Course Paper

[rev. Fall 2018] Page 1 of 4

Course Paper – Parts 1 and 2
This assignment gives students the opportunity to follow up on a previous assignment, draw meaningful connections to
course material, and provide a critical analysis of their observations that integrates current research (CLO 6 and PLO 2).

Part 1: Interview and Outline

STEP 1: Choose one of the following interviews:

� Developing Communicative Competence

� Non-Literal Language Use

� Second Language Acquisition

STEP 2: Complete the worksheet/interview once more with another individual (you do NOT need to turn this in).

STEP 3: Develop an outline of your final paper that includes the following:

– Title: Think of a meaningful title for this paper.

– Introduction: One or two sentences that introduce the main topic/theme of the paper.

– Summary & Analysis:

o Identify one or two main themes that came up in your interviews.

o Identify one or two responses from each interview that highlight these themes.

o Introduce three empirical, peer-reviewed journal articles that address these themes.

§ For each article…

• Write one sentence that introduces the authors’ objectives.

• Write one sentence that reviews the methods.

• Write one sentence to summarizes the findings and conclusions.

– Conclusion: One or two sentences that summarize what you have learned and why it’s important. Be sure
to draw meaningful connections to course concepts and topics.

– Reference List: A complete (APA formatted) reference list with at least three empirical, peer-reviewed
journal articles.

Submit the outline (saved as a .doc or .docx) to Canvas by the due date specified in the course syllabus.

[rev. Fall 2018] Page 2 of 4

Part 2: Final Paper

Using the outline from Part 1, develop a complete rough draft that includes the following:

– Title Page: APA format, with title and author’s name.

– Introduction: A brief introduction to the paper’s objective(s) and main topic(s).

– Summary & Analysis: A comprehensive review of your interviews and journal articles that includes…

o A brief review of your interviews (do not include information from your interviews that is not
relevant to the main theme/topic of your paper). Be sure to draw meaningful connections to course
concepts and topics.

o A review of primary source literature (empirical, peer-reviewed journal articles) that includes all of
the information from your outline.

o An explanation of how your interviews align with this literature.

– Conclusion: A brief summary of what you have learned and why it is important.

– Reference List: A complete (APA formatted) reference list with at least three empirical, peer-reviewed
journal articles.

Be sure that the paper is:

ü Typed 12-point Times New Roman font

ü In paragraph form (outlines will not be accepted for this part of the assignment)

ü Double spaced

ü Approximately 5-6 pages (not including the title page or reference list)

ü Formatted in APA style

Submit the paper (saved as a .doc or .docx) to Canvas by the due date specified in the course syllabus.

[rev. Fall 2018] Page 3 of 4

Your grade for Part 1 of this assignment will be determined as follows:

Title &
Introduction

2 points 1 point 0 points
Thoughtful and complete.

Appropriate structure and
explanation.

Incomplete or irrelevant.

Lacking structure or explanation.

This portion of the assignment
was not addressed.

Summary &
Analysis

3-4 points 1-2 points 0 points
Thoughtful and complete.

Clear connections to course
content.

Appropriate summary of peer
reviewed articles.

Incomplete or irrelevant.

Lacking connections to course
content.

Incomplete or inaccurate
summary or peer reviewed
articles.

This portion of the assignment
was not addressed.

Conclusion 2 points 1 point 0 points
Thoughtful and complete.

Appropriate structure and
explanation.

Incomplete or irrelevant.

Lacking structure or explanation.

This portion of the assignment
was not addressed.

Reference List 1 point ½ point 0 points
Appropriate selection of at least
three empirical, peer-reviewed
journal articles.

Correct APA citation format.

Appropriate selection of at least
one empirical, peer-reviewed
journal articles.

Incorrect APA citation format.

This portion of the assignment
was not addressed.

Complete,
Relevant &
Comprehensive

1 point ½ point 0 points
Thoughtful and complete.

Information is relevant and will
provide a good foundation for the
final paper.

A few points are not developed.

Missing some key information.

Incomplete or irrelevant to the
assignment prompt.

Total of 10 possible points.

[rev. Fall 2018] Page 4 of 4

Your grade for Part 2 of this assignment will be determined as follows:

Title & Title Page 2 points 1 point 0 points

Appropriate, meaningful, and
engaging title.

Complete title page.

Title is not meaningful or
engaging.

Complete title page.

This portion of the assignment
was not addressed.

Introduction 3-4 points 1-2 points 0 points
Thoughtful and complete.

Appropriate structure and
explanation.

Incomplete or irrelevant.

Lacking structure or explanation.

This portion of the assignment
was not addressed.

Summary &
Analysis

6-10 points 1-5 points 0 points
Thoughtful and complete.

Clear connections to course
content.

Appropriate summary of peer
reviewed articles.

Incomplete or irrelevant.

Lacking connections to course
content.

Incomplete or inaccurate
summary or peer reviewed
articles.

This portion of the assignment
was not addressed.

Conclusion 3-4 points 1-2 points 0 points
Thoughtful and complete.

Appropriate structure and
explanation.

Incomplete or irrelevant.

Lacking structure or explanation.

This portion of the assignment
was not addressed.

References 3-4 points 1-2 points 0 points
Appropriate selection of at least
three empirical, peer-reviewed
journal articles.

Correct APA citation format.

Appropriate selection of at least
one empirical, peer-reviewed
journal articles.

Incorrect APA citation format.

This portion of the assignment
was not addressed.

Clarity &
Coherence

3-4 points 1-2 points 0 points
Free of grammatical errors.

Clear, coherent, easy to read
and understand.

A few grammatical errors.

A few points are unclear and/or
disorganized.

Many grammatical errors.

Disorganized and unclear.

APA Style &
Format

2 points 1 point 0 points
Follows APA style and format.

A few errors with APA style and
format.

Several errors with APA style
and format.

Total of 30 possible points.