You should write your essay for the course in response to one of the questions below. The target length for this essay is 6000 words. Each essay will be awarded points for the following components:
ENGLISH LANGUAGE (30%). Top marks will be awarded for correct, concise, well-structured English sentences and paragraphs. The writing style should approximate that used by articles in the field.
USE OF RELEVANT COURSE MATERIAL (40%). Top marks will be awarded for a concise and informative discussion of the relevant course material. The material should be presented such that it can be understood by an uninformed reader. Top marks will be awarded for answers that present the relevant information in appropriate depth, with clarity and a clear logical structure. There should be a clear description of relevant theories and the appropriate data to evaluate them should be described and discussed. Good answers will also clearly define all critical terms and use appropriate language examples to illustrate each of the points made. The aims of the studies included, hypotheses, methods and results should be clearly described. The conclusions of the studies should be critically discussed.
SELECTION AND INCORPORATION OF NEW RESEARCH (30%). Top marks will be awarded for evidence of a thorough literature search and the selection of appropriate work. This work should be clearly summarised and its theoretical contribution should be discussed.
ESSAY QUESTIONS
1. Current models of bilingual language processing assume that lexical activation is non-language selective. Evaluate the evidence for this assumption and for factors that might modulate this non-selectivity.
2. It is claimed that the mechanisms bilinguals develop to cope with non-selective language activation, confer life-long benefits to non-linguistic cognitive functions. Evaluate the relevant theories and the evidence for this claim.
3. Bilingualism has small but measurable costs for linguistic functions in both first and second languages. Describe these costs and evaluate the differing claims about the mechanisms that underlie them.
4. Bilingualism has been associated with both costs and benefits for an individual across the entire life-span. Describe the data demonstrating these costs and benefits and evaluate the theories that have been proposed to explain them. Is there a unified theory to explain the data?
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