Lucian Blaga University of Sibiu School of Letters and Arts Department of Anglo-American and German Studies Academic Writing

- Writing the B.A. Thesis 3rd year Semester 1 - 2012-2013 Assignment Sheet Final assignment 1st semester: 1. Your topic this semester 2. Your research questions 3. The main idea that connects the 6 sources of your topic (thesis). 4. The 6 sources in alphabetical order (according to authors last name or title of source) and a summary of each source. All the six sources must be in English. Please DO NOT copy book reviews or abstracts of articles that you find online. If you do, you will not receive any credit for this assignment. Your assignment must be typed, in Times New Roman 12. I reserve the right to refuse projects that are handwritten or do not meet the requirements. Writing Summaries: When you write a summary, keep in mind the following questions: Does the summary accurately reflect the sources key facts or ideas? Is the summary shorter than the original but detailed enough to stand on its own? Does the summary help your reader understand the context of the information or the statements you include from the source? Is the summary written entirely in your own words, except for key words or phrases that are enclosed in quotation marks and accurately cited? Does the summary appropriately acknowledge the original source? Please remember: 1. Be objective (do not offer an interpretation of the authors ideas, just mention the main points in the source) 2. Use your own words 3. Make sure you include the most important ideas (do not get lost in details)

For the citations and summaries, please use the following format: Berns, Margie. English in Europe: Whose language, Which culture? International Journal of Applied Linguistics 5.1 (1995): 21-32. Berns discusses the European consequences of the worldwide spread of the English language and culture. In keeping with the research trends in global English, she argues for the ownership of English by NNS as active speakers/users, and the potential of English to function as a means of expression of European identity. Berns explores English in terms of issues concerning language and identity; she interrogates whether a European identity excludes a national one and suggests different markers that might distinguish Euro-English from nativespeaking variants (accent, discourse/rhetorical style, and lexical choices). She concludes that while English has acquired an identity in Europe, it also serves as a marker of European identity (30). Overall, this article is primarily concerned with questions of language, culture, and identity in a European-English context. Phillipson, Robert. English-only Europe? Challenging Language Policy. London: Routledge, 2003. Phillipsons book is an engaging and informative overview of the European linguistic landscape, in which the author argues for more active [and clearer] language policies (3). The six chapters include a brief history of the European languages, various risks of laissez-faire language policies, global trends impacting the European language policy, the languages used in EU institutions, ways to achieve equitable communication, and recommendations for future action on language policies. On the whole, the book offers a comprehensive picture of the linguistic challenges in the European Union, including economic and legal aspects of the EU administrative institutions (for example, concerns of the translation services).