General Studies (GNST) 590 - Lecture 01
Honours Thesis: Directed Research
Fall 2006
Monday 14:00 - 16:45 Social Sciences 315  

Instructor:	Dr. Doug Brent
Office Location:	SS110
Office Phone:	220-5458
E-Mail:	dabrent@ucalgary.ca
Web Page:	http://www.ucalgary.ca/~dabrent
Office Hours:	By appointment

Course Description

This course is designed to enrich students' Honours experience by providing a common forum for discussing the research process. We will look at some previous years' Honours thesis in depth, focussing on the research methods used and the various ways in which information can be presented. Students will also present progress reports on their work and discuss the strategies they are using.

This course is designed to facilitate, not to interfere with, the research process as guided by your supervisor. As an interdisciplinary faculty, Communication and Culture permits a great deal of flexibility in academic approach. We will examine a range of research methods and presentation styles. The one that is best for you is the one that you agree on with your supervisor. In case of any conflict with the advice you receive in this course and the advice your supervisor gives you, your supervisor is the boss.

Objectives of the Course

This course is designed to help students acquire deep research skills and to foster a sense of cohort among Honours students in Communication and Culture.

Textbooks and Readings:

There is no textbook. Selected readings will be made available on a website.

Assignments and Evaluation

It is the student's responsibility to keep a copy of each submitted assignment.

There are no formal written assignments for the course-based part of GNST590. Your final grade will be based entirely on your final written project and, to a lesser extent, on your oral examination. Your grade will be assigned by your supervisor in consultation with your committee.

However, you will receive some short informal assignments as part of the learning process of this course.

HONOURS THESIS DEADLINES:

October 2: Final proposal and working bibliography submitted to Honours Co-ordinator. Ethics form, if required, must be submitted at least by this date.

October 16: Names of committee members submitted to the Administrative Assistant (Ms. Dianne Fox).

Dec. 8. Your supervisor should have at least a provisional draft of the entire thesis. Be prepared for significant rewriting after this point.

Jan. 15: Interim Progress Report. This is an informal e-mail to the Honours Co-ordinator from both you and your superfisor summarizing progress made and alerting me to any possible problems. It is not the same as the written Progress Report that you will write up for the GNST590 class (see Schedule section below).

March 12: A provisional "final" draft of the entire thesis must be in your supervisor's hands at least by this date.

April 2-April 12: The final copy of the thesis must be submitted two weeks before the scheduled oral.

April 16 - April 26: Exam period. The oral exam will normally be scheduled during this time.

May 2: Final corrected copy of thesis submitted to Administrative Assistant in both hard copy and electronic format.

Registrar-scheduled Final Examination: No

Please note: If your class is held in the evening, the Registrar's Office will make every attempt to schedule the final exam during the evening; however, there is NO guarantee that the exam will NOT be scheduled during the day.

Policy for Late Assignments

Not applicable.

Writing Skills Statement

Faculty policy directs that all written assignments (including, although to a lesser extent, written exam responses) will be assessed at least partly on writing skills. For details see www.comcul.ucalgary.ca/info. Writing skills include not only surface correctness (grammar, punctuation, sentence structure, etc) but also general clarity and organization. Research papers must be properly documented.

If you wish help with your writing at any stage, including drafts, you are invited to contact the Writing Centre, SS110, 220-7255.

Grading System

The following grading system is used in the Faculty of Communication and Culture:

A+/A (4.0); A- (3.7); B+ (3.3); B (3.0); B- (2.7); C+ (2.3);
C (2.0); C- (1.7); D+ (1.3); D (1.0); F (0)

 

Plagiarism

Using any source whatsoever without clearly documenting it is a serious academic offense. For details see www.comcul.ucalgary.ca/info. Consequences include failure on the assignment, failure in the course and possibly suspension or expulsion from the university.

You must document not only direct quotations but also paraphrases and ideas where they appear in your text. A reference list at the end is insufficient by itself. Readers must be able to tell exactly where your words and ideas end and other people’s words and ideas begin. This includes assignments submitted in non-traditional formats such as Web pages or visual media, and material taken from such sources.

Please consult your instructor or the Writing Centre (SS110) if you have any questions regarding how to document sources.

Students with Disabilities

If you are a student with a disability who may require academic accommodation, it is your responsibility to register with the Disability Resource Centre (220-8237) and discuss your needs with your instructor no later than fourteen (14) days after the start of the course.

Students' Union

For details about the current Students' Union contacts for the Faculty of Communication and Culture see www.comcul.ucalgary.ca/info

"SAFEWALK" Program -- 220-5333

Campus Security will escort individuals day or night -- call 220-5333 for assistance. Use any campus phone, emergency phone or the yellow phone located at most parking lot booths.

Schedule of Lectures and Readings

September 11: Meet and greet, discuss research topics, receive information on the first research analysis assignment.

September 18, September 25, Oct. 2: Close examination of three theses from previous years. Discussion of the Ethics process will be included.

Oct. 9 - end of Fall term: No formal class meetings. Get on with your work.

Jan. 8, Jan. 15, Jan. 22: Progress Reports: Short (2 pp.) but formal written progress reports will provide the basis for an informal presentation in class. Please attend all sessions, not just the one in which you are presenting.

Note: This formal assignment is different from the informal progress report that you will e-mail directly to me as Honours Co-ordinator.

January 29 - March 19: No formal meetings.

March 19: Preparation for oral. Last formal classroom meeting.

April 30 (or thereabouts): Celebration. Details TBA.