Senior Seminar

Find Your Topic Week

2012-01-27T20:34:00.000-05:00

T 1/31: No class meeting. But by midnight, post to your blog a 100 word abstract on your chosen topic. Your abstract should describe for us as clearly as possible what your topic is, what you aim to accomplish (your thesis), as well as indicate how your project will accomplish this goal. If you have difficulty settling on a topic, or writing your abstract, then your assignment is to come talk to me about your project during my office hours before Thursday.

TH 2/2: Meet at Boone Saloon during class time. I'll spring for a pitcher and some nachos and we'll talk about your abstracts, the topics you've chosen, and where to go from here.

For TH 1/26

2012-01-25T21:16:00.004-05:00

Post 2 more possible project topics to your blog. We'll continue to discuss your project ideas in class.

Angela Davis!

2012-01-23T14:04:00.001-05:00

Angela Davis is speaking on campus tomorrow night! You are all invited to attend. Bring a friend! In addition to being a fabulous speaker and an iconic figure of the civil rights movement, Angela Davis was also a student of the late Herbert Marcuse who was himself an extraordinarily influential theorist. Please come hear her speak. Consider it a class assignment, although roll will not be taken.

The 26th Annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Commemoration: An Evening with
Angela Davis
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Farthing Auditorium
Appalachian State University
6pm Talk followed by 7:30pm Book Signing and Dessert Reception
Free and Open to the Public

From Wikipedia:

Angela Davis (born January 26, 1944) is an American political activist, scholar, and author. Davis emerged as a nationally prominent activist in the 1960s, when she was associated with the Communist Party USA, the Civil Rights Movement and the Black Panther Party. Prisoner rights have been among her continuing interests; she is the founder of "Critical Resistance,"an organization working to abolish the prison-industrial complex. She is a retired professor with the History of Consciousness Department at the University of California, Santa Cruz and is the former director of the university's Feminist Studies department.[2] Her research interests are in feminism, African American studies, critical theory, Marxism, popular music and social consciousness, and the philosophy and history of punishment and prisons.[3]

Her membership in the Communist Party led to Ronald Reagan's request in 1969 to have her barred from teaching at any university in the State of California. She was tried and acquitted of suspected involvement in the Soledad brothers' August 1970 abduction and murder of Judge Harold Haley in Marin County, California.

She was twice a candidate for Vice President on the Communist Party USA ticket during the 1980s.

For Next Class

2012-01-19T10:35:00.000-05:00

By midnight Monday 1/23, post the following as 2 separate posts on your class blog:

1. Tell us about your major concentration in some depth and detail, and describe some of your most relevant coursework, readings, and other significant life experiences (perhaps travel or work) that have most directly helped shape your knowledge of this field.

2. Briefly describe one possible topic you can imagine doing for your senior project. Be as focused and specific as possible.

Read your classmates' blogs. Leave comments generously.

Also, tweak your blog layout and appearance. Add a link or feed from this blog, and links or feeds from your classmates blogs in the sidebar of your blog. Delete the followers gadget. You may delete the About Me gadget if you wish. Add other links and gadgets as you see fit. Experiment with other templates, layouts and colors if you wish.

Welcome

2012-01-17T12:10:00.002-05:00

Welcome to our senior seminar blog. Each of you will be creating your own blogs this semester and your posts will be gathered together through the magic of RSS feeds.

Use your blog as a space to brainstorm, to collect notes and resources, and speculate wildly as well as to post assigned writings and work in progress. Post early and often to your blogs, but weekly posts on your progress are expected.

An online version of your final project will also be posted to your blog.

You need to create your own blog and leave the address of your new blog as a comment below. You can do this here on blogger.com or, if you prefer, you can explore other options such as Tumblr or another site. Just please make sure your blog has an RSS feed available. If you're new to this, though, I recommend using blogger.com.

Angela Davis!

2012-01-17T11:10:00.003-05:00

Please come! Consider it a class assignment, although role will not be taken.

The 26th Annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Commemoration: An Evening with
Angela Davis
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Farthing Auditorium
Appalachian State University
6pm Talk followed by 7:30pm Book Signing and Dessert Reception
Free and Open to the Public

Fall 2011 Senior Seminar Presentations

2011-12-06T10:14:00.002-05:00

The IDS Senior Project Presentations will be Thursday, December 8 from 9:30-11:30 in the Calloway Peak Room of the PSU.

Please come to celebrate our students' projects. Refreshments will be served.

After Thanksgiving

2011-11-28T15:44:00.000-05:00

Tuesday 11/29: No class meeting. Work!

Thursday 12/1: Come to class. Bring your current project title with you. We'll discuss the presentations and provide moral support.

Tuesday 11/22

2011-11-21T11:04:00.002-05:00

No class meeting. Keep working! Have a great break!

This Week

2011-11-14T10:57:00.002-05:00

T 11/15: No class meeting. Get work done!

TH 11/17: Chappell will present her work in progress. Come to class ready to discuss and comment.

This Week

2011-11-07T20:00:00.000-05:00

No class meeting on Tuesday 11/7. Work!!

On Thursday 11/9 we will meet and help each other brainstorm about possible titles. Come ready with a short list of key words, phrases, and ideas for your project.

Work-In-Progress Presentations

2011-10-27T10:38:00.003-04:00

This coming week you'll be presenting to the class some portion of your project to-date. Try to post 8 pages or so (not from the introduction or conclusion of your project) to your blog the night before your presentation. Then come to class ready to give an informal presentation of that material to the class for discussion. Come ready both to talk, and to ask questions about your classmates' work. The schedule for the presentations will be:

T 11/1 Dani, Jay, ~~Chappell~~

TH 11/3 Jan, Jordan, ~~Chappell~~

No Class Meetings This Week

2011-10-24T21:07:00.000-04:00

No regular class meetings this week ( T 10/25, TH 10/27). Work!

We will begin the work-in-progress presentations next Tuesday, November 1.

I'll be posting the schedule for the presentations later this week.

This Week

2011-10-18T08:13:00.001-04:00

T 10/18 No class meeting. Work on your projects!

TH 10/20 Meet in class. We will wet the schedule for your work in progress presentations.

Thursday 9/29

2011-09-27T10:53:00.000-04:00

No class meeting on Thursday.

Instead, get started on your library research. Post an entry to your blog telling us what you got done Thursday morning on your project.

For class next Tuesday, post the start of your working bibliography. Post a delicious RSS feed of some relevant search tags. Come ready to share your finds with the class.

Working Bibliography

2011-09-27T10:50:00.001-04:00

One of your blog posts will be a working bibliography for your senior project. This bibliography should include at least 50 appropriate references and be composed of at least 20 journal, web, or other scholarly sources other than books.

This is a working bibliography. It will change and develop over time as you continue your research. Some sources may drop out as you realize they lack relevance, while other sources or even whole domains of sources may be added. Your working bibliography should reflect a broad and deep search into reference materials relevant to your topic and to the context(s) within which your topic makes sense.

This bibliography will demonstrate that you have conducted research into a variety of disciplines (and other reservoirs of knowledge) including sources of both data (information) and theory (ways of interpreting the data). It will include books and articles, and may also include videos, films, musical recordings, live events, workshops and seminars, interviews or other experiences with individuals and groups, and other sources. Make sure you include sources critical of and making critiques of different theses/positions, including your own. All sources will be listed alphabetically and in MLA format. This rather large compendium of relevant sources will provide you the challenge and opportunity of defining and justifying the criteria by which you will select materials you will actually consult as you move forward and which will appear in the “Works Cited” section of your final project.

To summarize, your working bibliography:

Should be as complete and exhaustive as possible. It should contain ALL books, journals, articles, and other library resources that are relevant to your particular project, but at least 50, with 20 from non-book sources.

It should contain not only sources available at Belk Library, but elsewhere as well.

It should be in MLA format (Modern Language Association). There are copies of this guide available at the reserve desk in the library.

Delicious

2011-09-27T10:27:00.003-04:00

Each of you should create a delicious account. You can also add an RSS Feed to your blog as well that will return the latest items tagged on delicious with the tags you follow.

Delicious is a social bookmarking tool. It's not a substitute for library research, but it can be a very useful addition to it. You can bookmark and tag online sources you find. You may want to add some of these to your working bibliography. You can also search other user's bookmarks and tags to find things. Try it and see.

You can create an RSS feed for yourself that searches any combination of tags on delicious. Simply go to delicious.com and type in a search term at the top of the page.

For instance, type a tag... "interdisciplinary" and hit return. Then click on the tag "interdisciplinary" in the related tags side bar. Type another another tag next to the blue box that says "interdisciplinary. Type "studies" and hit return.

Then copy the url of your page and paste it into a Feed gadget on your blog, or simply bookmark the page on delicious for yourself.

RAP

2011-09-27T10:26:00.002-04:00

When you are ready, you are encouraged to set up a RAP session (Research Advisory Program) with a librarian on your topic. Give them as much information as possible so they can help you find sources you haven't found on your own.

Research Ethics

2011-09-19T09:13:00.004-04:00

For ~~Tuesday 9/20~~ Thursday 9/22, read over these these links and come to class prepared to discuss them. The first are documents on ethics of human subjects research and the last is a tutorial on informed consent.

Belmont Report on Ethical Principles and Guidelines for Research Involving Human Subjects
SFAA Ethical Guidlines.
Tutorial on Informed Consent.

Read these over. Work through the most relevant tutorial. This week, post to your blog your thoughts on how these issues may impact your senior project. Be as specific and thoughtful as possible in your response.

Abstract

2011-09-12T10:03:00.000-04:00

For Tuesday 9/13, post to your blog a first draft of an abstract for your project.

Your abstract is a brief formal statement articulating as clearly and specifically as possible both what your thesis is with regard to your chosen topic, and how you plan to demonstrate this thesis through the project you have planned. It should be clear, concise, specific, and to the point.

Aim for a terse 100-200 words. Describe for us as clearly as possible your topic along with what the conclusion/thesis/punchline of your project will be. Post a first draft of your abstract to your blog and bring a printed copy to give to me in class on Tuesday.

Office Hours

2011-09-07T09:29:00.000-04:00

Here are my office hours. Don't forget that your assignment is to come talk with me about your projects...

Office Hours: TR 10:45-12:30 in my office, MW 9:00-11:00ish at Espresso News. Exceptions to this schedule will be posted on my home page.

TH 8/6

2011-09-06T11:55:00.001-04:00

We will not meet during our regular class time this Thursday. Instead, you should arrange to meet with me individually to discuss your projects and topics. Contact me to arrange a time, or come by my office during class time or during my office hours. Be sure to meet with me to discuss your projects before next Tuesday.

Tuesday 9/6

2011-09-05T14:53:00.002-04:00

Come to class and we'll spend time browsing and discussing some past student work.

Research Grants

2011-08-25T10:30:00.002-04:00

The ASU Office of Student Research has small grants available to support student work. Your senior projects may qualify. Take a look.

For T 8/30

2011-08-25T07:58:00.002-04:00

Post 3 entries to your blog:

1. Tell us in a brief paragraph or two about your major concentration and briefly describe some of your most relevant coursework, readings, and other significant life experiences (such as travel and work) that have most directly helped shape your knowledge of this field.

2. Briefly describe two possible topics you can imagine doing for your senior project. Make them as focused and specific as possible.

Read your classmates' blogs. Leave comments generously.

How To Blog

2011-08-23T09:23:00.000-04:00

You need to create your own blog and leave the address of your new blog as a comment below. You can do this here on blogger.com or if you prefer you can explore other options such as Tumblr or another site. Just please make sure your blog has an RSS feed available is all. If you're new to this, though, I recommend blogger.com.

Welcome

2011-08-22T08:45:00.000-04:00

End Game

2011-04-19T13:15:00.001-04:00

No class meeting Thursday 4/23. Email me the title for your project.

Bound projects due in my box in LLA 111 Monday 4/25.

Formal presentations will be Tuesday 4/26 12:30-2:00 in the Student Union, Table Rock room.

I will email you fliers for the presentations. Feel free to invite friends, faculty, and family. The more the merrier.

Be on time. Dress for your presentation. There should be a digital projector and computer for your use should you wish it. Have a Plan B, though, should the a/v technology fail you.

Good luck!

T 4/19

2011-04-19T09:12:00.003-04:00

Come to class today. We will talk about your final presentations.

4/7 & 4/12

2011-04-05T12:30:00.001-04:00

No class meeting on TH 4/7. Come discuss your projects with me if you need help.

On T 4/12 we will meet in class to help each other write titles. Be there. Come with a list of keywords related to your topic to share with us.

T 4/5

2011-03-31T12:46:00.002-04:00

Lyndsey and Miquela will present their work in progress.

This Week And Next

2011-03-21T16:56:00.001-04:00

We will not have formal class meetings this week (T 3/21 and TH 3/23). Instead, you should come talk with me about your projects individually as needed. Spend this week writing in a focused way on at least one central part of your argument.

Next week we will have class presentations of your work in progress. Post what you have written so far for us to your blogs by 10:00 pm the night before your presentation. Read your classmates posts. Then come to class ready to discuss and give comments.

T 3/29: Zach and Riley will present.

TH 3/31: ~~Lyndsey and Miquela will present~~.

TH 3/17

2011-03-15T12:39:00.000-04:00

This Thursday, 3/17, we will meet for class at the Boone Saloon. I'll buy the first pitcher and nachos. Please bring a printed copy for me of whatever you have written so far. We'll be talking about your projects and making plans for class presentations starting next week. See you then.

Note: Unlike class on Tuesday, please be there.

Tuesday 3/15

2011-03-01T13:16:00.000-05:00

We won't meet in class on TH 3/17. You may meet with me individually to discuss any part of your project. Just email me and we'll set up a time.

Our next class meeting will be T 3/15 after Spring Break.

Over the break, your assignment is to write another 1000 words. Post your writing to your blog. Remember these are drafts, not polished finished writing. Try to write without being overly critical of your style. You'll be able to polish later on. Bring a printed copy to class to hand in to me of both this week and last weeks writings... 2500 words total.

Good luck and have a great break!

For March 1

2011-02-15T11:37:00.001-05:00

After today, our next regular class meeting will be T 3/1.

Your assignment between now and then is to write and post at least 1500 words of your project to your class blogs. The writing can be all one section, or spread over several different sections as you wish. Avoid writing a 1500 word introduction though. Instead, concentrate on writing sections from your central argument/s. If possible, post more than 1500 words.

Good luck!

Research Ethics

2011-02-08T09:58:00.000-05:00

For next Tuesday 2/15, read over these these links and come to class prepared to discuss them. The first are documents on ethics of human subjects research and the last is a tutorial on informed consent.

Belmont Report on Ethical Principles and Guidelines for Research Involving Human Subjects
SFAA Ethical Guidlines.
Tutorial on Informed Consent.

Read these over. Work through the most relevant tutorial. Post to your blog your thoughts on how these issues may impact your senior project. Be as specific and thoughtful as possible in your response.

No class meeting on Thursday 2/10, continue with your writing and library work. Post a progress report to your blog. Come see me during my office hours if you are feeling lost or having trouble getting started.

T 2/1

2011-02-01T10:40:00.000-05:00

We will meet in class to discuss your abstracts. Please bring a printed copy to class. We will begin talking about research strategies and bibliographies.

No class meeting on Thursday, 2/3. Instead, spend your time in the library doing research for your project. If you have questions or need help, be sure to come talk with me.

We will meet in class next Tuesday 2/8.

RAP

2011-02-01T10:36:00.002-05:00

Delicious

2011-02-01T10:31:00.002-05:00

Each of you should create a delicious account. You can add a link roll to your blog as well if you like.

Delicious is a social bookmarking tool. It's not a substitute for library research, but it can be a very useful addition to it. You can bookmark and tag online sources you find. You may want to add some of these to your working bibliography. You can also search other user's bookmarks and tags to find things. Try it and see.

You can create an RSS feed for yourself that searches any combination of tags on delicious. Simply go to delicious.com and find Explore under the Tags menu at the top of the page.

For instance, type a tag... "interdisciplinary" and click on the arrow.
Add another tag... "studies" and click on the arrow.

Then copy the url of your page and paste it into a Feed gadget on your blog, or simply bookmark the page on delicious for yourself.

Working Bibliography

2011-02-01T10:29:00.000-05:00

To summarize, your working bibliography:

It should contain not only sources available at Belk Library, but elsewhere as well.

It should be in MLA format (Modern Language Association). There are copies of this guide available at the reserve desk in the library.

For TH1/27

2011-01-25T12:12:00.000-05:00

No class meeting on Thursday 1/27.

Instead, you should each make arrangements to meet with me individually this week to discuss your topics.

My office hours are MTWR 1:45-3:30 pm in LLA 125 or you can come meet with me in my office during our class time on Thursday.

For next Tuesday, post to your blog a first draft of an abstract for your project.

Your abstract is a brief formal statement articulating as clearly and specifically as possible both what your thesis is with regard to your chosen topic, and how you plan to demonstrate this thesis through the project you have planned. It should be clear, concise, specific, and to the point.

Aim for a terse 100-200 words to start with. Describe for us as clearly as possible your topic along with what the conclusion/thesis/punchline of your project will be. Post a first draft of your abstract to your blog and bring a printed copy to give to me in class on Tuesday.

For T 1/25

2011-01-20T12:15:00.000-05:00

Remember, no class today Thursday, 1/20.

Instead, work on your proposals.

For next Tuesday, 1/25, post at least 500 words to your blog describing your imagined topic as specifically and concretely as possible. Bring a printed copy of your writing with you to class.

See you then!

For T 1/18

2011-01-13T12:12:00.001-05:00

Post 2 entries to your blog:

1. Tell us briefly about your major concentration and briefly describe some of your most relevant coursework, readings, and other significant life experiences (such as travel and work) that have most directly helped shape your knowledge of this field.

2. Briefly describe two possible topics you can imagine doing for your senior project. Make them as focused and specific as possible.

Read your classmates' blogs. Leave comments generously.

Senior Project Specs

2011-01-13T12:01:00.002-05:00

Typically, your project will be on an interdisciplinary topic emerging from your concentration, 25-50 pages in length (6250-12,500 words), establish a thesis or claim regarding an important aspect of your topic, support that claim with appropriate research, and document that research both in the text and in a bibliography. You will be graded on the degree to which you fulfill each of these requirements as well as on the quality of your writing, research and documentation. The bound copy you give me will stay in the department. The checklist below will assure your having met the requirements for the project.

Checklist
___ spiral binding
___ cover with title page
___ internal title page
___ 25-50 pages (6250-12,500 words) text, i.e. excluding bibliography
___ double-spaced
___ standard margins
___ serif font, e.g. Times
___ white paper, single-sided (blank on back)
___ pages numbered
___ well-written
___ well-organized
___ argues a clear thesis
___ emerges from your IDS concentration
___ uses all relevant quality reference material
___ proper citation of reference material
___ no plagiarism
___ adheres to ASU’s “Code of Academic Integrity”
___ MLA formatted bibliography, error-free

The final copy of your senior project will also be posted online to your class blog.

Printed:
Spiral binding.
Any color cover (printing on cover is not required).
Single-sided printing recommended for most projects (white paper please).
Local print shops can often do this while you wait, as can EdMS in the basement of the old library.
Use a serif font like Times.
Double-space everything (including quotes, endnotes, footnotes, title page, bibliography, etc.)
Left justify only (do not justify the right hand margin).
Number pages in upper right hand corner.

Title page:

Title (not in quotes)

Your Name

Senior Seminar
Dr. Derek Stanovsky
Interdisciplinary Studies Program
Appalachian State University
December 2011

You must give me one bound copy, which will be kept in LLA 111.
I recommend you print at least one more copy for yourself.

Electronic:
You must also post a copy online to your blog, or other online site.

Welcome

2011-01-10T14:04:00.002-05:00

Welcome to our senior seminar blog. Each of you will be creating your own blogs this semester and your posts will be gathered together through the magic of RSS feeds.

Feel free to use your blog as a space to brainstorm, to collect notes and resources, and speculate wildly. Post early and often to your blogs.

An online version of your final project will also be posted to your blog.

Titles!

2010-11-30T12:33:00.001-05:00

Email your title to me asap!

Things Not To Do...

2010-11-22T13:24:00.000-05:00

The Gettysburg Power Point Presentation.

End Times

2010-11-08T15:05:00.000-05:00

Here's our schedule for the rest of the semester:

W 11/10 No class meeting. Post to your blogs. Come see me if you have questions. I will be happy to read any and all drafts or partial drafts from here on out. Just put a printed copy in my box in 111.

M 11/15 Work in progress discussion. Meet in Boone Saloon during our regular class time.

W 11/17 No class meeting. Post to your blogs. Come see me if you need help.

M 11/22 Title Brain Storms. Come to class with an assortment of keywords and phrases for your project. We will work together on producing possible titles for your projects.

Thanksgiving Break

M 11/29 Come to class. Encouraging words. Ideas for presentations.

W 12/1 Final Bound Projects Due.

M 12/6 Final Project Presentations. Room TBA.

Monday 11/8

2010-11-08T10:07:00.002-05:00

Come to class today. We will wrap up the initial work in progress presentations, and make plans for the rest of the semester.

Monday 11/1

2010-11-01T12:34:00.000-04:00

Al and Isani will present their work in progress.

No class meeting on Wednesday 11/3. Continue working. Post updates to your blogs.

Wed 10/27

2010-10-25T14:30:00.002-04:00

Gabriel and Bri will present their work in progress.

Next Week: October 18 & 20

2010-10-11T15:01:00.000-04:00

On Monday, 10/18: John and Molly will be presenting their work-in-progress. Check their blogs this weekend for readings. Leave comments. Print out the material. Come to class ready to discuss and provide helpful feedback.

No Class on Wednesday 10/20: Have a great Fall Break.

This Week

2010-10-11T11:56:00.002-04:00

We will have class today, Monday 10/11. We'll talk a little about portfolios and schedule some work-in-progess presentations.

No class on Wednesday 10/13. Continue with your own work. Post to your blogs. Come see me if you have questions or need help.

P.S. If you plan to attend the Vandana Shiva bookstore event instead of class that will be fine, just send me an email letting me know.

Sample Portfolio

2010-10-11T10:56:00.001-04:00

Here's an online version of a sample portfolio from a recent IDS graduate. If you have questions about what some pieces of your portfolio might look like, this may help you.

Portfolio

From Our IRB

2010-10-04T15:20:00.003-04:00

From our IRB:

"Research for instructional or Internal Quality Improvement/Assurance purposes is not subject to IRB oversight. The instructor or institutional officer is responsible for the ethical conduct of this research."

and

"Individual projects conducted primarily for instructional purposes within the context of a formal class, and not designed to contribute to generalizable knowledge, do not meet the definition of “research” as defined in the federal guidelines. Thus, they do not require review by the Board, provided the instructor is prepared to accept professional and ethical responsibility for all research projects conducted in conjunction with the class. Under these conditions, no IRB application need be made but it is the instructor’s responsibility to monitor the ethical propriety of these projects, applying the criteria listed in this document."

This makes me your institutional review board. For more information, you may consult these slides on human subjects research. Just keep in mind that the primary function of your Senior Seminar Project is instructional in nature. It's a part of your IDS program of study and its aim is to demonstrate your ability to carry out interdisciplinary research, not to create generalizable knowledge. If you have any questions or concerns, though, please feel free to come talk with me about them.

Continue Posting. No Class Wednesday 10/6

2010-10-04T13:11:00.002-04:00

We will not meet in class on Wednesday 10/6. You should keep posting to your blogs, and come see me during office hours if you need to consult with me on your project. Remember, you should be posting something substantive to your class blog at least once a week. Here are some things to consider posting or re-posting to your blog:

A revised, up-to-date, focused abstract.
A working bibliography, or an expanded and revised working bibliography.
A revised and focused research ethics and informed consent statement if necessary.
Research notes.
Drafts of written sections of your project.

Research Ethics Fail

2010-10-04T13:04:00.000-04:00

A new case comes to light from those responsible for the Tuskegee experiment:

From 1946 to 1948, American public health doctors deliberately infected nearly 700 Guatemalans — prison inmates, mental patients and soldiers — with venereal diseases in what was meant as an effort to test the effectiveness of penicillin.

American tax dollars, through the National Institutes of Health, even paid for syphilis-infected prostitutes to sleep with prisoners, since Guatemalan prisons allowed such visits. When the prostitutes did not succeed in infecting the men, some prisoners had the bacteria poured onto scrapes made on their penises, faces or arms, and in some cases it was injected by spinal puncture

No Class Monday 9/27

2010-09-27T12:59:00.000-04:00

Due to some family medical issues, I need to cancel our regular class meetings this week. You should get busy in the library with your research and writing.

You should also work through and post to your blog about the materials below on Research Ethics and Informed Consent.

Bring a copy of your written comments to class next Monday for us to discuss. See you then!

Research Ethics and Informed Consent

2010-09-27T11:21:00.000-04:00

Take a look at these links. The first are documents on ethics of human subjects research and the last is a tutorial on informed consent.

Belmont Report on Ethical Principles and Guidelines for Research Involving Human Subjects
SFAA Ethical Guidlines.
Tutorial on Informed Consent.

Read these over. Work through the most relevant tutorial. Then post to your blog your thoughts on how these issues may apply to your senior project. Be as specific and thoughtful as possible in your response.

Post your responses by midnight, Sunday 10/3. We will talk about the issues next Monday in class.

No class meeting on Wednesday 9/22.

Continue working and researching. Come talk with me in my office this week if you haven't gotten your abstract and topic settled yet.

RAP

2010-09-15T14:00:00.002-04:00

When you are ready, set up a RAP session (Research Advisory Program) with a librarian on your topic. Give them as much information as possible so they can help you find sources you haven't found on your own.

Delicious

2010-09-15T13:49:00.002-04:00

Each of you should create a delicious account. You can add a link roll to your blog as well if you like.

Delicious is a social bookmarking tool. It's not a substitute for library research, but it can be a very useful addition to it. You can bookmark and tag online sources you find. You may want to add some of these to your working bibliography. You can also search other user's bookmarks and tags to find things. Try it and see.

You can create an RSS feed for yourself that searches any combination of tags on delicious. Simply go to delicious.com and find Explore under the Tags menu at the top of the page.

For instance, type a tag... "wine" and click on the arrow.
Add another tag... "terrorism" and click on the arrow.

Then copy the url of your page and paste it into a Feed gadget on your blog, or simply bookmark the page on delicious for yourself.

Working Bibliography

2010-09-15T13:36:00.002-04:00

To summarize, your bibliography:

It should contain not only sources available at Belk Library, but elsewhere as well.

It should be in MLA format (Modern Language Association). There are copies of this guide available at the reserve desk in the library.

6th Annual State of North Carolina Undergraduate Research and Creativity Symposium (SNCURCS)

2010-09-13T13:40:00.000-04:00

fyi:

"The Office of Student Research would like to personally invite you and your students to submit abstracts of research and creative endeavors (performances, plays, readings, exhibits, displays, etc) for presentation at the 2010 State of North Carolina Undergraduate Research and Creativity Symposium (SNCURCS) to be held at Meredith College on Saturday, Nov. 20, 2010. At the 2008 SNCURCS meeting, held at ASU, a total of 26 North Carolina Universities/Colleges attended, 246 student presentations were delivered (exhibit, oral, poster, visual and performing arts), and nearly 500 students, Faculty mentors, administrators, recruiters, high-school teachers, students, and parents attended.

It is my hope that the Faculty and students at ASU will be well represented at this prestigious scholarly event. The call for abstracts and registration began on Sept. 10, 2010 and will run through Oct. 15, 2010. To submit an abstract simply visit: www.sncurcs.org. and click on the "Registration" heading at the top of the page"

Extra Office Hours

2010-09-13T08:59:00.000-04:00

If you still need to discuss your project, I will be holding some extra office hours Monday 9/13 from 9:00-11:00 am in the Wired Scholar Coffee shop in Belk Library. Feel free to drop by.

For Monday

2010-09-09T15:33:00.003-04:00

Start writing your abstract.

Your abstract is a brief formal statement articulating as clearly and specifically as possible both what your thesis is with regard to your chosen topic, and how you plan to demonstrate your thesis through the project you have planned. It should be clear, concise, specific, and to the point.

Aim for a terse 100-200 words to start with. Describe for us as clearly as possible your topic and what the conclusion/thesis/punchline of your project will be.

Post a first draft of your abstract to your blog and bring a printed copy to give to me in class on Monday.

Extra Office Hours

2010-09-09T15:23:00.000-04:00

I will have some extra office hours on Friday morning, from 9:00-11:00, for those of you who haven't been able to come see me yet. Don't forget.

Office Hours & Individual Meetings Next Week

2010-09-01T13:03:00.002-04:00

I've posted my office now. They are TR 8:45-12:30.

Next week we won't have class on Monday due to Labor Day. Rather than have class on Wednesday, I'd prefer to meet individually with each of you to talk about your possible project proposals.

You can either come by my office hours on Tuesday or Thursday, or we can set up another time to meet if my office hours don't work for you. Please note, that I won't be available on Wednesday next week, so plan accordingly.

Be sure to post one or more revised and expanded topic proposals to your blog before your meeting with me.

Edit Your Blogs

2010-09-01T10:54:00.002-04:00

Pleae remove the extraneous gadgets from the sidebars of your blogs (things like "Followers" when typically your blog won't have any) and add a blog roll gadget that includes links to this blog and to your classmates' blogs.

You should also add a "recent comment" gadget so that you can easily see what comments have been left on your blog.

For Wednesday 9/1

2010-08-30T12:23:00.002-04:00

Post 2 entries to your blog:

1. Tell us about your major concentration and briefly describe some of your most relevant coursework, readings, and other significant experiences that have most directly helped shaped your knowledge of this field.

2. Briefly describe at least two possible topics for your senior project. Make them as focused and specific as possible.

Read your classmates' blogs. Leave comments generously.

Senior Project Specs

2010-08-30T12:19:00.005-04:00

Typically, your project will be on an interdisciplinary topic emerging from your concentration, 25-50 pages in length (6250-12,500 words), establish a thesis or claim regarding an important aspect of your topic, support that claim with appropriate research, and document that research both in the text and in a bibliography. You will be graded on the degree to which you fulfill each of these requirements as well as on the quality of your writing, research and documentation. The bound copy you give me will stay in the department. The checklist below will assure your having met the requirements for the project.

Checklist
___ spiral binding
___ cover with title page
___ internal title page
___ 25-50 pages (6250-12,500 words) text, i.e. excluding bibliography
___ double-spaced
___ standard margins
___ serif font, e.g. Times
___ white paper, single-sided (blank on back)
___ pages numbered
___ well-written
___ well-organized
___ argues a clear thesis
___ emerges from your IDS concentration
___ uses all relevant quality reference material
___ proper citation of reference material
___ no plagiarism
___ adheres to ASU’s “Code of Academic Integrity”
___ MLA formatted bibliography, error-free

The final copy of your senior project will also be posted online to your class blog.

Printed:
“Black-comb” spiral binding.
Any color cover (printing on cover is not required).
Single-sided printing recommended for most projects (white paper please).
Local print shops can often do this while you wait, as can EdMS in the basement of the old library.
Use a serif font like Times.
Double-space everything (including quotes, endnotes, footnotes, title page, bibliography, etc.)
Left justify only (do not justify the right hand margin).
Number pages in upper right hand corner.

Title page:

Title (not in quotes)

Your Name

Senior Seminar
Dr. Derek Stanovsky
Interdisciplinary Studies Program
Appalachian State University
December 2010

You must give me one bound copy, which will be kept in LLA 111.
I recommend you print at least one more copy for yourself.

Electronic:
You must also post a copy online to your blog, or other online site.

ASU’s 11th Annual Queer Film Festival

2010-08-30T10:33:00.002-04:00

Here's an upcoming campus event you may be interested in.

Five Mondays starting 9/13.

All films will be shown at 7:30 pm in Room 114 in Belk Library and
Information Commons. Screenings are free and open to the public.
Discussion will follow the film.

Monday 9/13. 8: THE MORMON PROPOSITION (2010. USA. 80 minutes).
“Equality for Some.” This documentary provides a searing indictment
of the Mormon Church's historic involvement in the promotion and
passage of, California’s anti-same sex-marriage legislation,
Proposition 8, and the Mormon religion’s secretive, decades-long
campaign against gay rights from Hawaii to New York. Narrated by
Dustin Lance Black, Academy Award winning screenwriter of MILK.

Monday 9/20. GEN SILENT (2010, USA. 63 minutes.) An award-winning
film documenting elderly LGBT people who go back into the closet to
survive in the healthcare system. Here we see meet six LGBT elders and
a wide range of paid caregivers: From those who are specifically
trained to make LGBT seniors feel safe, to the other end of the
spectrum, where LGBT elders face discrimination, neglect or abuse. As
we journey through the challenges that these men and women face, we
also see reasons for hope as each subject crosses paths with a small
but growing group of impassioned professionals trying to wake up the
long-term and healthcare industries to their plight.

Monday 9/27. WERE THE WORLD MINE (2008, USA. 95 minutes.) If you had a
love-potion, who would you make fall madly in love with you? Timothy,
prone to escaping his dismal high school reality through dazzling
musical daydreams, finds out. After his eccentric teacher casts him
as Puck in A Midsummer Night's Dream, he stumbles upon a recipe to
create the play's magical, purple love-pansy. Armed with the magic
flower, Timothy's fading spirit soars as he puckishly imposes a new
reality by turning much of his narrow-minded town gay, beginning with
the rugby-jock of his dreams. Ensnaring family, friends and enemies,
Timothy forces them to walk a mile in his musical shoes. As
Shakespeare writes, “The course of true love never did run smooth.”

Monday 10/4. UNDERTOW (CONTRACORRIENTE). (2009, Peru. In Spanish with
English subtitles. 100 minutes.) An unusual ghost story set on the
Peruvian seaside; a married fisherman struggles to reconcile his
devotion to his male lover within his town's rigid traditions.

Monday 10/11. THE OWLS (Older, Wiser, Lesbians) (2010, USA. 66
minutes.) Four older lesbians kill a younger one and try to get away
with it in director Cheryl Dunye’s newest work, a funny, mysterious
and humane generational anthem starring some of the most popular
underground artists in Lesbian Cinema. Made for $22,000, THE OWLS is
a collective act, re-thinking how to make films that matter outside
the system. “We created our own system, peopled by lesbians, queers
and people of color, film professionals all raising themes about aging
as well as inter-generational dialogue; loneliness and community;
dreams raised and deferred; butch/trans anxiety; cross-racial and
inter-racial desire and strain; and the history of lesbian cinema and
self-representation.”

Welcome!

2010-08-23T15:13:00.000-04:00

Interdisciplinary Studies Senior Seminar Presentations, Spring 2010

2010-04-20T10:19:00.005-04:00

The Spring 2010 Interdisciplinary Studies Program Senior Seminar Presentations will be April 27 from 12:30-3:00 pm in the Macrae Peak Room of the Student Union. This event is free and open to the public. Please join us.

Alex Newman, "Full Metal Miike: Exploring Cultural Issues in Japan through the Films of Takashi Miike."

Kelly McRell, "Life Skills: Providing Training Programs to Adults with Disabilities through Non-profits."

Rio Tazewell, "HR 2454: Investigating Energy Policy of the 21st Century."

Jessica Bell, "The Heart of Okinawa: Incorporating Alternative Therapies in Western Medicine."

Charles Webster, "Freire, Marti and Mariategui: An Integrative Look at the Campesino a Campesino Movement."

Christina Fisher, "A Patchwork Life: Social Change Through Alterations in Consumerism."

Katy Barnard and Sara Wasiuddin, "Shedding Light on Shady Situations: Sorting out the Affairs at Heavenly Mountain."

No Class Th 4/15

2010-04-15T08:21:00.000-04:00

But I will be over at the Digital Media Studio, Belk Library 355, during our class time if you would like to talk with me.

Titles!

2010-04-08T12:18:00.001-04:00

For Tuesday 4/13, bring to class a list of possible titles for your project, even a list of keywords will help. We will spend some time in class helping you brainstorm with an eye towards helping everyone settle on title for their work.

University College Graduation Reception

2010-04-01T10:25:00.002-04:00

Please join us for the Spring

Student Recognition and

Commencement Celebration

Saturday, May 8, 2010

3:00 pm

305 Bodenheimer Dr.

Living Learning Academic Building

(The Great Hall)

On Power Point Usage

2010-03-21T19:43:00.002-04:00

Drafts and Presentations

2010-03-16T12:03:00.001-04:00

Over the next few weeks, our aim is for you to complete, post, and present for discussion a draft of a substantive middle third of your project (about 8 pages or the equivalent). You will each be asked to volunteer for one of the dates below. By midnight of the Sunday before, you must post to your blog, or otherwise make available to the class, a draft of a portion of your senior project. During class, you will present that section of your project to the class.

When you are not scheduled to present, your assignment is to carefully and critically read the drafts posted by your classmates. You are to write substantive, thoughtful, and specific comments and post them on their blogs by midnight Monday. On the day of the presentation, you are to ask questions and actively participate in the class discussions of the projects.

Class presentations will be on Tuesdays. We will not have class on Thursdays, but you will meet with me in my office on the Thursday after your presentation to discuss your draft and your presentation.

T 3/23

Jessica
Alex

T 3/30

Kelly
Charles

TH 4/8

Sara & Katy
Christina
Rio

Your final, completed, bound projects are due in class on Thursday, 4/22.

Your final public presentation of your senior projects is tentatively scheduled for Tuesday 4/27 during classtime at a room TBA.

Spring Break And Beyond

2010-03-02T12:05:00.000-05:00

This week we will meet on Tuesday 3/2 in class. Jessica will present her work in progess.

No class on Th 3/4. I will be in my office if you wish to consult with me.

Spring Break!

We will meet on the Tuesday after break. The goal will be for us to arrange a schedule for rotating due dates for presentations and drafts of work in progress. Plan to have a draft of some middle third of your project to circulate to the class (8 pages or so or the equivalent) in the week or two after break.

Next Classes

2010-02-16T13:38:00.002-05:00

TH 2/18 No class. I will be in my office during classtime to discuss your projects as needed.

T 2/23 Work In Progress Presentations: Katy & Sara, Jessica, Rio and Christian

TH 2/25 No class. I will be in my office during classtime to discuss your projects as needed.

RAP Session

2010-02-09T15:34:00.001-05:00

Set up a RAP session (Research Advisory Program) with a librarian on your topic. Give them as much information as possible so they can help you find sources you haven't found on your own.

Class Schedule

2010-02-09T13:09:00.000-05:00

TH 2/11 - No class. I will be in my office during classtime to discuss your projects as needed.

T 2/16 Work In Progress Presentations: Kelly, Charles, Christina, Alex

TH 2/18 No class. I will be in my office during classtime to discuss your projects as needed.

T 2/23 Work In Progress Presentations: Katy & Sara, Jessica, Rio

TH 2/25 No class. I will be in my office during classtime to discuss your projects as needed.

Working Bibliography

2010-02-09T13:02:00.000-05:00

To summarize, your bibliography:

It should contain not only sources available at Belk Library, but elsewhere as well.

It should be in MLA format (Modern Language Association). There are copies of this guide available at the reserve desk in the library.

No Class TH 2/4

2010-02-03T15:47:00.000-05:00

No class on Thursday 2/4. Instead, I'll be in my office if you need to talk with me about your abstract or your project. Otherwise, we will see you next Tuesday.

Please Come!

2010-01-26T11:28:00.000-05:00

The 26^th Annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Commemoration at Appalachian State University features noted writer and activist Nikki Giovanni in a 7 p.m. talk Jan. 28 in Farthing Auditorium. The program is sponsored by Appalachian’s Office of Multicultural Student Development. Admission is free.

A reception and book signing will precede Giovanni’s talk from 5:30-6:30 p.m. in the Farthing Auditorium lobby.

Giovanni is a world-renowned poet, writer, commentator, activist and educator. A widely read American poet, she prides herself on being “a Black American, a daughter, a mother, a professor of English.”

A Distinguished Professor of English at Virginia Tech, Giovanni is committed to the fight for civil rights and equality with a focus on the individual, specifically on the power one has to make a difference in oneself, and thus, in the lives of others.

Next Classes

2010-01-26T11:22:00.001-05:00

No Class Thursday 1/28: Instead, come see me in my office during classtime if you need to talk about your project topic.

On Tuesday 2/2: Come prepared to discuss your thoughts on the Ethics and Informed Consent readings posted below.

Ethics and Informed Consent

2010-01-26T11:20:00.000-05:00

Take a look at these links. The first are documents on ethics of human subjects researchand the last is a tutorial on informed consent.

Belmont Report on Ethical Principles and Guidelines for Research Involving Human Subjects
SFAA Ethical Guidlines.
Tutorial on Informed Consent.

Read these over. Work through the most relevant tutorial. Then post to your blog your thoughts on how these issues may impact your senior project. Be as specific and thoughtful as possible in your response.

Weekly Blog Updates

2010-01-26T10:50:00.002-05:00

Remember that you need to be posting at least weekly to your blogs and giving us updates on what you've been doing towards your project. Tell us what you've been reading, who you've been talking to, what writing you did, or anything else you've spent time on that week related to your project. These posts are an important part of the overall process. Be sure to make time for them.

You Are Invited

2010-01-24T09:36:00.002-05:00

Dr. Gregory Cajete, Director of the Native American Studies Program at The University of New Mexico, will speak on “Teaching Indigenous Ways of Knowing – Practice and Experience” at 6:30 on Monday, January 25th, in the Great Hall at the Living Learning Center. This presentation and subsequent conversation are open to the public.

Start Working On...

2010-01-21T12:23:00.003-05:00

Your abstract:

Should be a brief formal statement articulating as clearly and specifically as possible both what your thesis is with regard to your chosen topic, and how you plan to demonstrate your thesis through the project you have planned.

Should be a minimum of 400 words and a maximum of 800 words in length (not counting your bibliography).

Should include a selected bibliography containing a short list of only the books, articles, and other resources most centrally important to your thesis. (MLA style please.)

Should be well written, clear, concise, specific, and to the point.

Should include an original and informative title for your project. (Titles can be hard, and the final title for you project may change, but I would like you to come up with at least a provisional working title.)

Post your abstract to your blog and bring a printed copy to give to me in class.

For Thursday 1/21

2010-01-19T15:24:00.000-05:00

If you didn't present your senior project ideas to the class for discussion on Tuesday, you will present them on Thursday. If you already presented your project ideas, you should keep thinking about those ideas and keep posting to your blog. Read and comment on your classmates blogs. Be generous with your time, ideas and comments. See you Thursday.

For Tuesday 1/19

2010-01-14T12:26:00.001-05:00

Post 2 entries to your blog:

1. Tell us briefly about your major concentration and briefly describe some of your most relevant coursework, readings, and other significant experiences that have most directly helped shaped your knowledge of this field.

2. If possible, briefly describe two topics for your senior project. Make them as focused and specific as possible.

Read your classmates' blogs. Leave comments generously.

Delicious How To

2010-01-14T12:08:00.003-05:00

Everyone should create a delicious account for themselves. You can add a link roll to your blog as well.

Delicious is a social bookmarking tool. It's not a substitute for library research, but it can be a very useful addition to it. You can bookmark and tag online sources you find. You may want to add some of these to your working bibliography. You can also search other user's bookmarks and tags to find things. Try it and see.

You can create an RSS feed for yourself that searches any combination of tags on delicious. Simply go to delicious.com and find Explore under the Tags menu at the top of the page.

Type a tag... "digital" and click on the arrow.
Add another tag... "labour" and click on the arrow.

Then copy the url of your page and paste it into a Feed gadget on your blog, or simply bookmark the page on delicious for yourself.

Senior Project Specs

2010-01-14T11:42:00.000-05:00

Senior Project Check-Sheet:

Typically, your project will be on an interdisciplinary topic emerging from your concentration, 25-50 pages in length (6250-12,500 words), establish a thesis or claim regarding an important aspect of your topic, support that claim with appropriate research, and document that research both in the text and in a bibliography. You will be graded on the degree to which you fulfill each of these requirements as well as on the quality of your writing, research and documentation. The bound copy you give me will stay in the department. The checklist below will assure your having met the requirements for the project.

Checklist
___ spiral binding
___ cover with title page
___ internal title page
___ 25-50 pages (6250-12,500 words) text, i.e. excluding bibliography
___ double-spaced
___ standard margins
___ serif font, e.g. Times
___ white paper, single-sided (blank on back)
___ pages numbered
___ well-written
___ well-organized
___ argues a clear thesis
___ emerges from your IDS concentration
___ uses all relevant quality reference material
___ proper citation of reference material
___ no plagiarism
___ adheres to ASU’s “Code of Academic Integrity”
___ MLA formatted bibliography, error-free

The final copy of your senior project will also be posted online to your class blog.

Printed:
“Black-comb” spiral binding.
Any color cover (printing on cover is not required).
Single-sided printing recommended for most projects (white paper please).
Print shops such as Precision, SOS, or Minor’s can often do this while you wait as can Educational Media Services downstairs in Old Belk Library.
Use a serif font like Times.
Double-space everything (including quotes, endnotes, footnotes, title page, bibliography, etc.)
Left justify only (do not justify the right hand margin).
Number pages in upper right hand corner.

Title page:

Title (not in quotes)

Your Name

Senior Seminar
Dr. Derek Stanovsky
Interdisciplinary Studies Program
Appalachian State University
May 2010

You must give me one bound copy, which will be kept in LLA 111.
I recommend you print at least one more copy for yourself.

Electronic:
You must also post a copy online to your blog.

How To Blog

2010-01-12T13:20:00.000-05:00

You need to create your own blog and email me the link. You can do this here on blogger.com or if you prefer you can explore other options such as wordpress, wetpaint, netvibes, livejournal, blogsome or another site. Just please make sure your blog has an RSS feed available is all. If you're new to this, though, I recommend blogger.com.

Welcome!

2010-01-12T12:16:00.001-05:00

Welcome to our senior seminar blog. Each of you will be writing your own blogs this semester and your posts will be syndicated here through the magic of RSS feeds.

Feel free to use this as a space to brainstorm, to collect notes and resources, and speculate wildly. Post early and often to your blogs.

An online version of your final project will also be posted to your blog.

Senior Project Specs Again

2009-11-30T14:31:00.001-05:00

Senior Project Check-Sheet:

Typically, your project will be on an interdisciplinary topic emerging from your concentration, 25-50 pages in length (6250-12,500 words), establish a thesis or claim regarding an important aspect of your topic, support that claim with appropriate research, and document that research both in the text and in a bibliography. You will be graded on the degree to which you fulfill each of these requirements as well as on the quality of your writing, research and documentation. The bound copy you give me will stay in the department. The checklist below will assure your having met the requirements for the project.

Checklist
___ spiral binding
___ cover with title page
___ internal title page
___ 25-50 pages (6250-12,500 words) text, i.e. excluding bibliography
___ double-spaced
___ standard margins
___ serif font, e.g. Times
___ white paper, single-sided (blank on back)
___ pages numbered
___ well-written
___ well-organized
___ argues a clear thesis
___ emerges from your IDS concentration
___ uses all relevant quality reference material
___ proper citation of reference material
___ no plagiarism
___ adheres to ASU’s “Code of Academic Integrity”
___ MLA formatted bibliography, error-free

The final copy of your senior project will also be posted online to your class blog.

Printed:
“Black-comb” spiral binding.
Any color cover (printing on cover is not required).
Single-sided printing recommended for most projects (white paper please).
Print shops such as Precision, SOS, or Minor’s can often do this while you wait.
Use a serif font like Times.
Double-space everything (including quotes, endnotes, footnotes, title page, bibliography, etc.)
Left justify only (do not justify the right hand margin).
Number pages in upper right hand corner.

Title page:

Title (not in quotes)

Your Name

Senior Seminar
Dr. Derek Stanovsky
Interdisciplinary Studies Program
Appalachian State University
December 2009

You must give me one bound copy, which will be kept in LLA 111.
I recommend you print at least one more copy for yourself.

Electronic:
You must also post a copy online to your blog.

Monday Class

2009-11-30T12:11:00.000-05:00

Please come to class today (Monday 11/30). I want to touch base with everyone as we rush towards Wednesday's D(ue)-day for your projects. We also need to do course evaluations, and I need to find out any last title changes from you. See you there.

Titles

2009-11-18T12:36:00.000-05:00

No class meeting today, W 11/18, but remember that I want to talk to each of you individually at least one more time between now and Thanksgiving.

On Monday, 11/23, we will meet as a class and your assignment is to bring with you at least one good title for your project. I need these titles for the invitations to the presentations.

Due Dates

2009-11-16T15:03:00.001-05:00

Your final, bound, completely finished senior project is due in class on Wednesday, 12/2. Plan accordingly.

If you are graduating, you also need to remember to make arrangements with your academic advisor to sign off on your portfolio.

I will also tentatively schedule your final project presentations during our final class day on M 12/7.