DIPL 5101 NA Diplomacy Honors Research Project

View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by Seton Hall University Libraries Seton Hall University eRepository @ Seton Hall Diplomacy Syllabi School of Diplomacy and International Relations Spring 2016 Diplomacy Honors Research Project Brian K. Muzas PhD Seton Hall University Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarship.shu.edu/diplomacy-syllabi Recommended Citation Muzas, Brian K. PhD, "Diplomacy Honors Research Project" (2016). Diplomacy Syllabi. 89. https://scholarship.shu.edu/diplomacy-syllabi/89 School of Diplomacy and International Relations DIPL 5101 NA: Diplomacy Honors Research Project Mondays 5:00pm-7:30pm in Duffy Hall 82 Professor: Rev. Brian K. Muzás, Ph.D. Office Hours: Monday 7:30pm-8:30pm and by appointment Office: McQuaid Hall 101D Phone: +1 973 313 6022 Email: [email protected] Course Summary: This course is designed to help students learn research, writing, and oral communications skills that they can apply to all academic and professional pursuits. The ultimate goal is to complete a well-written, strongly argued, and thoroughly documented Diplomacy Honors Research Project. The course is structured to include both class and individual meetings. The first several weeks mix class and individual meetings with the professor to focus on helping students turn their research interests into a research puzzle, find and use primary and secondary sources, develop hypotheses, conceptualize variables, identify an effective research design, and present their ideas professionally in public settings. The next several weeks help students shape their particular projects, with a focus on writing, revising, and providing effective feedback to fellow students. During the last weeks the students formally present their research findings and constructively critique one another’s presentations. Expectations and Grading: Students should come to class meetings prepared to discuss the readings and to present their assignments to their colleagues and the professor. Students should come to each of the individual meetings with the professor prepared to present and discuss their assignments. The final grade will be determined as follows: • Writing assignments: 15% • Participation: 15% • Preliminary draft: 15% • Oral presentation: 20% • Final draft: 35% Important Notes: ➔ Plagiarism and other forms of academic dishonesty will be reported to the administration, and may result in a lowered or failing grade for the course and up to possible dismissal from the School of Diplomacy. See university and school standards for academic conduct here: http://www.shu.edu/offices/community-development/community-standards/ http://www.shu.edu/academics/diplomacy/academic-conduct.cfm. ➔Use of electronic devices for any purpose other than taking notes is not appropriate during class time. It distracts other students and the professor and will result in a lowered grade (in other words, do not use your laptop for email, shopping, Twitter, Facebook, and the like). Required Reading: Wayne Booth, Gregory Colomb, and Joseph Williams, The Craft of Research (Chicago: University of Chicago, 2008) 3rd Edition. 1 Course Meetings, Readings, Assignments, and Due Dates:* *Note: Any assignments may be turned in early Weeks 1-3: Class and Individual Meetings January 11 (class) Course overview and choosing a topic Identifying research questions, defining problems, and finding, using, and citing sources Reading: BCW (Booth, Colomb, & Williams), pp. 35-101, 273-276 The university will be closed on January 18th, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. January 25 (class) Hypotheses, variables, thesis statements, causal claims, and research design Assignment: Preliminary Bibliography – due at the beginning of class Bring a bibliography with at least 20 potential sources on your research topics. This should help you to determine if there is enough information about your topic/s to continue with it or choose one of two. All sources should be academic books, journal articles, or primary materials such as government documents or institutional databases. February 1 (individual meetings) Reading: BCW, pp. 105-138 Assignment: Research Topic Descriptions – due at meeting Write two descriptions of research topics that you are considering, each a paragraph long. What’s the puzzle? Why is it interesting and important? Be prepared to present the descriptions to the professor. Class will not meet February 8th. The professor will be overseas. Week 4: Individual Meetings February 15 Discussion of the bibliography, research question, and research strategy Reading: BCW, pp. 139-151 Assignment: Annotated Bibliography – due at meeting Bring a bibliography with at least 10 annotated sources. Below each of these 10 sources describe the article’s key points and how they relate to your research in 3-4 sentences. Do not simply use the article’s abstracts; use your own words. All sources should be academic books or journal articles. Be prepared to discuss progress and future plans. Weeks 5-7: Class and Individual Meetings February 22 (class) Assessing existing research Assignment: Preliminary Literature Review – due at the beginning of class Write a three-page review of at least five articles in academic journals that directly relate to your research topic. The review should compare and contrast the readings, stressing the major arguments presented, the evidence used, the type of analysis employed, limitations, and areas of 2 contention between the authors. Most importantly, the review should propose how your research question relates to one or more debates within the academic literature. Be prepared to present the review to the class. March 7 (individual meetings): Thesis statements and research strategies Assignment: Thesis Statement / Research Strategy – due at meeting Write a two-page thesis statement and research strategy that includes how the thesis relates to the state of the debate regarding your topic and what strategy you will use to assess your causal claims, including what cases you will examine and what data sources you will use. March 14 (class): Thesis statements and research strategies Assignment: Thesis Statement / Research Strategy – due at the beginning of class Present a revised thesis statement and research strategy to the class in a 35 minute formal presentation that includes how the thesis relates to the state of the debate regarding your topic and what strategy you will use to assess your causal claims, including what cases you will examine and what data sources you will use. Weeks 8-9: Individual meetings March 21 and April 4 Discussion of the introduction and outline (and research progress at subsequent meetings) Reading: BCW, pp. 173-202 Assignment: Introduction and Outline – due at meeting Bring a detailed 3-7 page introduction and outline. The introduction should not be more than 4 pages and should include the research puzzle, the policy &/or theoretical importance of the question/topic, the thesis statement (or set of hypotheses), and the plan for the paper. The outline should briefly describe the main points (and, preferably, the sources to be used) in each section. Week 10: Class meeting April 11 Presenting research in public and making revisions Assignment: Preliminary draft – due at the beginning of class Hand in the preliminary draft at the beginning of class and send an electronic copy as well. The preliminary draft should be at least 4,000 words and should include at least the introduction, the literature review section, some analysis of cases and data, and an outline of the remaining pages. Week 11: Individual meetings April 18 Discussion of ways to strengthen the preliminary draft Reading: BCW, pp. 203-210, 232-269 3 Weeks 12–14: Class Meetings and Final Paper April 25 and May 2 Student presentations (equally divided per class) Reading: BCW, pp. 213-231. Assignment: Oral Presentation and Constructive Critique Students should come prepared to present their research, including the puzzle, thesis statement, findings, and conclusions. Presentations should be 8-12 minutes long and should include some kind of visual aid (overhead projector, PowerPoint presentation, or hand-out). Students should also be prepared to provide constructive critiques (including praise) of their fellow students. May TBA (during finals period): Final Paper Due (earlier is welcome) Final drafts are due. An electronic copy should be sent to my email address and a hard copy placed in my mailbox by noon. Both an electronic and a hard copy are required. Requirements: • 7,000 to 9,000 words total, including title, text, notes, bibliography, and tables (roughly 25-30 pages) • Typed, double spaced, one-inch margins • Must incorporate suggestions from the individual meetings with the professor and from the oral presentation • Must include appropriate citation method, and all sources in the bibliography must be cited in the text Student Learning Outcomes: By the end of the semester, students should have acquired in-depth knowledge of a particular functional area and/or region of the world and knowledge and understanding of the social science research process. Students should also have developed the skills to: collect, sort, and evaluate information; analyze complex situations and synthesize information; integrate different fields of study in analysis of a complex world; and communicate effectively in oral and written form. Accommodations Policy Under the Americans with Disabilities Act and Section 504 of the Civil Rights Restoration Act, students at Seton Hall University who have a disability may be eligible for accommodations in this course. Should a student require such accommodation, he or she must self-identify at the Office of Disability Support Services (DSS), Room 67, Duffy Hall, provide documentation of said disability, and work with DSS to develop a plan for accommodations. The contact person is Mrs. Linda Walter at (973) 313-6003. *Please note that I may make adjustments to the syllabus during the course of the semester. 4