BA (Honours) in Contemporary English Studies

ENG4301 FINAL YEAR PROJECT

GUIDELINES FOR STUDENTS

The final year project (FYP) gives you an opportunity to demonstrate what you have learnt in a specific area of English Studies by researching a topic which you find particularly interesting or useful. The FYP will culminate in a significant research paper that you have revised and polished over time.  The FYP counts as the “capstone” to your English major, and it will demonstrate:

· how well you work as an independent scholar

· how effectively you can organize and synthesize research

· your ability to produce a well-written lengthy project and/or a sustained argument

The FYP will showcase the many skills you have developed as an English major.  Not only is the completion of an FYP a considerable accomplishment that you will look back on in years to come, but it will also be a learning experience that will prepare you for the rigors of future employment, graduate school, and beyond.

STEP 1: EXPLORE PAST PROJECTS

You can find examples of past FYPs at: http://commons.ln.edu.hk/eng_fyp/

Ask yourself these two questions when brainstorming a topic:

Q1: Literature or Linguistics?

The English Department programme has two broad categories of research areas, Literature and (Applied) Linguistics, and the project you choose will probably correspond to one of these. Here are some examples of projects our English majors have completed in the past:

Literature

o A comparative analysis of Uncle Tom’s Cabin and Twelve Years a Slave: rebellion, feminine character, and Christianity (2023)

o New possibilities brought by "Purple": reintegrating womanism into contemporary feminist discourse (2022)

o Decoding death in children’s literature through the Harry Potter series (2020)

o A post-postmodern director: new sincerity and Wes Anderson’s films (2020)

o The meaning of artifacts: a cross-cultural study of food, clothing and architecture (2020)

o Unhappy the land that has no heroes? Heroes and role models for our times (2019)

o Inspiration from my year of meats: Japanese housewife feminism and its reflection in manga (2014)

o Bildung, its moral implication in The History Boys and Dead Poets Society and its relation to the present-day Hong Kong (and global) educational context (2013)

o The bond between nature and man: relevance of Wang Wei's and William Wordsworth's nature poetry as the remedy of man/nature dualism (2012)

Students in the past have focused on different genres of literature from a variety of periods in literary history, and applied diverse critical approaches (postcolonialism, feminism, etc.) to cultural texts ranging from fiction to film. We invite you to come up with your own approach to the study of literatures in English.

Linguistics and Language Studies

o Multimodality in localized memes: online identity construction of Hong Kong university students (2023)

o A critical discourse analysis of Trump’s political speeches on immigration (2021)

o Error correction in the acquisition of L2 writing: a causal-comparative text analysis of Hong Kong junior secondary school students' ESL writing (2019)

o An evaluation of the HKDSE Paper 4 (Speaking) assessment guidelines: English teachers’ views and other considerations (2018)

o Multilingual text-making practices in Whatsapp messaging: A case study of three teenagers in Hong Kong (2016)

o “A Study of Intra-speaker Stylistic Variations in Hong Kong English” (2010)

o “Language Variation Within a Yorkshire Family” (2008)

o “A Comparative Analysis of Gender Representation in American Advertisements in the 1960s and the Last Decade” (2007)

o General Stylistic Analysis of the Lemony Snicket Novels in relation to Double Readership” (2007)

Again, you can see that students have been creative and bold in their choice of topics ranging from analysis of language in the media; genre analysis; accent and dialect studies in Hong Kong and overseas contexts, intercultural communication, and the teaching of English.

LENGTH OF THE PROJECT:

7,000-10,000 words, not counting appendices, notes, and bibliography.

FORMAT OF THE PROJECT:
Note: This is a guideline only. Work with your supervisor to determine how you will modify it.

o Title Page

o Signed declaration as follows “I declare that this project represents my own work. Where I have used other secondary material this has been properly cited and referenced. Any help I have received from other people in this project is indicated in the acknowledgements section.”

o Acknowledgments: to anyone who has helped you in any way with your project, and explain exactly how they helped you.

o Table of Contents

o Abstract

o List of numbered Tables, Figures, Plates, or other Illustrations

o Introduction. This includes some or all of the following:

o background to the topic,

o review of relevant literature, s

o statement of research question or hypothesis,

o needs analysis and rationale,

o explanation of how the rest of the project document is organised

o Methodology: how you investigated your research question

o Results/Discussion

o clear presentation of your results and a discussion of the answers they give to your research question

o Wherever possible, relate your findings to the relevant literature you introduced earlier

o where quantitative analysis is involved you should make use of elementary statistics;

o Conclusion

o summary of your main findings;

o an evaluation of the weaknesses and strengths of your project and how you could have improved on it were you to repeat it;

o arguments about how it might or might not confirm or challenge previous research;

o suggestions of how the research or activity here might be taken further by other researchers

o References. Include here all and only those works that you cite or refer to in the text of your project. Do not include those works you read but did not use, or those you were recommended to read but never got round to reading.

o Appendices, if any

Q2: Analytical or creative?

A practical/creative writing project is just as academically challenging (and rewarding) as more traditional kinds of research project. You will create a ‘product’ (a linguistic or video text, or a set of texts) that meets a real need or interest for a particular target audience. You will have a chance to use all the skills you have acquired during your academic career, through service learning or in your internship to serve some useful purpose for the community. Here are a few examples:

Practical Projects

· An educational video on “Multimodality and humor in danmu” (2022): https://youtu.be/0LJw32N3hTE?si=2_dddf8wfKyHWrul

· A magazine for learning English through raising cultural awareness (2021)

Creative Writing Projects

· “A tragic Play: The Death of a Housewife” (2006)

· “Shyness: An academic and autobiographical essay” (2008)

The possibilities are endless and will depend on your particular skills, interests and social involvements or contacts. But one important point is that you should show how you have applied the theories you have studied in your academic courses in the English Department to the choices you have made in producing your text.

LENGTH OF THE PROJECT:

“Product’:

“Introductory Notes”: 3,000-4,000 words, not counting appendices, notes, and bibliography.

FORMAT OF THE PROJECT

o Title Page

o Signed declaration as follows “I declare that this project represents my own work. Where I have used other secondary material this has been properly cited and referenced. Any help I have received from other people in this project is indicated in the acknowledgements section.”

o Acknowledgments: to anyone who has helped you in any way with your project, and explain exactly how they helped you.

o Table of Contents

o Abstract

o a record or copy of the communicative text that you produced either in print or audio- visual form. (the ‘product’)

o ‘Introductory notes’ that explain the overall conception of the project. These notes should include:

a. the rationale or need for your product: you might conduct a survey to establish such a need through some qualitative or quantitative research, such as

i. interviews with your target audience;

ii. If you are writing for a particular organisation which you belong to or are commissioned by, a record of consultations with members of that organisation

b. how you carried out your practical project, including an analysis of why you made the linguistic and other choices you did in creating/performing your practical project

c. An analysis of the text you produce and a justification of the choices you make, such as:

o a linguistic/phonetic or discourse analysis of your work;

o an analysis of the literary features of your work;

o an analysis from the point of view of cross-cultural communication or theories of teaching methodology;

o the directing decisions you have made in producing a play;

o the techniques employed in adapting from one medium to another.

d. Feedback from your target audience or readership and modifications you have made to your drafts based on the feedback.

i. Whenever possible, you should devise ways of obtaining feedback and reactions to your ‘product’, such as questionnaires, surveys, or interviews or a combination of these.

ii. analysis of results from your feedback instrument and an evaluation of your communication

STEP 2: CHOOSE A TOPIC

Here are a few tips on choosing a suitable topic in a timely manner:

1. Start early! Start brainstorming. You should also work on finetuning it with your supervisor.

2. Reflect on what you’ve learned so far. Revisit topics in the core and elective courses that you have taken so far. Are there any that you would like to explore further? You can mine ideas from:

· Assigned and supplementary readings you have read

· Presentations you have given

· Term papers you have written

· Creative writing you have produced

3. Ask for guidance! Talk to different professors you took classes with, or a professor who you’d like to supervise your work. We can help you organize, brainstorm, scale back, or simply discuss options with you – you just need to ask! Come to all meetings with professors prepared – bring your notes, your favorite term paper, or a list of books – but come with something so we can be efficient in helping you.

Please note that we cannot guarantee that your preferred supervisor will be available.

STEP 3: MARK YOUR CALENDAR

STEP 4: REVIEW MARKING CRITERIA

FYP process marks (10%)

While your actual FYP (the ‘product’) is marked out of 100 (see the ‘FYP guidelines’), it only contributes 90% of your final marks for the course. The remaining 10% is made up of process marks, which are granted by your supervisor according to the following rubric. You should:

· Make thoughtful revisions of the proposal form

· Maintain good communications with your supervisor and seek advice when necessary

· Meet deadlines and perform. tasks satisfactorily according to an agreed timetable

· Respond thoughtfully to feedback

· Be able to work independently

Marking criteria for analytical projects (90%)

Each criterion carries equal weight:

1. How carefully did the student conceptualize the topic and research the area of the topic? Does the student provide a clear and valid rationale and set interesting research questions? Does the student demonstrate how the project relates to previous literature? How original is the project’s approach in comparison with other research on the topic? Does it fill a gap in the field?

2. How effectively did the student carry out the research? To what extent was the research undertaken with effectiveness, depth, and thoroughness? How sound is the analytical or critical approach taken? Is the methodology appropriate for the research questions set by the student?

3. How insightful was the student’s discussion and analysis? Do the student’s research findings and arguments offer thoughtful insight into the topic? Does the student engage with other relevant research? Does the logic and structure of the discussion make a compelling argument? Does the student draw appropriate conclusions from their findings?

4. How effective is the student’s communication and presentation in English? This includesclarity, accuracy, organisation, and the appeal of the overall presentation (including graphics), as well as the student’s general communicative effectiveness. Students will also be graded on the extent to which the style. of academic discourse and the format and conventions for citation and reference have been mastered.

Marking criteria for practical & creative projects (90%)

Marks are broken down into two categories: the ‘product’ and the ‘introductory notes’ explaining the overall conception of the project, each carrying equal weight.

For the introductory notes, students will be assessed in terms of the following criteria:

1. Does the project address a specific need or problem in the real world? Does the student provide sufficient qualitative and/or quantitative research to support their claim for this need? In other words, does the student demonstrate that they know what they’re doing and why? Students are encouraged to provide evidence of their research in the introductory notes.

2. How well does the student demonstrate their understanding of the linguistic and/or literary critical approaches pertaining to the subject of the project? How insightful, thorough, and in-depth is the student’s engagement with extant academic literature in the overall conception of the project?

3. How well does the student understand the communicative choices they made in their project? This includes the choice of media/ genre for the project, as well as any linguistic/ discoursal resources and literary/ dramatic devices and conventions. How insightful or thoughtful is the student in their justification for these choices?

4. How effective is the student’s communication in academic English writing? This includes clarity, accuracy, organisation, general communicative effectiveness, and the extent to which the style. of academic discourse and the format and conventions for citation and reference have been mastered.

For the ‘product’, students will be assessed in terms of the following criteria:

1. Does the ‘product’ demonstrate originality in its content and overall presentation? Does it offer insight into the theme or problem explored by the student? Does the student extend a unique idea, question, or format to create new knowledge or knowledge that exceeds expectations?

2. How well does the ‘product’ address questions directly related to the field of linguistic and/or literary scholarship? Does the student explore ideas within the discipline of English studies in the ‘product’ through the use of compelling content and appropriate style? Does the ‘product’ show evidence of the student’s mastery of the relevant concepts?

3. How effective are the communicative choices they made in the project? Are the overall tone, level of difficulty, stylistic features, etc., appropriate for the target audience? Is the ‘product’ created, revised, and rehearsed with depth and thoroughness Students are encouraged to seek feedback from their target audience and make amendments before their final presentation.

4. How effective is the student’s communication in English? This includes clarity and accuracy of both the written and spoken texts, delivery techniques (posture, gesture, eye contact, and vocal expressiveness), as well as the general communicative effectiveness and entertainment value of the ‘product.’

STEP 5: DON’T PANIC AND SEEK SUPPORT

Your FYP can be collaborative in many different ways! You need not work alone and feel isolated.

1. Seek help from your classmates

a. form. a research group;

b. get together for regular meals to discuss your progress;

c. share your deadlines so you will meet your deadlines;

d. get together to celebrate handing in your first drafts

2. Seek support from your supervisor and professors when you…

a. need help with a draft;

b. are reading an essay you find too difficult;

c. need help managing your time or meeting deadlines;

d. need help finding sources or would like to do more background reading;

e. have trouble with starting the writing process; or

f. need an email sent to an organization on your behalf