Honors Projects

Church Trials in a Changing Society

Robert H. Williams — Thu, 21 Apr 2011 07:31:13 PDT

The study of all aspects of the American frontier still continues, with new and sometimes divergent materials appearing year after year. Religion and morality have received a share of this interest. Dr. Williams Warren Sweet was a substantial contributor to this literature, particularly with his collections of source materials, under the general heading of Religion on the American Frontier.

Code-Switching in the Hispanic Community of Bloomington, Illinois: A Case Study

Rachel Dziallo — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 14:50:55 PDT

This present case study of code-switching is a quasi-replication of Valdes' (1976) research on code-switching patterns, in which one individual is studied in various conversational situations. In the study carried out by Valdes, the focus was on the presence of code-switching patterns in different situations in order to determine the significance of one native speaker with various interlocutors. By realizing this study she concluded the following: (1) the use of code-switching by the principal infonnant does not suggest a lack of language skills; (2) bilingual speakers take full advantage of rhetorical devices to dramatize their speech; (3) regularity of patterned switching evidences a bilingual vocabulary not identical to that of the other two languages; (4) code-switching patterns often depend on the other interlocutors; and (5) further investigation is required to detennine Spanish or English language proficiency and its effect on specific switching patterns.

Las Mujeres De Oro

Benjamin J. Nelson '99 — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 14:16:06 PDT

De un plato simple de bellotas durante una cena con algunos cabreros, el protagonista don Quijote se hace sentimental y filosfico y, a causa de esto, empieza a alabar poeticamente la Edad de Oro. Durante su discurso, este caballero pinta con sus palabras una utopia en que la humanidad vivia en armonia perfecta con la naturaleza fertil. Continuando con su descripci6n, comenta tambien sobre la relaci6n entre los hombres y las mujeres.

Foreign Language Textbooks in the Classroom: Bridging the Gap Between Second Language Acquisition Theory and Pedagogy

Kristina Harlan '00 — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 14:16:05 PDT

Second language acquisition (SLA) research encompasses various theories of language learning in which the theoretical perspectives sometimes are not connected to SLA methods used by instructors in the classroom. This paper discusses several theories of SLA in an effort to better understand their connection to pedagogy. Foreign language (FL) pedagogy accounts for various methodological approaches the most common being Grammatical-Translation, Direct Method, Audiolingual, and Communicative. These distinctive methodologies have produced a variety of FL textbooks which focus on one or several methodologies.

The following research examines a selection oftextbooks in which the methodologies in beginning language learning are analyzed and evaluated. By looking at how such activities are used in the classroom, we can attempt to see the connection between topics in SLA theory and these implementations seen in the textbooks. It will be shown how linguistic concepts are presented as well as how particular strategies are supplemented with activities created by teachers, reflecting current SLA research.

In addition, the views of instructors are considered in this study in an effort to bring together theory and pedagogy. Their thoughts and ideas regarding the effectiveness of certain methods and activities are explored in detail through a series ofclinical interviews. My survey should prove to help instructors decide what should be included in choosing the best FL textbook to help second language learners develop in proficiency. It will serve to bridge the gap between theory and pedagogical practice which often is ignored.

Las sendas del desencanto: Los mares del sur de Manuel Vazquez Montalban

Rachel Slough '07 — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 12:54:12 PDT

Manuel Vazquez Montalban (Barcelona 1939-Bangkok 2003), uno de los escritores espanoles contemporaneos mas prolificos, es conocido no solamente por sus obras literarias sino tambien por su ideologia politica de izquierda y por su entonces aguda critica a la incipiente sociedad democratica espanola de los setenta y ochenta. Escribio quince novelas detectivescas entre 1972 y 2000 que tienen como protagonista a Pepe Carvalho, un detective privado al que Ie gusta la comida gourmet y sieve como un alter ego de Montalban-escritor-intelectual de izquierda y anti-franquista declarado. La cuarta novela de esta serie, Los mares del Sur (1979) que gano el Premio Planeta en 1979, trata fundamentalmente de las maneras de escapar de las dificultades de la transicion espanola.

Analysis ofthe Future Tense in Two Argentinean Cities

Denise E. Miller '02 — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 14:27:36 PDT

The Spanish language has many dialects throughout the world, which vary on phonological, morphological, syntactic, and lexical levels, among others. The Argentinean national dialect of Spanish readily distinguishes itself from others primarily through: (a) the use of vos instead of tit as the 2nd person singular subject pronoun, (b) the use of the [~] and [i] phonemes instead of the peninsular standard [y], and (c) the use of lunfardo, a national form of slang originated in Buenos Aires. Not only does vos replace tit as a subject, but it also has its own series of verb conjugations, specifically in the present indicative, which are not used with any other subject.

The Benefit of Code Switching within a Bilingual Education Program

Susan Pollard '02 — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 14:27:35 PDT

In this study, I explore the effects oftwo types of education (bilingual and immersion) on Spanish dominant students in two cities in the U.S. Specifically, I examine the role of codeswitching (the use of both Spanish and English within the same discourse) in bilingual and immersion settings. I explore the effects of code switching on bilingual students and whether subject matter can be discussed more effectively in classrooms where code-switching is allowed and encouraged due to the language freedom it provides.

Atypical Estar: Innovative Vs. Conservative Uses of Estar in Guadalajara, Mexico

Alissa Hoffenberg '02 — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 14:27:33 PDT

The Spanish copula of seriestar has not only been a heavily investigated topic In Hispanic linguistics throughout the past century (Crespo, 1946; De Mello, 1979; Franco & Steinmetz, 1983), but it has actually been receiving much attention for more than eight hundred years (Vaii6-Cerda, 1982). The serlestar verb copula is equivalent to only one verb in many other languages, such as English, in which both ser and estar are translated as 'to be.' Whereas in English we explain and describe existence, location, and state with the use of the one simple verb, 'to be,' Spanish speakers face a decision between two verbs. If the differences in choosing between ser and estar were always clearly defined and simple, this copula would not be as confusing and problematic as it has been historically. The complication is rooted in the lack of uncovering and recognizing the full semantic values and differences between the two verbs.