Sample MA Paper #1
Sample MA Paper #2
Sample MA Thesis (please contact the Graduate Program Director for this)
MA Scholarly Paper and Thesis Topics:
2015
Barrett, K. “The Importance of Family: The Gap between Western AIDS Health Discourse and Face Negotiation for Sub-Saharan African Immigrants Living with HIV/AIDS”
Bland, K. “High and low Context Culture: Training at the Esperanza Center”
Hao, Y. “How the Characters Form a Community of Practice in the Big Bang Theory: Different CoPs and the Interculturality”
Piera-Escriva, E. “Revisiting Spanish Democracy Through Social Networking Language and Power: An Analisis of Podemos’s Digital Community of Speech”
Mueller, M. “Intercultural Training for Intervarsity”
2014
Ventosa, J. “Using Pragmatics in the Secondary Classroom to Alleviate Anxiety When Speaking with Native Speakers: What We Can Learn From The Field of Speech Pathology”
Bennington, M. “Intercultural User Experience Design: A Theoretical Framework and Practical Applications”
Zik, G. “Rituals of Invitation-Refusal and Distinguishing Between Formal and Informal Forms of Address: Teaching the Pragmatics of Politeness in an L2 Classroom”
Calderone, S. “Who am I? Establishing Identity in a Multilingual and Multicultural 5th Grade Classroom”
Foisor, S. “Identity Change and Culture Shock of International Students at UMBC: Experience, Management Adaptation and Identity”
McCarthy, E. “The Exploration of the Field of Intercultural Communication: Through a Critical Lens”
Gomez-Loyola, R. “Language Planning in Education in Kenya: The Need for Change”
Holmquist, S. R. “Intercultural Training: A Summary, Critique, Recommendations, and a Plan for a US Church Group leaving for Mexico”
Lee, M. “Reproduction of Patriarchy: Understanding the F-2 or M-2 visa policy and analyzing the cases of Korean international student’s spouses from Bourdieu’s perspective”
Namboodri, V. “Diplomacy, Human Rights, and Intercultural Relations”
2013
Mbende, A. W. “Multilingualism, Immigration and Gradual Loss of National Languages in the Global Context: The Case of Children from Cameroonian Interethnic Families in the United States”
Cooke, L. “Cameroonian LPLP and the Perpetuation of French Neo-Colonialism”
Ferro, S. “Falamos galego Puo al fun y el cabo es lo que cuenta: An Exploratory Investigation by Current Linguistic Habitive of the Galician Language” (Thesis)
Howell, M. “Reverse Cultural Adjustment Training for the English Language Institute”
Kohler, K. “A Perspective of the Field of Intercultural Training: Extended Scholarly Paper”
Lobato, A. L. “An Intercultural Mediator at the Crossroads of Competing Narratives. An Intercultural Communication Approach” (Thesis)
Tonguino, C. “Portraying Latina Characters in Television Shows: A Comparison of Modern Family and Ugly Betty”
Zhou, C. “Intercultural Competence Training for the Choice Program”
Witt, K. “The Power of Portunhol: Bolivian Paulistano Culture in Sao Paulo, Brazil” (Thesis)
Wang, A. “Multilingualism, Immigration and Gradual Loss of National Languages in
the Global Context: The Case of Children From Cameroonian Interethnic Families in the USA”
2012
Spickler, B. “Life and Writing: An application of Pierre Bourdieu’s capitals and habitus to Angeles Mastretta”
Rosenthal, G. “The United Workers and the Struggle for Dignity and Fair Development” (Thesis)
Tyler, E. “My Country Looked Like America”: Reflections and
Experiences of English Language Learners in an Urban Public School” (Thesis)
Liptak, L. “The Pragmatics of the Interracial Couple: Discourses of Normativity and Whiteness in the Couple”
Cerquetti, D. “We’ll Find You a Nice Boy: Italian-American Discourse across the Generations”
Perez Broncano, M.O. “RYP ESL Mentors Training”
2011
Cohen, D. “A Critical Gaps Analysis of Peace Corps’ Instructional Workbook, Culture Matters”
Collazos Sola, M. “A Case of Mediated Intercultural Communication: Representation of People Through Cultureshockstory.com”
Ortiz de Rozas, M. “Latin American Immigrants in the U.S.”
Morales, D. “Analysis of Two Spanish Language Textbooks in the United States: Gender Issue”
Jones, R. “Twenty Years after German Reunification: Unity, Division, and Identity”
Vespoint, A. “Deconstructing White Identity: Education, Privilege, and Symbolic Violence”
McCusker, S. “The Pragmatics of Politeness: Using Face for Child Character Development in Nickelodeon’s Phineas and Ferb”
Meyer-Jakuta, K. “The Black English Vernacular Dialect as a Racializing Marker in US Society”
Carmody, S. “¿Y vos/usted/tú?: The Pragmatics of Pronoun Choice to Perform Gender and National Identity in Nicaraguan Spanish”
Wang, A. “Chinese Women in Community ESOL Classes”
Harmon, P. “An Analysis of the French Riots of 2005 Using the Concepts of Bourdieu”
Ponieman, P. “Government Corruption: The Difficulty of Changing Political Elites”
Galarraga-Chaleff, T. “Surviving Homesickness in the U.S.: A Cross Cultural Training for International Students at the English Language Institute”
Heird, K. “The Anti-systemic Movement in Ecuador”
Aldhahi, M. “Acculturation of Muslim Women in American Society”
2010
Gueye, S. “Senghor and Negritude studied through Bourdieu and Fanon “
Mesias, H. “Decolonization in Bolivia: Past and Present”
Handy, C. “Pretending to Help the Hood: False Perceptions of National Identity and the Symbolic Re-creation of Distinction in Political Discourse”
Burgos, F. “Reporting Facts, Legitimizing Dominant Ideology: A Pragmatic Analysis on Language and Ideology in Lou Dobb’s Tonight”
Appadoo, Y. “Foreign Accent Discrimination in the United States: A Study of Stereotypes and Attitudes on a University Campus”
Fisher, M. “Alain Resnais the Influence of The Period of Silence and Censure on the Development of his Cinematographic Technique”
Goldenman, H. “South Korean Women’s Employment: Reflecting Their Role in Society”
Jean-Louis, E. “Discourse Markers in Haitian Immigrant Spoken Discourse”
Massey, M. “Development of Underdevelopment: ICS”
Kourouma, M. “At the Center: Children within the Guinean Context, an Ecogenerist Approach to Street Children in Guinea”
Warshaw, G. “The Use of Social Stories with Children on the Autism Spectrum: A Pragmatic Approach”
2009
Choi, S. “Churched Korean-American Women: Gender, Patriarchy and Sexism”
Quiroga, M. “Developing Intercultural Competence through an Intercultural Exchange Project using Blogs”
Sefelnikova, K. “A Post-Modern Critique of the Lewis Model: Representing Russia’s Subcultural Diversity”
Murakami, Y. “Is Japanese Cultural Residue Necessary? Authenticity if Japaneseness and Reality of Japanese Manga Coming to the U.S”
King, R. “The Cooperative Solution? Community Strategies for Adaptation and Resistance to Globalization in Mexico”
Wong, M. “The Rising Wave of Immigration in the United States: An Analysis of Heritage Language and Culture Acquisition”
Curto, N. “Introducing Intercultural Competence for Students of Spanish as a Heritage Language: Goals and Frameworks”
Digeon, L. “Escaping the Ghetto”
Erdemir, A. “A New Synthesis of Camouflage of Islamism” (Thesis)
Joardar, S. “Through the (Cultural) Looking Glass: Articulation of Issues of Race and Stereotypes among Indian Graduate Students at an American University”
Honigmann, A. “Les Attitudes Linguistiques Manifestées dans la Chanson Populaire Québécoise au XXe Siècle”
2008
Strickling, L. “The Pragmatics of Prayer: The Mediating Influence of
Social Position on Perceptions of Power Distance as Latter-day Saint Women of a Baltimore Congregation Approach God”
Dudley, M. “Cave Ceremonies, The New Testament and New Televisions: Tradition and Modernity Co-existing in a Q’eqchi’ Maya Community”
Reed, A. “Pakistani Family in the U.S.: Hierarchy in Everyday Domestic Discourse”
Kithararak, B. “Academic Achievement of Chinese Students in the U.S.”
Casey, M. “Study Abroad Outside France: Student Attitudes Towards the Study of French in Various Francophone Countries”
Wecker, D. “Teaching Culture at an Independent Christian School: Theory and Practice”
Vargo, E. “Environmental Discourses: The Uncovering of Illusionary Tactics in the Mainstream Media”
2007
Warner, E. “A Black Classroom Culture: Student Code-Switching in an
Inner City Secondary School”(Thesis)
Granena, G. “Lectures by a Chinese/Korean Speaker at an American
University: Communication Styles and Power Dynamics in Classroom Discourse”
Noqueira, B. “Assessing Intercultural Training for Business Expatriates: Paring the way for Consensus”
Simorangkir, M. “Help-Seeking Behaviors of Battered Latina Immigrants in the U.S.”
Ribeyro, C. “Immigration Laws and their Effects on Latina Battered Women”
Campbell, E. “Family Jewels: Negotiating Managerial Identity within a Retail Context”
Glynn, D. “US-based Conversations on Latin American Identities: Terminologies and Linguistic Identity in Social Groups”
Morenilla, L. “Motivation and Orientations of U.S. College Students toward Second Language Study: The Spanish L2 Context”
Maysuradze, T. “American versus Russian Democracy: The Role of Habitus, Culture and Language Use in Political Identity Construction”
Machado, I. “Portuguese-Azoreans in the United States and Canada: The Survival of an Ethnic Group”
Chin, I. “English Loanwords and Globalization in Contemporary Japanese Society”
Guo, X. “Intercultural Training Models for U.S. Businesses in China” (Thesis)
Councilman, A. “The Pragmatics of Gay and Lesbian Identity Formation: A Journey to Self Acceptance”
Kwiatkowski, S., “Native and Non-Native Teachers in the German Language Classroom: A Study About the Differences in Teaching Style”
Schell, A. “Transgendered Discourse: A Relationship Between Gender and Language”
De Angulo, S., “Intercultural Reception by Dominican and US-American Listeners”
Alexander, L. “ Professional Prerequisites for Entry-Level Technical Position”
(Thesis)
Hall, D. “ Acculturation of the Peace Corps Volunteer”
2006
Ianozi, R. “Acculturation and Integration in Germany: Linguistic, Cultural, Social and Economic Factors that Promote or Hinder Acculturation and Integration of Russian German Immigrants” (Thesis)
Rivas, S. “Community Interaction: The Problem of Turkish and German Youth Communities in the German Educational System” (Thesis)
Vinogradova, P. “Construction of Positive Social Identity Through Self-Positioning and Self-Categorization in Digital Stories” (Thesis)
Bond, M. “Culture and Service: Identifying Returned Peace Corps Volunteer (RPCV) Motivations to Live Service by Creating ‘Community’”
Cornell, J. “Defining Power and Identity in Heritage Language Speakers”
Gibson, D. “Modern Applications of Smiths’ Nation Formation Theory: Using the Western Model for a New” Mexico”
Henke, H. “Examining the Rhetoric and Action of Various Groups Involved in the Current Debate on Immigration through Chomsky and Wallenstein”