HC 477H Thesis Seminar--Bishop, Spring 2006

Class hours: Monday, noon to 2:00 pm.

Office hours: Tuesday 11:30 am to 2:30 pm, and Thursday, 11:00 am to noon (sign-up sheets on office door for the entire term; make an appointment if these hours don't work)
Telephone: 346-0733; click here for Bishop e-mail

Please note: Because we have a class of sixteen, our schedule must be rigorously followed. Please note that we will have two thesis presentations during our scheduled exam week time slot.

Knight Library Honors College liaison Eliz Breakstone is ready to help you with library resources for your thesis work. Her e-mail is ebreak@uoregon.edu, and her phone is 346-2689

Class cancellation notice: In the event of inclement weather and class cancellation (unlikely; I live within walking distance of the university), please call my office phone number: 346-0733. If class is cancelled the greeting message will so state.

Requirements | Sign-up sheet/presentation schedule | Format reviewers

(Top of page)

Purpose: The purposes of the thesis seminar are

1. to crack open the thesis process by immersing ourselves in our research, being mindful of the challenges and opportunities facing the writer/researcher,
2. to meet the challenge of working on a long-term project (making schedules, meeting deadlines, building in revision time, handling uncertainty),
3. to certify a good working relationship between student and advisor,
4. to articulate the thesis topic for non-specialists,
5. to sharpen the focus of the thesis (perhaps narrowing the topic, adjusting methodology, even changing your mind),
6. to locate and fill in gaps, and
7. to use the dynamism of the Honors College community to accomplish the above.

Goal: the goals of the senior seminar are (1) to produce, at the end of the term, a stellar prospectus and annotated bibliography, (2) to "test-drive" your research plan and practice your presentation skills in front of a well-informed audience, (3) to have your thesis advisor approve the final draft of your prospectus by signing it, and (4) to have met with your Honors College advisor before the end of the term and to have completed this form, to be sure you're on track to graduate.

Your plan to meet these goals should already be underway. Once the prospectus is complete (i's dotted, t's crossed), your thesis advisor must approve your prospectus by signing it. Note that form counts! See the online thesis manual and the example theses, filed by discipline, in the Honors College lounge file cabinet. N.B. (an abbreviation that means "nota bene," take good note): Some faculty leave town during finals week, so DON'T WAIT 'TIL FINALS WEEK to obtain a signature unless you're presenting your prospectus during exam week.

You will give me one copy of your prospectus, and another copy you'll give to the main office to process for your Honors College file. ALL PAPERWORK (signed prospectus and preliminary graduation audit form) DUE NO LATER than the FRIDAY OF EXAM WEEK--NO EXCEPTIONS. Earlier is always better.

Things to help:

Consult the thesis manual online: go to http://honors.uoregon.edu/curriculum/thesis/

We have a library specialist for Honors College students. Her name is Elizabeth (Eliz) Breakstone, and her e-mail is ebreak@uoregon.edu. She would be delighted to work with you on your research. See above.

Think about what constitutes constructive criticism. As you've already learned in your Honors College classes, critique is a good thing. We learn more if we push our thinking, and often our thinking gets pushed when we locate--and sometimes answer--new questions. The ways we ask and answer questions reveal a lot about our attitudes towards research, our abilities to think through an issue, and our suppositions about challenge. The goal of public speaking in the Honors College is "argument in the public space." We all (me too!) ought to think about trying to find the right balance of sympathy and precision in order to make our public communications especially effective. Remember that defenseness never plays well, and listening skills pay off in the long run.

As already indicated, our thesis manual is now available online. For the purposes of the thesis seminar, pay special attention to "Writing the Prospectus."(Top of page)

Requirements:

• Due Monday, April 10: a provisional summary of your prospectus (a few paragraphs, typed double-spaced, except for the two people who will complete their prospectuses this week). Be sure to include advisor's name and e-mail address/telephone number. You can include in this draft your thoughts, worries, comments about the thesis process itself.
• For your scheduled prospectus defense, arrange for any AV equipment. Powerpoint presentations are not required. Get a sense, through conversation with your thesis director, whether your discipline routinely uses Powerpoint.
• Due no later than the Friday of finals week: two copies of your SIGNED prospectus, one for me and one for the main HC office (see Kris). You can, of course, provide these things earlier than finals week.
• As presenter:

  Sign up for presentation date this term (weeks three through eleven, including finals week).

  Arrange for your thesis advisor to attend your presentation. Be respectful in your request. Your seminar presentation requires your advisor's attendance, but faculty may have commitments during our class hours. Politely ask your director whether Monday mornings work with his/her schedule, and find out whether there are particular weeks to avoid. Please talk with me if your advisor has a scheduling conflict. N.B.: communication with your thesis advisor is paramount for success throughout the thesis process.

  Distribute copies of prospectus via Blackboard as an attachment on the "Discussion Board" function NO LATER THAN 5:00 PM ON WEDNESDAY BEFORE YOUR THESIS PRESENTATION. .

• As audience (the following is the responsibility of EACH STUDENT for EACH CLASS):

  Read and critique each week's prospectuses BEFORE CLASS.

  Write detailed critiques of each propectus on the Blackboard Discussion Board before class.

  Serve as a format reviewer. Click here for the list of format reviewer pairs. Provided with an article from the main journal in the presenter's field or with a style manual, you will go over the format of your partner's prospectus with a fine-toothed comb (details count), noting all discrepancies.

  Prepare questions for the presenter: be alert and ready for new questions prompted by the presentation. (Top of page)

• Each presentation will have a lead-off questioner; everyone must serve once as lead-off questioner.

  How to ask good questions (with thanks to Prof Schuman):
  --Be sure you have the speaker's attention
  --Orient the audience to the area in which you'll be questioning the speaker.
  -- Frame your question and choose how specific an answer you're seeking. Open-ended questions are alright, but conversation may move more effectively with more specific, framed questions.

• In anwering a question, you may restate the question for clarity's sake. See if the questioner agrees with your restatement; get further clarification if necessary.
  

The traits of a good speaker:

Grading: The senior seminar is a P/NP course, and a passing grade is based on attendance, on-time performance, and completed assignments. No student can pass this course without successful completion of satisfactory prospectus and submission of appropriate forms to the Honors College office. Additionally, a student who acquires 10 demerits will not pass the course.

Each unexcused absence = 4 demerits	Each unprepared critique = 1 demerit
Each late arrival to class = 1 demerit Don't be late	Unprepared or inadequate format review = 1 demerit

Weekly schedule (link to sign-up sheet)

Week 1 (April 3): Introduction: assignment outline, speaking exercise, sign-up for prospectus presentation

Week 2 (April 10): Due: Provisional summary of prospectus (a few paragraphs) with advisor's name and phone number (except for the two people who will complete their prospectuses this week). Continuation of initial speaking exercise, further introductions and questions.

Weeks 3 through 11 (April 17 through June 12): Distribution and presentation of prospectuses, as per schedule.

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