are absent, you must schedule an appointment with one of the research librarians

6) summary 1 (separate handout)

background information on the language policy debate you are writing about

2 pages maximum due for a grade by March 6

7) go to the writing center for help with your argument

(optional but highly recommended)

8) summary 2 (separate handout)

1 page maximum summary of the main points of your research essay by April 5

9) peer review of complete draft

have two people who have taken or who are currently taking English 102 read your paper and comment using guidelines on separate handout

10) prepare presentation

notes for a class presentation of background info and your main points to take no more than 8 minutes

11) complete bibliography with correct use of MLA formatting

12) final paper

due 4/12 – 4/19, depending on when you are scheduled to present your research to the class