ICS 490 Senior Seminar

Fall 2005

Dr. Chiung Hwang Chen

MFB 208

Office hour: MWF 11 am-noon

Phone: 293-3304

Email: chenc@byuh.edu

Description

The senior seminar is designed to give you a culminating research and writing experience. We expect you to base your project on a previous effort (a paper written or research begun in another ICS course), now to be refined and expanded, in depth more than breadth. Thus, we see your seminar experience as one of developing rather than formulating a research premise. We anticipate your final paper will be worthy of conference presentation and something you can use in applying for graduate schools or jobs.

Organization

We will cover a range of topics that will help you focus your research, conduct bibliographic research, prepare a formal proposal, conduct ethnographic research (the general approach to ethnography is also useful in literary and media analyses), give and receive peer criticism, and refine your prose. While you will work independently a great deal, you will be given a strict outline of due dates for specific activities, and you will work closely with an assigned faculty advisor. Your advisor will stay abreast of your work at each stage, give you feedback that you integrate into your work, and sign off on required assignments.

Outline

The day-by-day outline of the course and due dates for assignments is presented below. The beginning and end of the semester will be rather full with classroom activities and presentations. Because we will meet only one day per week, it is essential that you attend each session. Some sessions will be structured like workshops; each will allow time for questions and progress discussion. Bullet items in italics indicate the assignment due on that date (I will be a stickler with these dates, so you are best advised to meet the deadline). The oral presentation and the final paper will determine the majority of your grade, with the paper receiving the greater weight. The incremental assignments throughout the semester and your attendance and involvement in presentation discussions will also be figured in your grade. At the semester’s conclusion I will meet with your advisor to discuss your paper and presentation and to determine your final grade.

Tentative schedule

September 6: Session I

• Writing a formal proposal with annotated bibliography
• Narrowing a research topic
• Research methods
• Primary sources vs. secondary sources

September 13: Session II

• Come with formal proposal and three annotated bibliographic references
• Oral paper proposals (2-3 minutes each)
• Structure of a research paper

September 20: Session III

• Come with signed-off proposal and six total annotated references (three from last week)
• Creating an outline (Dr. Beus)
• Dealing with literature review
• Note-taking

September 27: Session IV

· Ethnographic research methods (Professor Kaili)

• Academic and personal voice in writing
• Dealing with primary sources

October 4: Session V

· Oral progress reports to class

• Style matters (http://libwww.cabrillo.edu/depts/styleguides.html)

October 11: Session VI

· The logic and coherence of it all (Dr. Compton)

• Guidelines for evaluating research papers

October18: No Class/Work on drafts

October 25: Session VII

• First draft is due
• Exchange draft with peer

November 1: Session VIII

• Come with peer review
• Exchange peer review

November 8: Session IX

• Come with refined paper signed off by faculty advisor
• Organize for formal oral presentations

November 15: Session X

• Preparing for presentations.
• Come prepared to read three minutes from your paper

November 22: Formal Presentations

November 29: Formal Presentations

December 6: Formal Presentations

December 12: Final Paper Due (one copy to me, one to your advisor)

Special Needs

Brigham Young University-Hawai'i is committed to providing a working and learning atmosphere, which reasonably accommodates qualified persons with disabilities. If you have any disability that may impair your ability to complete this course successfully, please contact the students with Special Need Coordinator, Leilani A'una at 293-3518. Reasonable academic accommodations are reviewed for all students who have qualified documented disabilities. If you need assistance or if you feel you have been unlawfully discriminated against on the basis of disability, you may seek resolution through established grievance policy and procedures. You should contact the Human Resource Services at 780-8875.

Preventing Sexual Harassment

Title IX of the education amendments of 1972 prohibits sex discrimination against any participant in an educational program or activity that receives federal funds, including Federal loans and grants. Title IX also covers student-to-student sexual harassment. If you encounter unlawful sexual harassment or gender-based discrimination, please contact the Human Resource Services at 780-8875 (24 hours).

Final Examination

All students should be aware of the BYUH policy that there are no early final exams. An exception to this policy is the case of a school sponsored activity which takes an individual or a team away from the University at the time an examination is scheduled to take place. Faculty and Administration who are responsible for scheduling official University activities attempt in every way to avoid scheduling activities in conflict with the scheduled examinations. Students must plan travel, family visits, etc., in a way that will not interfere with their final exams. Emergency situations should be presented in writing as soon as possible to the Dean of the college or school of the student’s major.

Less expensive fares, more convenient travel arrangements, and any other non-emergency reasons are not considered justification for early or late final exams. Students are responsible for making sure that family or friends who may supply tickets or make travel arrangements for a student are aware of the student’s need to complete courses by taking the final examinations as scheduled.