CONF 797, SECTION 001 PROPOSAL DEVELOPMENT Spring 2016 Founders Hall 317 Tuesdays, 7:20pm to 10:00pm Instructor: Michael D. English, PhD Contact:
[email protected] Office hours by appointment COURSE AIM The purpose of this 1 credit course is to help you develop your thesis proposal and start you on a concrete path toward the completion of your Master’s thesis at SCAR. By the end of the semester you are expected to complete a draft of your proposal, select a thesis chair, and hopefully, a committee. COURSE MEETINGS This course meets inperson for four sessions. Please see the dates listed below in the Proposed Course Schedule. Given that we are a small group we will spend a significant portion of each session discussing your individual projects and questions you may have about the research process. ASSIGNMENTS Thesis Proposal Approximately 5000 words (18 double spaced pages). Word count does not include bibliography and timeline. Proposals are due 05/01 via email in Word Document format. Library Consultation You are responsible for one additional meeting with SCAR’s liaison librarian Mary Oberlies (
[email protected] ). Mary is an invaluable source of information for SCAR students. This meeting is intended to help familiarize you with library and discover resources related to your project. Students are required to email Mary and make an appointment with her before 04/01. REQUIRED TEXT I have assigned one required text for this course that I find as a useful guide to the proposal process. Please purchase at the bookstore (or save yourself some money and request through the library). O'Leary, Zina. 2014. The essential guide to doing your research project. London: SAGE. RECOMMENDED TEXTS (These may be of use depending on how your project develops) Booth, Wayne C., Gregory G. Colomb, and Joseph M. Williams. 2008. The craft of research. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. Creswell, John W. 2009. Research design: qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches. Los Angeles: Sage. Galvan, Jose L. 2012. Writing literature reviews: a guide for students of the social and behavioral sciences . Los Angeles, CA: Pyrczak. Höglund, Kristine, and Magnus Öberg. 2011. Understanding peace research: methods and challenges. London: Routledge. Luker, Kristin. 2008. Salsa dancing into the social sciences research in an age of infoglut. Cambridge, Mass: Harvard University Press. Turabian, Kate L. 2013. A manual for writers of research papers, theses, and dissertations: Chicago Style for students and researchers . Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
CONF 797, SECTION 001 PROPOSAL DEVELOPMENT Spring 2016 Founders Hall 317 Tuesdays, 7:20pm to 10:00pm MASON HONOR CODE To promote a stronger sense of mutual responsibility, respect, trust, and fairness among all members of the George Mason University community and with the desire for greater academic and personal achievement, we, the student members of the University Community, have set forth this: Student members of the George Mason University community pledge not to cheat, plagiarize, steal, and/or lie in matters related to academic work. A note on the Honor Code. When you enrolled in this course you agreed to abide by the university's Honor Code. The Honor Code does not preclude collaborative work, such as informal discussions and studying in communities. Nor does it preclude assigned group work. The Honor Code does require that work you, as an individual, turn in ultimately be the product of your own individual synthesis or integration of ideas, and that the work a group turns in ultimately be the product of the group's collective ideas. If you are uncertain of the line between collaboration and cheating, see an instructor. As always, cite your sources. If you do not, it is plagiarism. Plagiarism means lifting someone else's ideas or words and presenting them as your own without proper attribution of the source. This is all sources, including the Internet. Use an approved citation method, such as MLA, APA, etc. Commitment to Diversity Statement. SCAR is an intentionally inclusive community that celebrates diversity and strives to have faculty, staff and students who reflect the diversity of our plural society. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, class, linguistic background, religion, gender identity, sex, sexual orientation, ethnicity, age, or physical ability. Disability Services. If you are a student with a disability and you need academic accommodations, please see me and contact the Disability Resource Center (DRC) at 703.993.2474. All academic accommodations must be arranged through that office. PROPOSED COURSE SCHEDULE 01/19 Meet in class. Discuss research process, proposal structure, and Master’s thesis. 01/26 Meet in class. Discuss individual research topics and questions. 02/02 Develop research topic and question. 02/09 Develop research topic in question 02/16 Meet in class. Discuss research topic, research question, and methodology. 02/23 Develop research proposal and meet with potential thesis chair. 03/01 Develop research proposal and meet with potential thesis chair. 03/08 Individual meeting with ME. Develop research proposal and meet with potential thesis chair. 03/15 Individual meetings with Mary Oberlies / Work on literature review. 03/22 Individual meetings with Mary Oberlies / Work on literature review. 03/29 Individual meetings with Mary Oberlies / Work on literature review. 04/05 Individual meetings with ME if needed. 04/12 Individual meetings with ME if needed 04/19 Individual meetings with ME if needed 05/01 Submit final research proposal via email to ME USEFUL LINKS University Dissertation and Thesis Services Be sure to look at this page. http://thesis.gmu.edu/ SCAR’s Master’s Thesis Also be sure to look at this page. http://scar.gmu.edu/msprogram/12146
