Due: Draft due by the start of class, Wednesday, October 25 (posted to blog and hard copy to class)

Final version due by 9:30 a.m., Monday, October 30 (posted to blog)

In this project, as in Project 1, you will again investigate your own relationship to language; again, you will work with secondary sources and primary research data; and again, you will design and compose a discipline-specific piece of writing that follows particular rhetorical moves.

Here’s how it will work: You will study your own language use by constructing two separate 24-hour language-use logs to analyze the number of languages (including codes) you use, the way you use those languages, where you use them, and the amount of time you spend using each one. The form of this project is a qualitative data analysis, a short, restrictive form that uses numerical data presented as a chart or graph.

Steps: 

  • October 7, 12 p.m. to October 8, 12 p.m.: First round of data collection. Post written log to blog by the start of class on October 11.
  • Due October 11: Read Gee essay and begin an annotated bibliography with an entry for the essay.
  • October 12, 12 p.m. to October 13, 12 p.m.: Second round of data collection. Post written log to blog by 9:30 a.m. October 16.
  • Due October 16: Read Lyiscott transcript and Lowi article. As Blog Post #7, complete your annotated bibliography for the project by adding entires for Lyiscott and Lowi.
  • Due October 18: Read Swales essay and add to your annotated blog with an entry for the essay.
  • Compose Draft:
    • Introduction: Write a “namedropping” literature review, in which you define relevant terms and ideas, including, for example, language, dialect, vernacular, multilingualism, codeswitching, discourse community. (Use at least two sources from the four that were assigned). You won’t necessarily define all the terms listed above, but be sure to define the ones that are relevant to your discussion (you may also include relevant terms not listed here). Be mindful of the function of an introduction: Catch your reader’s attention, provide background, introduce the purpose of your research, including the general research question or other questions. You might also hint at why this research is important.
    • Methodology: Provide, in detail, the story of how you collected the data.
    • Results: Provide your quantitative data in chart form (with explicit details) and follow APA guidelines to write a caption for the chart. Then provide an analysis of the data. Be sure not to venture into discussion territory here.
    • Discussion: Explain the data thoroughly. Admit the flaws or limitations of the data. Discuss what the data says about the topic. Why are your findings important, and why is the topic important?  (In other words, connect your study to other studies, the sources you used in the intro, ideas that are related; discuss the “implicit message” of the data and the importance of the project — the extended meaning. You want to show what your data suggests about multilingualism and codeswitching).
  • Use APA style for chart and secondary sources (be sure to include in-text citations and a References page).
  • Check your sentences for clarity and adherence to grammatical rules and conventions, and proofread your project.

Your Rhetorical Situation: The form of this project is limited in size (aim for 1.5 to 3 pages). You should write in the clear and direct style and tone of academic research writing. Every sentence should have a specific purpose. The personal “I” can be used here, as you are the researcher collecting data on your own life. Your audience is the Baruch community.