Learning about Language by Observing and Listening The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes.              Marcel Proust The UCSD experience encompasses academic as well as social learning. Therefore, we learn not only from our courses, but from the people we meet on campus and the experiences we have with them. Life is a journey of self-discovery. As individuals, we are constantly seeking to determine who we are and where we belong in the world. Throughout this process, language is both a bridge and a barrier to communication and human growth. The general subject matter for this essay is language or language communities. The source of your information will be what you observe and hear by listening to others. The goal is to do a project based on what our own minds can comprehend from diligent observation, note-taking, and reasoning. You should arrive at a reasoned (not emotional) conclusion. The conclusion/result of your experiment is your thesis and should be presented in the opening paragraph in one sentence. Secondary material should not be brought into this essay. Thus, this is not an essay that needs to be the result of academic texts or online sources. The research is what you see and how you interpret what you see and hear. It will be up to you to determine what particular focus your essay will take and wahat meaning you wish to convey to your reader. Do the exploratory writing activities on pages 73-76. These activities will guide you through an analysis of some of the reflections you completed in the first part of your book. Once you determine your focus, you will use the information you have already gathered and additional information you will research to clarify your ideas and provide evidence for the points you wish to make. If you prefer a more direct prompt, the suggested topics listed below might be helpful to you. Choose one of the following topics to establish a focus and direction. 1) From your observations and conversations, what assumptions and stereotypes do we make about people based on language and behavior? What did you learn from the experiment? 2) You may examine body language as well as verbal language. Explore nonverbal communication in a group. What conclusions can you come to regarding the group based on nonverbal behavior? 3) Did you observe language differences between men and women here at UCSD Notice the ways in which men and women treat one another. Observe the language you hear on campus. How do women greet one another? How do men greet each other? Do not just note the similarities or differences. Explain and interpret the information. 4) Observe and identify a code language on campus, on your job, or in your personal arena. How is language used? Is it effective? Analyze. 5) Have you become keenly aware of code switching? Who utilizes this language? In your observations and conversations, did you find code switching to be an acceptable form of lang.

1. Learning about Language by Observing and Listening
The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking
new landscapes, but in having new eyes. Marcel Proust
The UCSD experience encompasses academic as well as social
learning. Therefore, we learn not only from our courses, but
from the people we meet on campus and the experiences we
have with them. Life is a journey of self-discovery. As
individuals, we are constantly seeking to determine who we are
and where we belong in the world. Throughout this process,
language is both a bridge and a barrier to communication and
human growth.
The general subject matter for this essay is language or
language communities. The source of your information will be
what you observe and hear by listening to others. The goal is to
do a project based on what our own minds can comprehend from
diligent observation, note-taking, and reasoning. You should
arrive at a reasoned (not emotional) conclusion. The
conclusion/result of your experiment is your thesis and should
be presented in the opening paragraph in one sentence.
Secondary material should not be brought into this essay. Thus,
this is not an essay that needs to be the result of academic texts
or online sources. The research is what you see and how you
interpret what you see and hear. It will be up to you to
determine what particular focus your essay will take and wahat
meaning you wish to convey to your reader. Do the exploratory
writing activities on pages 73-76. These activities will guide
you through an analysis of some of the reflections you
completed in the first part of your book. Once you determine
your focus, you will use the information you have already

2. gathered and additional information you will research to clarify
your ideas and provide evidence for the points you wish to
make.
If you prefer a more direct prompt, the suggested topics listed
below might be helpful to you. Choose one of the following
topics to establish a focus and direction.
1) From your observations and conversations, what assumptions
and stereotypes do we make about people based on language and
behavior? What did you learn from the experiment?
2) You may examine body language as well as verbal language.
Explore nonverbal communication in a group. What conclusions
can you come to regarding the group based on nonverbal
behavior?
3) Did you observe language differences between men and
women here at UCSD Notice the ways in which men and women
treat one another. Observe the language you hear on campus.
How do women greet one another? How do men greet each
other? Do not just note the similarities or differences. Explain
and interpret the information.
4) Observe and identify a code language on campus, on your
job, or in your personal arena. How is language used? Is it
effective? Analyze.
5) Have you become keenly aware of code switching? Who
utilizes this language? In your observations and conversations,
did you find code switching to be an acceptable form of
language? What are the risks and bias? Analyze.
If these topics are not helpful, then develop your own.

3. Your finished essay should consist of strong opening and
closing paragraphs, and three to four body paragraphs. The tone
of your essay should be objective (omit l's and you's). The
general approach is analytical. This means that you present your
material as a detached observer and that you examine the parts
of your topic as the parts relate to the whole. You will utilize
major writing skills such as: description, dialogue, definition,
persuasion and analysis. Try to be specific, concrete, and
descriptive. Use the actual dialogue when appropriate as your
examples. Also, you may interview one or more subjects and
incorporate parts of it in your writing. If you wish to attach the
complete interview for reference, you may do so. Staple it to the
final draft.