The Second-Year Paper

The second-year paper (formerly the First Professional Paper) is equivalent to the M.A. thesis, but it is a purely departmental requirement. The main purpose of the second-year paper is to have students produce an article-length piece of original research in the second year of the M.A. program. If the student chooses to deposit the research with the Graduate School, s/he must follow the same formatting guidelines and deadlines as for the M.A. thesis.

Writing and Defending the Second-Year Paper

An abstract and preliminary bibliography of the 2YP should be presented to and approved by the advisory committee by Friday of the 7th week of fall quarter during the second year. A draft of the paper must approved by the advisory committee by Friday of 10th week of winter quarter, and the final draft must be approved by advisor by Friday of 1st week of spring quarter.

There is no 2YP defense; instead, a conference paper version of the 2YP must be presented at a public forum no later than the week before the M.A. examinations in the spring quarter. The presentation can occur under the auspices of OSU Linguistics, SLA, or Literature/Cultural Studies fora, the Midwest Slavic Conference, or another conference on or off campus. Students should confer with their advisors about when and where to present their work.