Senior Project in Linguistics

The senior project is a CLA requirement for graduation with a B.A. degree.

The Senior Project in Linguistics consists of a research paper (minimum 15 pages), written and revised during the Major Project Seminar in Linguistics (Ling 4901W). Honors majors will enroll in LING 3051/3052V Instead of LING 4901W. In the usual case, students will expand and rewrite work done in a previous course. The previous work may consist of a term paper, squib, group project, or in some cases an oral presentation. Instructor's approval of project topics is required before registration permission will be granted.

Prerequisites for admission to Ling 4901W include:

• Linguistics major status
• Completion of all non-elective coursework for the degree and at least some elective coursework.
• Demonstration of preparation for the seminar in the form of a previously written paper to be expanded or a detailed proposal for a new paper, including evidence of the student's qualifications to do the necessary research on the chosen topic.

Ling 4901W requires department permission to register
A registration number will be provided by the instructor of the course upon receipt of evidence that the prerequisites listed above have been met. Students should plan on meeting with the instructor early in the semester before they plan to take the class to assure that they have a viable topic in mind and know what background preparation will be needed.

Guidelines for the senior project

Length
Senior Projects must be 15-20 pages of body text, typed, double spaced, 12 point font. Shorter length is not negotiable.

Grades
Ling 4901W is offered on an S-N basis only (this is the exception to the rule that major courses must be taken A-F). The Professor teaching the seminar will award a course grade only when the final draft of the Senior Paper meets the department’s and Professor’s criteria for an acceptable Senior Paper. By University and College policy, the quality must be good enough to earn at least a C-, although it is anticipated that most senior Linguistics majors will produce higher quality papers for their final projects.

Evidence and Documentation
Most papers will be based on linguistic data of some sort, but should also draw on published resources dealing with the topic chosen or with related knowledge. These should include primary sources on the topic and must not be solely web-based. References may reflect disagreement with as well as indebtedness to outside authorities. All sources must be properly cited both within the text and at the end in the form of a References page. Citations and format of the paper should follow the style sheet for Language, published by the Linguistic Society of America. The Language style guidelines will be provided in the seminar, but they are also available at http://www.lsadc.org.

Organization and Mechanics
Papers should have a structure or cohesive logic of their own. Papers must also include appropriate signals of smooth transition from paragraph to paragraph, section to section, argument to argument.

Senior projects must be free of mechanical errors. Students ought to consider this project as an early example of their professional work, a work of which they may be most proud. Students may correct spelling by using a spell-check utility, but must beware of incorrect usage that might slip past the checker (e.g. pair vs. pear; it's vs. its); Improve punctuation, capitalization, and other items of usage by referring to a handbook for such matters. Students are expected to edit and proofread their papers carefully and submit work that is in no sense a "draft."