POLS 487 Senior Honors Seminar
Class: MWF, 11:15-12:05, McClung Tower, 1203
Instructor: Anthony Nownes
Office: 811 McClung Tower
Office hours: Monday 1-4
Email:
Home page: http://web.utk.edu/~anownes/default.html
Introduction
POLS 487 is the Senior Honors Seminar. As you know, to graduate with honors in the Department of Political Science, you must successfully complete POLS 387, 388, 487, and 488. If you are here, you have already completed POLS 387 and 388. Next semester you will complete POLS 488, which means you will write a thesis. POLS 487 is designed to get you ready to complete your honors thesis. We will explore various topics, including research design, citation style, and research question formulation.
We will begin by focusing on the process of writing a thesis. You will read two books designed to help you. At the same time, you will be reading in your chosen subject area. Starting in Week 5, we will spend time discussing each student’s research topic. The goal of our sessions is to help each student formulate a final research question or thesis topic. Students are expected to show up and participate in these deliberations. After these discussions, each student will have a week to formulate a final thesis topic/research question. You will turn this into me on October 15. After I approve your research question/thesis topic, you will have until the end of the semester to complete chapter 1 of your thesis. This portion of your thesis will constitute the end product of your time in this class.
Texts
The following items are to be purchased:
· Wayne C. Booth, Joseph M. Williams, Gregory G. Colomb. 2003. The Craft of Research (Chicago Guides to Writing, Editing, and Publishing), 2nd ed. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
· Eviatar Zerubavel. 1999. The Clockwork Muse: A Practical Guide to Writing Theses, Dissertations, and Books. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
Other readings will be assigned.
Other Policies
Plagiarism
Plagiarism will not be tolerated. The following is an excerpt from the University of Tennessee’s Honor Statement, which can be found in Hilltopics Student Handbook, which is the official student handbook of the University of Tennessee:
“Students shall not plagiarize. Plagiarism is using the intellectual property or product of someone else without giving proper credit. The undocumented use of someone else's words or ideas in any medium of communication (unless such information is recognized as common knowledge) is a serious offense, subject to disciplinary action that may include failure in a course and/or dismissal from the University. Specific examples of plagiarism are: Using without proper documentation (quotation marks and a citation) written or spoken words, phrases, or sentences from any source; Summarizing without proper documentation (usually a citation) ideas from another source (unless such information is recognized as common knowledge); Borrowing facts, statistics, graphs, pictorial representations, or phrases without acknowledging the source (unless such information is recognized as common knowledge); Collaborating on a graded assignment without the instructor's approval; Submitting work, either in whole or in part, created by a professional service and used without attribution (e.g., paper, speech, bibliography, or photograph).” (Hilltopics, p. 31).
The entire text of Hilltopics can be found at http://web.utk.edu/~homepage/hilltopics/default.html.
Cheating
It is understood that cheating will not be tolerated. The most common form of cheating is looking at your neighbor’s paper during a test or quiz. If I catch you doing this, I will remove you from the classroom and give you an “F” for the test or quiz in question. The second most common form of cheating is bringing in outside material and using it during a test or quiz. If I catch you doing this, I will remove you from the classroom and give you an “F” for the test or quiz in question.
All students are expected to be familiar with the University of Tennessee Honor Statement and to abide by its terms. The entire Honor Statement can be found in Hilltopics.
Attendance
I will take roll every day. You may be excused from class (or given credit for attending a class you did not actually attend) if you have written evidence of sickness, infirmity, or commitment to a university-sanctioned extracurricular activity. Appeals will be heard in other cases. Appeals are very seldom granted.
Talking in Class
This class will involve a great deal of discussion. However, you are to speak only when recognized by me. Furthermore, you may NOT talk when someone else (including me) is speaking.
Disability Policy
If you need adaptations or accommodations because of a disability, please contact the Office of Disability Services (ODS). The office is located at 191 Hoskins Library, and can be contacted at 974-6087. The ODS web page is found at http://ods.utk.edu/default.html.
Here is what the Student Handbook says about ODS and its services:
“The Office of Disability Services (ODS) seeks to eliminate the barriers persons with disabilities encounter and to work with them to achieve and maintain individual autonomy. The office’s primary objective is to provide faculty, staff, and students with access to the academic, social, cultural, and recreational opportunities of the University.
Prospective students are encouraged to contact ODS personnel so that they can be assured that the campus facilities and services are adequate to meet their needs. The office can be of service to everyone to the extent that his or her individual needs are made known. Contact with students prior to registration enables the office to better assess the need for interpreters, readers, accessible facilities, and other support services. Van service is also provided to those individuals with mobility limitations, whether permanent or temporary. Documentation of a disability from an attending physician or the Student Health Center is required.
Registration with the office and use of services is on a voluntary basis, however, accommodations will not be provided without notifying the office and providing proper documentation. Confidentiality is maintained. Faculty, staff, and students desiring any services are encouraged to contact the Office of Disability Services so that necessary arrangements can be made. The office is located at 191 Hoskins Library.
Requests for interpreting services by enrolled deaf students should be made to ODS at least one month prior to the beginning of the semester.” Hilltopics Student Handbook, p. 45.
Schedule
Date and Week # / Description / NotesWeek 1
W 8/20 and F 8/22 / First Day
Assignment Given:
Go get references.
Week 2
M 8/25, W 8/27, and F 8/29 / Read: The Clockwork Muse / FIRST SET OF REFERENCES DUE!!!, Weds.
Week 3
W 9/3 and F 9/5 / Labor Day
Week 4
M 9/8, W 9/10, F 9/12 / Read: The Craft of Research / SECOND SET OF REFERENCES DUE!!!, Friday (Reference sets = 10% of grade)
Week 5
M 9/15, W 9/17, F 9/19 / Student Discussions (Participation in seminar discussions = 10% of grade) / We will help each student narrow her/his topic in an effort to help her/him formulate final research question/thesis topic
Week 6
M 9/22, 9/24, 9/26 / Student Discussions
Week 7
M 9/29, W 10/1, F 10/3 / Student Discussions
Week 8
M 10/6, W 10/8, F 10/10 / Student Discussions
Week 9
M 10/13 and W 10/15 / Final thesis question due !!!, Weds. (Final thesis question = 15% of grade)
Week 10
M 10/20, W 10/22, F 10/24
Week 11
M 10/27, W 10/29, F 10/31
Week 12
M 11/3, W 11/5, F 11/7
Week 13
M 11/10, W 11/12, F 11/14
Week 14
M 11/17, W 11/9, F 11/21
Week 15
M 11/24 and W 11/26 / Chapter 1 due!*** (Chapter 1 = 65% of grade)
Week 16
M 12/1 / Last Day
*** Alternative available… check with instructor