Topics for Freshman Class

Topics for Freshman Class

Honor 1500: Page | 1

Honors 1500: Introduction to Research:

An Interdisciplinary Perspective

“If I knew what I was doing, I wouldn’t call it research.”

Albert Einstein

FALL 2014: 329 Sage Hall.

Instructor: Susan Brown Eve, Ph.D.

Professorof SociologyAssociate Dean, Honors College

Honors College Offices: Sage Hall 257C, University of North Texas

Telephone: 940-565-4914, FAX: 940-369-7370,

Office hours:Monday, Friday 1:00-5:00 p.m.; Wednesday 8:00-11:30 a.m.; Thursday 2:00-5:00 p.m. While drop-ins are welcome, and many times just cannot be avoided, it is always best to check ahead.

SPECIFIC COURSE OBJECTIVES FOR HNRS 1500:

In this course, students will read and hear lectures about the research process from a selection of prominent researchers and master teachers at the University of North Texas, as well as honors students who have completed, or are close to completing, an undergraduate thesis. The material covers a wide range of disciplines, including the humanities, the physical and life sciences, the social and behavioral sciences, and the arts. In keeping with the designation of the course as a part of the “discovery core,” the overarching academic objectives for the course are as follows:

  1. Students should develop communication skills, which include effective development, interpretation, and expression of ideas through written, oral and visual communication:
  2. Students should develop a written prospectus for a possible undergraduate thesis that includes a critical review of selected research literature on the topic and that conforms to the standards required in formal, scholarly writing.
  3. Students will participate in a class composed of an interdisciplinary mix of students admitted to the Honors College who may have majors in the humanities, the physical and life sciences, engineering, the social and behavioral sciences, and the arts. Students will present their assignments to the class in order to receive feedback and suggestions for refinement of their ideas.
  4. Students will develop a formal poster presentation to present to select UNT faculty and the HNRS 1500 class at the end of the term and at University Scholars Day.
  5. Students should develop critical thinking skills, including creative thinking, innovation, inquiry, analysis, evaluation, and synthesis of information.
  6. Students should develop a research prospectus in which they critically review, evaluate, and synthesize ideas on a specific research topic and propose a research thesis that can be tested in the proposed research.
  7. In the research prospectus, students should develop an appropriate research design to analyze, evaluate, and synthesize information from empirical research data to test the research thesis.
  8. Students should learn to work together in teams, which includes the ability to consider different points of view and to work effectively with others to support a shared or common purpose:
  9. This class should strive to establish a collegial network of scholars, all working toward the goal of furthering scholarly research through the development of individual research prospecti with feedback from colleagues in the class including the professor and student peers.
  10. Students will participate in a class composed of an interdisciplinary mix of students admitted to the Honors College who may have majors in the humanities, the physical and life sciences, engineering, the social and behavioral sciences, and the arts. Students will present their assignments to the class in order to receive feedback and suggestions for refinement of their ideas.
  11. Students will learn to constructively critique the work of others and accept constructively critical analysis of their own work from other students and from faculty.
  12. Students should develop personal responsibility, which includes the ability to connect choices, actions, and consequences of ethical decision-making.
  13. Students should understand and demonstrate the role of ethics in the Responsible Conduct of Research and the role of institutional reviews of the use of humans and animals in research where applicable in their research prospectus
  14. Students should understand and demonstrate the need for safety reviews of research projects using biological or chemical agents or radioactivity in the development of their research prospectus where applicable.
  15. Students should understand the issues of plagiarism, falsification of data, and intellectual property rights and avoid violations of these issues in the development of their research prospectus

Textbooks

Duban, James. 2009. Be an Academic Achiever: The Complete Guide to Academic Stardom. Victoria, B.C.: Trafford, 2009.

Turabian, Kate L. 2013.A Manual for Writers of Research Papers, Theses, and Dissertations: Chicago Style for Students and Researchers. 8th ed. Chicago, Illinois: The University of Chicago Press.

Course Requirements

(1)Success in College ScrapbookDiary (20% of final grade): In the class we will complete a series of assignments that will help you be a success in your classes and help you plan for your future success in a career and your life! You should start a scrapbook diary that includes these assignments as well as additional information you come across during the course of the semester that you think will help you be successful. You should include commentary on what you learn from your experiences your first semester – how much you study, how well you do on exams and papers, your health habits including nutrition, exercise, sleep, and recreation. Comment on your progress. What went right, where were you challenged, how did you meet the challenges. You will turn your scrapbook in at the end of the semester in your final individual meeting along with your commentary on your progress. Be creative! This is your diary and should be designed to best help you!

(2)Appointments (20% of final grade): Students are requested to make two formal appointments with the course instructor during the course of the semester. The first appointment will occur near the beginning of the semester. The second will toward the end of the semester.

(3)Discovery Prospectus (60% of final grade: 30% from prospectus assignments throughout the semester;30% from the final draft of the prospectus). These assignments must also be posted to Blackboard coursepage for HNRS1500 in the proper assignment folder by 8:00 a.m. the day the assignment is due. A hard copy should be turned in in class the day it is due. During the course of the semester you should be working on a research prospectus. The daily class assignments are designed to help you write this prospectus as you progress through the course during the semester. In the prospectus, you should design a piece of research that you would like to carry out while you are an undergraduate.

Each prospectus assignment turned in should have a heading containing the following information:

  1. student’s name;
  2. course number and name;
  3. student’s instructor;
  4. title of the assignment for the course (e.g.Part 2: Literature Review); and,
  5. date paper is turned in.

Development of the prospectus will require meeting with the course instructor.You may want to get advice for a professor in your major area of study as well. Progress reports on your prospectus will be expected periodically during the course of the semester. It is important that you learn to pace yourself in the discovery process. Timely completion of tasks is important. In order to encourage you to learn to pace yourself, assignments that are turned in after the due date will be penalized half a letter grade (5 points). The final prospectus should be about 10 pages (2500 words) in length. Due dates for prospectus assignments are bolded and italicized in the daily course schedule below to make them easier to spot. Assignments must be done on time in order for you to successfully complete the course.

Assignments Submitted Online. Assignments must usually be turned in online to the class Blackboard webpage by 8:00 a.m. the day they are due unless otherwise noted.

CLASS ATTENDANCE

Regular and punctual class attendance is expected. In this class you have a responsibility for participating in the seminar discussions as a member of the HNRS 1500 learning community.

AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT

It is the policy of your instructor to comply fully with the Americans with Disabilities Act and to make reasonable accommodations for qualified students with disabilities. Please present your written request for accommodation at the start of the semester.

POLICY ON ACADEMIC INTEGRITY

Academic Integrity Policy. Academic dishonesty is defined as follows by the Office of Academic Integrity on the website:

  • Cheating intentionally using or attempting to use unauthorized materials, information, or study aids in any academic exercise. The term academic exercise includes all forms of work submitted for credit or hours.
  • Plagiarism the deliberate adoption or reproduction of ideas, words or statements of another person as one's own without acknowledgement.
  • Fabrication intentional and unauthorized falsification or invention of any information or citation in an academic exercise.
  • Facilitating academic dishonesty intentionally or knowingly helping or attempting to help another to violate a provision of the institutional code of academic integrity.

Violations of the policy of academic integrity are taken seriously at UNT and may include failing grades on assignments and/or the course and reports to the VPAA that become a part of the official student record. You should read the procedures and sanctions for academic dishonesty on the website of the Vice President for academic Affairs at If you are in doubt about any of the issues related to academic integrity, it is your responsibility to consult with the course instructor regarding these requirements before your assignments are submitted.

STUDENT EVALUATION OF TEACHING EFFECTIVENESS (SETE)

The Student Evaluation of Teaching Effectiveness (SETE) is a requirement for all organized classes at UNT. This short survey will be made available to you at the end of the semester, providing you a chance to comment on how this class is taught. I am very interested in the feedback I get from students, as I work to continually improve my teaching. I consider the SETE to be an important part of your participation in this class. The administration of the SETE will remain open through the week of finals.

DAILY COURSE SCHEDULE

AUG. 26. GETTING STARTED: SUCCEED AT UNT

UNT has campus wide campaign this year to help students, especially freshmen, succeed in college. As a part of this campaign, the University has adopted six tips to help freshmen succeed.

Reading for this class:

Duban, Chapters 1-3

Succeed at UNT,

Scrapbook 1. My Steps to Succeed at UNT

AUG. 28. WHO AM I?

This week we will talk about who you are, what have you accomplished so far, and what do you want to accomplish while you are in college to set the stage for your future life. We will examine ways to tell your life story using a resume and a curriculum vita, how these two documents are alike and how they are different.

Scrapbook 2. Who Am I?And First Appointment with Professor Eve

______

SEPT. 2. AND WHAT DO I WANT TO BE WHEN I GROW UP?

CAREER CENTER FIELD TRIP

Reading for this class:

Duban, Chapters 4-6

Suggested reference reading for this class:

Turabian: Chapters 20, 21

Scrapbook 3. What Do I Want to Be When I Grow Up?

TERRY SCHOLARS: HOW THEY CHOSE THEIR MAJORS… AND CHANGED THEIR MAJORS

Kelly Keyser, Accounting, M.B.A. Program, College of Business

Taylor Gillium, Biological Sciences, Biological Sciences, College of Arts and Sciences

Scrapbook 4. Reaction Paper to Role Model Panelists

SEPT. 9. LESSONS LEARNED FOR THE SUCCESSFUL FRESHMAN YEAR

Dealing with life

Guest Speaker: John Hipple, Ph.D., LPC

Psychologist

Testing and Counseling Services

Reading for this class:

Duban: Chapters 7, 10, 11, 14

Scrapbook 5.Dealing with Life

SEPT. 11. GETTING STARTED IN DISCOVERY: THE RESEARCH PAPER

In this class we will discuss the research process and how you can use this process to choose a topic and develop a research project of you own.

Reading and online presentations for this class:

(1) Matteson,S.E. (2004). Common Threads in Research Across Disciplines. The Eagle Feather: Vol. 1.

(2) Guest Speaker Presentation with S. E. Matteson on Blackboard Course Page.

Discovery Assignment 1. Research Prospectus: Initial Identification of Research Topic

______

SEPT. 16.GETTING STARTED IN RESEARCH: THE TOPIC

In class we will discuss your potential research topics and how you might research this topic.

Suggested reference reading for this class:

Turabian, Chapter 1

Discovery Assignment 2.Research Prospectus: The Good Essay

SEPT. 18. GETTING STARTED IN RESEARCH: THE STRUCTURE OF THE COLLEGE ESSAY

Guest Speaker: James Duban, Ph.D.,

Professor of English

Director Office of Nationally Competitive Scholarships and Fellowships

Reading for this class:

Duban, Chapters 16, 17

SEPT. 23: GETTING STARTED IN RESEARCH: USING LIBRARY RESOURCES AT UNT: 136 WILLIS LIBRARY

Orientation to using the University of North Texas Libraries.

Guest Lecturer:Julie Leuzinger, Liaison to Political Science

Suggested reference reading for this class:

Turabian, Chapters 3, 18, 19

Discovery Assignment 3. Research Prospectus: Initial Identification of Three Resources on Topic of Interest

SEPT. 25. GETTING STARTED IN RESEARCH: TAKING RESEARCH NOTES

Class discussion of research resources from library.

Reading for this class:

Duban: Chapter 18

Suggested reference reading for this class:

Turabian, Chapter 4

Discovery Assignment 4. Research Prospectus: Taking Research Notes I

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SEPT. 30. DISCUSSION OF NOTE-TAKING EXERCISE

Discovery Assignment 5. Research Prospectus: Taking Research Notes II & III

OCT. 2. EXAMPLES OF STUDENT RESEARCH: CLASS WILL NOT MEET SO WE MAY ATTEND THE MEDIEVAL CONFERENCE

Students should attend at least one presentation event at the North Texas Medieval Graduate Student Symposium &Texas Medieval Association to be held October 2-4, 2014 on the University of North Texas campus.

Discovery Assignment 6. Research Prospectus: Research Presentations

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OCT. 7. GETTING STARTED IN RESEARCH: TAKING NOTES, CONCLUSION

We will discuss the Medieval research symposium.

Second we will conclude our note-taking exercise.

OCT. 9. GETTING STARTED IN RESEARCH: WRITING THE LITERATURE REVIEW

Please bring the copies of your three sets of notes to class. We will do an in-class exercise to stat to pull together your literature review.

Suggested reference reading for this class:

Turabian: Chapters 5, 7

Discovery Assignment 7. Research Prospectus: First Draft of Literature Review

______

OCT. 14. NEXT STEPS: RESEARCH EXPERIENCES

Guest Speaker: James Duban, Ph.D.,

Professor of English

Director Office of Nationally Competitive Scholarships and Fellowships

In class we will discuss the next steps in preparation for research experiences as an undergraduate.

Reading for this class:

Duban: Chapters 20, 21, 22, 23, 24

Discovery Assignment 8. Research Prospectus: Internships and Fellowships

OCT. 16. GETTING STARTED IN RESEARCH: EDITING THE LITERATURE REVIEW

Please bring a paper copy of your literature review and your Turabian book to class. We will do an in-class exercise to edit your literature review. You will need the Turabian book to help with edits.

Reading for this class:

Duban: Chapter 19

Suggested reference reading for this class:

Turabian, Chapter 8

Discovery Assignment 9. Research Prospectus: Revised Literature Review

OCT. 21. GETTING STARTED IN RESEARCH: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

Review research articles in The Eagle Feather to help you get ideas how to do research on your topic. Find a methodology that you like that you think you could adapt to do research on your topic. Also review your notes on the research methods usedin the three sources you read for your topic.

TERRY SCHOLAR PANEL:

Camilla Smith, Biology; Jessica Martinez,Education

Other Online Resources for Ideas onMethodology:

(1)Rumana Rahman, Sociology and Honors College, Survey Research Module on Blackboard Course Page; Rahman, Rumana (2005). “Understanding Health Care Needs of the Medically Indigent of Grayson County,”The Eagle Feather, Vol. 2.

(2)Jake Williams, Psychology and Honors College, “Sleep Research: An Example of the Development of a Research Method,” on Blackboard Course Page

(3)Cameron McCord, “Physics and Honors College”on Blackboard Course Page; Cameron McCord (2008). “The Look of Sound: Acoustical Cancellation in Architecture,”The Eagle Feather, Vol. 5.

(4)Pierce, Danielle, (2004). “The Government’s Girls,”The Eagle Feather, Vol. 1.

Discovery Assignment 10. Research Prospectus: Review of Methodology

OCT. 23. GETTING STARTED IN RESEARCH: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY, CONTINUED

We will discuss your proposed methodology in class. We do a group exercise to develop revisions to your proposed methodology.

Discovery Assignment 11. Research Prospectus: Research Methodology

OCTOBER 28, 2014: TERRY FOUNDATION BANQUET

GATEWAY CENTER BALLROOM, 6:00-8:00 P.M.

______

OCT. 28. RESEARCH COMPLIANCE AT UNT

Documentary: Susceptible to Kindness: Miss Evers' Boys and the Tuskegee Syphilis Study

Discovery Assignment 12. Research Prospectus:NIH Human Subjects Training

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OCT. 30. RESEARCH COMPLIANCE, CONTINUED

In this class, we will discuss the Responsible conduct of Research training online from the UNT website.

Discovery Assignment 13. Research Prospectus. Responsible Conduct of Research

NOV. 4.RESEARCH COMPLIANCE, WRAP-UP

In this class, we will wrap up our discussion of compliance issues. Bring certificates to class.

Appointment 2. We will begin making final appointments to discuss your progress this semester and your future. Please bring you scrapbook/diary to the appointment!

NOV. 6. DEVELOPING POWERPOINT PRESENTATIONS

We will discuss how to create a PowerPoint poster presentation that you will present in class on November 18 or 20.

Suggested reference reading for this class:

Turabian, Chapter 13

Discovery Assignment 14. Research Prospectus:Research Poster – First Draft

NOV. 11. DISCUSSION OF FIRST DRAFT OF RESEARCH PROSPECTUS

Discovery Assignment 15. Research Prospectus 9A:First Draft of Research Prospectus

Your final prospectus must contain all the elements that are required for assessment of the university core objectives. The following outline has been developed to insure that you include all elements needed for this assessment. Each and every element must be included. You must include a bolded heading for each separate element.

  1. Title page including title of the paper, your name, your major(s) areas of study, title of the course, course instructor, and date draft is submitted;
  2. Statement of the topic;
  3. One or more research questions to be addressed by the proposed research;
  4. A research thesis that can be test in the proposed research; [If applicable. Not all projects will have a thesis.]
  5. A critical review of selected research literature on the topic;
  6. A description of a proposed research design to analyze, evaluate, and synthesize information from empirical research data to test the research thesis;
  7. Discussion of issues related to research compliance including at a minimum, plagiarism, falsification of data, and intellectual property rights; include a copy of your NIH Human Subjects Training Certificate and your Responsible Conduct of Research Certificate;
  8. If you work with animals, biological or chemical agents, or radioactivity, include a discussion of those issues and how you dealt with them, including any special training you took to deal with the issues ethically;
  9. Discussion of your preparation to develop an undergraduate research projectincluding courses you might take, research experiences you might have, faculty mentors you might seek out for courses;
  10. Attach your final revised PowerPoint poster presentation;
  11. Attach your revised submission application for University Scholars Day, April 17, 2014;
  12. Attach a summary of comments from your classmates and faculty members on your class presentation of your prospectus. Describe how you used these comments to improve your thesis;
  13. End your prospectus with a conclusion where you summarize your major points and what comes next.

NOV. 13. IN-CLASS REVIEW OF POWERPOINT PRESENTATIONS