Selecting the Paper Topic

Each student will write an individual paper in English on an approved topic involving Finnish society and culture ['institutions']. The paper should be approximately 6-10 web-printout pages in length (using 'WORD Arial size 11' or 'html Arial size 2' as a guide), not including tables, images, references or other non-text material. The topic must be presented to other class members for discussion, and subsequently approved by the teacher following the submission of a Paper Approval Form. Please see the file of area studies topics and past course papers for topic ideas.

Objectives and Sources

Your proposed work plan should be part of your class presentation. This should include what aspects of your topic you plan to cover and why, and where you plan to find the needed information.

The objective of the paper is to supply new knowledge to an international 'academic' audience about a topic relevant to Finnish Institutions . Papers should thus be explicit and unambiguous for readers who may not have much knowledge of Finland or Finnish. An equally important objective, relevant to Finnish as well as international audiences, is to provide accurate English terminology related to cultural and societal phenomena in Finland.

For this reason students should ensure that the terms used in the paper are in line with established usage (e.g., use official English names for all authorities, organizations, etc., whenever they exist). Adding glossaries, terminology lists, etc., as appendices, text insertions or author notes would be useful for all readers of the paper, and of direct relevance to translators and interpreters in Finland and abroad.

As terminology may differ between national variants of English, students should identify their papers as being written in either American (USA) or British (GB) English, and give special attention to the accuracy and consistency of terminology, spelling, grammar and punctuation within the chosen variant. (Some Finnish entities may have separate 'official' terminologies for American and British English; even within the same field or institution, one entity's usage may differ from another's.)

While there is no set number of required sources, research should be comprehensive, balanced and adequate to the topic and treatment. The emphasis should be on traditional print sources. In addition to print sources (including digital versions of books and periodicals originally published in print format) from the university and other libraries, one may also use web references, e-mail commentaries, personal interviews, questionnaires, diaries, government or business documents, radio and TV programs, videotapes, CD-ROMs and DVDs, etc. — the full range of potential information sources. [Note, however, that Wikipedia entries may not be used except as a primary source where the focus is on how something had been said, rather than the information itself.] Papers may also include relevant audio or video clips.

All sources must be properly cited, using the MLA style covered in PK6.

While source material may be used from any language, especially Finnish, the paper will be in English and many of its readers may not know Finnish. Therefore reputable English-language sources would have priority, and any text material used directly from other languages should be translated into English (see Which Language to Use With Source Texts?). In the Works Cited, 'equivalent titles' in English should be included beside the titles (or other references) of sources from other languages (including Finnish) to ensure that readers will know what the nature of that source was.

The Draft-and-Revision Procedure

Students should begin collecting source material even before the topic has been approved (as the basis for the class presentation and approval of the topic), and begin writing the paper as soon as possible thereafter. Papers will normally undergo several revisions after the initial draft, which itself should stive to be 'complete'. Each draft will be checked by the teacher, with revision suggestions marked on the printout and discussed personally with the student. Papers should be completed by the end of the academic term in which the student was accepted for the course.

The Research Paper Followup Report

After the paper has been completed, students must produce a written report which includes the following:

1. A brief summary of the new perspectives on the topic featured in your paper. What was your research question and how did you answer it?

2. A brief summary of what you might do differently if you were to write the paper again. Why, and how?

3. A brief review of [possible] other aspects of Finnish Institutions which emerged during the research for your paper that might be useful topics for future study. Why do you feel, briefly, such study(ies) would be useful? How would you suggest they might be conducted?

4. An identification of [possible] aspects of American, British, Irish or other relevant national culture institutions that could be considered 'equivalents' of those covered in your paper which might be useful topics for future study. How might they be, and why? How would further knowledge of this topic be especially significant for translators?

   Examples of past followup reports are in the papers [PDF unless otherwise noted] on:

   • Maternity and Child-Care Clinics in Finland
   • The Finnish Spitz: Finland's National Dog
   • The Finnhorse as a Part of Finnish History and Identity
   • A Nation in Transition: The Resettlement of the Karelian Evacuees
   • Kyllikki Salmenhaara's Influence on Finnish Ceramics
   • Donald Duck As a Finnish Institution
   • The Lotta Svärd Organization
   • Integrating Immigrant Islamic Labor
   • Sauna-Whisking Traditions in Finland
   • Video Game Journalism, and
   • Elk Hunting in Finland, among others.
   • See also the US-7 followup report on Here Comes the Bride, by Salla Hakulinen [HTML].

This report should be either e-mailed to John in RTF format or placed online in HTML format [if that additional-credit option is chosen]. Possible followup may be conducted either via e-mail or a personal appointment with John.

Summary of Paper Procedure

1. Select a topic, with the aid of the topics guide, past papers, or other sources. When selecting the topic, it must also be clear how you wish to treat the topic, and what your research question will be. These two points are essential for the research and writing of the paper.

2. Ensure that you have enough source material for your topic, considering your proposed treatment and the research question(s).

3. If you are considering adding an original research component to the paper, please note that (a) the basic paper itself must be nearly complete before approval can be obtained for the (optional) original research; and (b) there must be a direct connection between one or several questions raised in the basic paper to be clarified via the original research. Note also that original research plans and instruments must be approved before the research is begun, for which the submission to John of your research plan and drafts of possible instruments for review and discussion is required.

   To clarify, one might have in mind from the outset a possible original research plan, but actual work on this should wait until after the basic paper is nearly complete (e.g. has gone through at least two drafts), at which point the research plan may be submitted for approval.

4. Prepare a synopsis of your proposed sources and topic development for your class presentation (this will be an oral presentation; you do not have to submit the synopsis in written form). Anticipated original research may be briefly included in this synopsis, but is not required.

5. After getting feedback from your class presentation, complete and submit a Paper Approval Form to obtain confirmation of your topic and plan.

6. Write the first draft of the paper. Before or by the deadline, submit the first draft as a Word printout (or html URL) for checking and markup.

7. When comments on the first draft have been received and discussed, revise the paper accordingly, preferably within the following few days week after the draft discussion so the proposed changes will still be fresh in mind. Subsequent intermediate drafts may also be submitted in Word format if this is easier for the student.

   The paper may be submitted in either HTML or RTF format.
   HTML version(s) should be submitted on-line, in HTML format in your personal webspace, using the the HTML Paper Template. E-mail the URL of the paper to John so it can be checked. John will then transfer papers selected for archiving to the course web directory. NB: Possible web references must be active links so they can be checked directly from your on-line paper.

   Papers in RTF format should use the RTF template, which has a defined page setup, font sizes, page numbering, etc. John will then convert papers selected for archiving into PDF format for the course web directory.

8. After the final version of the paper has been accepted, the research paper followup report (see above) should be e-mailed to John as an RTF attachment. John will then convert those which will be archived into PDF format.

9. The course grade will be submitted after the followup report (see above) has been submitted and possible followup discussed.

Checking Sources, and Useful Sources Concerning Finland

All sources must have been personally consulted; do not include references in your Works Cited without personally checking them. Where relevant, include in an Appendix or Note other sources you may not have cited but which may be useful as further information.

Paper Layout and Documentation

Papers must follow the FIN-1 Layout Guidelines, the ENGA13 Text Layout and Usage Guidelines and use MLA-format citations as presented in the TRENPK6 Academic Citation and Documentation Course. Please also be familiar with the English Plagiarism Procedure Policy.