A term paper of no lessthan 1500 words (you can have as many over that amount as you wish) will be written on a Topic which you should select from a list of Language Development Hypotheses.  This list is provided at the very end of this survival message, and is also available in the Class Requirements Section of the online Course.  The Term Paper is to present a discussion based on a minimum of three articles, books or chapters in a book (excluding the class Text, of course), that describe, or support or refute the hypothesis you have selected from the list.  A minimum of three citations (you can have as many above that number as you wish) with references in APA format will be included at the end of the paper. An example of APA format is also provided in the Class Requirements Section of the online Class.

Also, at the end of the paper you should include a short Appendix, which will answer three questions:  1. What were the databases, if any, that you used to find each article or book; 2. What was the search strategy you used (i.e., the search words you used) in each database to find the articles; and 3.  Was each article that you cited an example of Primary or Secondary research?

TOPICS COVERED IN THE COURSE (but not the Topics you will use for your term paper.  Those are listed at the bottom):

The Catalog Course Description: Study of oral language development in children and the bases for speech and language problems. Provides layperson awareness of the various dimensions of speech and language development; the milestones observable within the normal developmental sequence; and the identification, consequences and management of speech and language disorders (Available for General Education, and meets the Information Competency Requirement).

Topic 1: What Language isn’t…(Communication modes that are not language)

Topic 2: What Language is…(How Language differs from other forms of communication.

Topic 3: The “Guts” of Language…(What the Language Processes are)

Topic 4: Oral Language is a Bag of Air…(How the Environment is
responsible for Speech and Oral Language.)

Topic 5: Hearing to Speak of…(The role of Hearing in language development)

Topic 6: Perception and Language…(The role of Perception in language development)

Topic 7: Concepts and Language…(The role of Concepts in language
development)

Topic 8: Thought & Language…(How Language and the Thought processes interact…Language and Culture, Dialects & Accents and the Educational Implications)

Topic 9: Memories are made of these…(The role of Memory in language development)

Topic10: Milestones of Speech Development…Windows of Opportunity to facilitate Speech and Language Development.

****TECHNOLOGY APPLICATION AND PRACTICE:  An Annotated Bibliography will be developed including Five (100 word minimum for each) Annotated Citations.  With the exception of the first, these references will be based on topics obtained from the Language Development Hypotheses in the list provided at the end of this survival document, and again in the Class Requirement Section online. You may use the same Topic for all, or different Topics for each.  The choice is yours.

The First annotated citation will be on the Topic of the “Legal and Ethical Dimensions of the Use of Information.”  This information can be obtained from the Internet using a search engine such as Google Scholar.  The annotated citation should be in APA format as much as possible, and should include the URL (address) of the Internet site; or a citation of the book or article if that was used.  The annotation should provide a short overview of the article and/or list the most critical points.  Please note that this one citation can relate to any topic and not only Language Development.

The second two of these citations will be full Text articles or books obtained through Databases of professional books and journals available at, or online through the CSUN Library.  For more information on how to find these databases please see the discussion in the Class Requirements Section Online.  These citations will be reported in APA format.  Included in the annotation portion of each citation will be a paragraph, which briefly summarizes the article (you can usually get this information from the abstract), and answers following questions.  If the answer is not available, you simply state that fact:
1.   What is the background (authority) of the author (viz., degree and type of education, affiliated institution, history of research in the area as perhaps reflected by past articles in the bibliography)?
2.   Who is the intended audience (i.e., professionals, laypersons, women etc.)?
3.   How does this work compare or contrast with others you may have cited or be aware of?  If you are not aware of any others, simply state that as the situation.
4.   What is the scope and relevance of this work to the selected topic (hypothesis)?  What the heck do I mean by that?  Well, is it highly or only vaguely relevant to the hypothesis; and is it of minor or major importance.

The Last Two citations will be obtained through the Internet using search engines provided online such as “Google Scholar.”  These citations will follow an APA format as closely as possible, including the URL information.  Included in each citation will be a paragraph, which briefly summarizes the site, and addresses the following questions related to, for the purpose of this exercise, the voracity of the Website.  If the answers are not available in the site information, simply state so:
1.   Is the site owner/manager’s identity available and is it associated with a reputable organization, company or educational institution?
2.   What is the background (authority) of the author (viz., degree and type of education, affiliated institution, history of research in the area as perhaps reflected by past articles in the site bibliography. If this information is not available, simply state that fact.)
3.   What is the level of objectivity?  For example, are there advertisements on the site related in anyway to the topic?
4.   Is the Website current?  Cues to the contrary, for example, include broken or expired links and/or no posting date or updated notations.
5.   Is the information correct; error free, verifiable, and/or backed by full citations?

This annotated bibliography may be submitted as an attachment to an email message to the instructor, and as a back up measure, by being copied and pasted directly into the same email message text.