About This Course
YEARLONG HONORS THESIS COLLOQUIUM
PROFESSOR LEE QUINBY
MACAULAY HONORS COLLEGE, CUNY
SPRING 2011
Class: W 4:15-6:40 PM
Office hours: W 3-4 PM
Telephone: 212-729-2936
Email: leequinby@aol.com
Instructional Technology Fellow: Gregory Donovan
Office hours: W 3:40-6:40PM / TH 1:00-4:00PM
Email: gregory.donovan@gmail.com
Spring semester provides the opportunity for your in-depth research to culminate in an Honors Thesis on your chosen topic. Over the course of this second semester, you will continue to meet in independent study with your faculty advisor in your research field. You will refine and develop your first semester draft and extend your argument substantially over the first two months. As a class, we will meet at designated times in order to get updated on your research and writing, to brainstorm about revision and reorganization, and to evaluate each other’s Oral Report. I will also meet with you individually to discuss your progress and give specific feedback on your thesis.
Class members will give their Oral Reports as scheduled and, at the end of the spring term, will present their findings in formal presentation in a conference format. Students should invite their advisors to attend their Oral Report and the Macaulay Conference.
Required Textbooks
We will continue using the third edition of Wayne C. Booth, Gregory G. Colomb, and Joseph M. Williams, The Craft of Research (University of Chicago Press, 2008).
Your citations should be in accordance with the conventions of your field of research. You may purchase a style manual or use a CUNY Library Internet Reference Guide. Be sure you use the most recent Guide, since Internet citations have been updated.
Course Requirements
Attendance is required for all class meetings designated on the syllabus. In the event of an illness or unavoidable reason for missing class, please notify me in advance if possible or provide an official excuse to avoid a grade penalty. Lateness is disruptive to the flow of discussion and will be considered an absence.
Class participation is vital to the lecture/discussion format of this course. Your ideas and respectful critiques provide valuable support for your colleagues. Your class participation will be judged on the basis of the quality of the ideas expressed, and the force of your arguments, your respect for other class members’ and my points of view (as shown in the way you respond to others’ ideas), and your attentiveness to the discussions. Participation also includes peer evaluation (oral and written).
Writing Assignments: over the course of the semester, the following will be due by the dates stipulated on the class schedule. Submit copies to me and your advisor:
>Relevant Charts, graphs, or Power Point images
>Working Conclusion
>Full Thesis Draft, including all citations
>Oral Report Outline and Notes
>Self-Evaluation of Honors Project and Work
>Completed Thesis
Conference Presentation: this is the culminating event of our yearlong course. Participation is required to complete the class.
Course Evaluation
Second semester grades are based on your class participation, Oral Report, Draft, Conference presentation, Self-Evaluation, and completed Thesis.
For both semesters, I will determine your final grade in consultation with your advisor. This includes your advisor’s written report on your Draft and your final Thesis.
SPRING 2011 CALENDAR
| Feb. 2 | Hello Again! Review of Winter Recess Research and Writing:
What Should Be Done Next? |
| Feb. 9 | Reading from The Craft of Research, Chapters 14 and 15
Bring in flash drive samples of visual evidence, including Power Point images for presentation, as well as charts, graphs, etc. within your text (if applicable) |
| Feb. 16 | Individual Conference by Request
2 weeks of solid research/writing this week and next |
| Feb. 23 | No Class (Conversion to Monday classes) |
| Mar. 2 | Reading from The Craft of Research, Chapters 16 and 17
Bring in a hard copy of your Working Conclusion for peer evaluation and send to a copy to me via email |
| Mar. 9 | Oral Reports and Peer Evaluation–**Submit outline and notes to me on the day of your Presentation
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| Mar. 16 | Oral Reports and Peer Evaluation
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| Mar. 23 | Oral Reports and Peer Evaluation
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| Mar. 30 | NCUR trip (no regular class)
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| April 6 | Oral Reports and Peer Evaluation
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| April 13 | Full Thesis Draft due for me and your advisor |
| April 20 | Spring Break–No Class |
| April 27 | Advisor and I return Full Thesis Draft with comments for final revision |
| May 4 | Revise and Polish |
| May 11 | Revise and Polish |
| May 18 | Final Class: Completed Thesis and 2 page Self-Evaluation Due |
Knowledge Bases
Students should:
>develop ability to evaluate texts that provide material for their research projects
>develop understanding of a variety of types of discourse and print and visual media in their interdisciplinary contexts (e.g., cultural, social, historical, scientific, psychological, and political)
>develop an understanding of rhetorical strategies
>develop the ability to discern ideological inclinations of texts
>develop ability to understand and apply theoretical formulations to their issues
Academic Skills
Students should:
>be able to reason, think critically, evaluate, use evidence, and make judgments
>be able to write clearly and imaginatively in a form appropriate to their field of interest
>use appropriate conventions of language, including correct grammar, spelling, and punctuation
>be able to revise and reorganize for clarity
>be able to find appropriate print and electronic sources
>develop a sense of fairness, objectivity, and accuracy in reporting
>understand the ethics of research and writing, including the proper citation, and integration, of source materials into their work and the meaning and consequences of plagiarism
>develop listening skills
>develop ability to speak effectively
Social and Personal Skills
Students should:
>learn to be self-reflecting
>develop ability to work independently and collectively
>learn how to brainstorm about ideas
>develop respect for both intellectual and cultural diversity
