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Spring 2023 Courses

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SYNOPSIS: The course covers systematic methods for retrieving research articles on your independent study project, research methodology, locating, reading and summarizing a lead reference provided by the research director, locating other articles on the research project, and general methods of keeping a research lab notebook and a literature research notebook, safety in the context of a research lab, safety in the research laboratory, research instrumentation, research ethics, writing a research proposal and progress reports. Chemistry 295, Introduction to Research for Independent Study, is required for majors who intend to pursue graduation with distinction in Chemistry or a degree in Chemistry that is certified by the American Chemical Society.

WRITING ASSIGNMENTS: Scientific research proposal with two components writing assignments around 5 to 8 pages long.

READER REQUIREMENTS: There will be two substantive reader interactions in addition to the introductory meeting. One discussion will be about the Introduction and Literature Review sections of the proposal and the second will be about the Methods and Results sections. Each will probably be 5 to 8 pages long.

READER QUALIFICATIONS: Readers should be chemists, biochemists, or medical or pharmacology professionals with a graduate degree and extensive research and laboratory experience in the industry, and substantial experience with writing research proposals.

 

Questions readers should ask when reading a draft:

  1. Is the writing clear and well organized? That is, how easy or difficult is it for you to follow the student’s line of reasoning?
  2. What do you find interesting and compelling?  Where are you skeptical or bored?
  3. If possible, do a “think aloud response”—reading the paper aloud and pausing frequently to describe your reactions to what you’re reading. For guidance on how to do this, please listen to this example:

IMPORTANT COURSE DEADLINES: Students will apprise the reader of all pertinent deadlines and the student and reader schedule their interactions accordingly.

SYLLABUS: (old syllabus, same structure as 2023)

SYNOPSIS: This course serves as the capstone course for students conducting honors thesis projects in preparation for Graduation with Distinction (GwD) in Neuroscience. This course is intended to work synergistically with GwD requirements to aid students in communicating their research.

WRITING ASSIGNMENT: The course itself has only minor writing assignments, but what the Reader project would be useful for is to provide interested students with feedback on their Honors Thesis writing. April 3rd is the deadline for the students to submit their final thesis document to their committee. Some of the students in the class may be interested in getting feedback on their draft(s) before that. 

READER REQUIREMENTS: Primarily readers will help students by providing feedback regarding Honors Thesis before 4/3.

READER QUALIFICATIONS: a background in any of the following would be helpful:  neuroscience, psychology, biology, chemistry, scientific research. 

 

Questions readers should ask when reading a draft:

  1. Is the writing clear and well organized? That is, how easy or difficult is it for you to follow the student’s line of reasoning?
  2. What do you find interesting and compelling?  Where are you skeptical or bored?
  3. If possible, do a “think aloud response”—reading the paper aloud and pausing frequently to describe your reactions to what you’re reading. For guidance on how to do this, please listen to this example:

 

SYLLABUS: Coming Soon

SYNOPSIS: This course is designed to introduce students to various legal issues facing the educational system in this country.  Included for consideration and discussion will be such topics as first amendment rights (religious freedom and free speech); Title IX; due process, both procedural and substantive; liability of educational institutions and educators (negligence); contractual rights and obligations; and, student, staff, faculty and parental rights and privacy.  Whenever possible, legal distinctions will be made between elementary/secondary schools and institutions of higher education as well as between private and public settings.

WRITING ASSIGNMENT: 

 - Student brief of an assigned court case - format to be reviewed in class, due on the assigned day.

 - Two quizzes - Each quiz will be a take home, assigned a week

 before it is due (due dates are February 15 and April 5)

 - Appellate brief (case will be assigned to pairs of students who are to collaborate on research and presentation, but write their brief separately; (format to be reviewed) or Research paper (topic to be approved by instructor) (brief or paper due on April 26).

 - Reflection - A one-to-two page reflection about a case or legal concept (due May 3)

READER REQUIREMENTS: Readers will provide feedback to students on the above writing assignments. The most involved writing assignment students will engage in and which they would benefit from reader feedback on is the appellate brief or research paper.

READER QUALIFICATIONS: An ideal reader would have some legal background (education and/or practical experience) and an interest in legal research/writing.

Questions readers should ask when reading a draft:

  1. Is the writing clear and well organized? That is, how easy or difficult is it for you to follow the student’s line of reasoning?
  2. What do you find interesting and compelling?  Where are you skeptical or bored?
  3. If possible, do a “think-aloud response” - reading the paper aloud and pausing frequently to describe your reactions to what you’re reading. For guidance on how to do this, please listen to this example:

 

IN-CLASS DEADLINES:

  • October 20th  Original research paper: outline, empirical plan
  • November 17th   Research paper (including slides for oral presentation)   
  • December 8th    Revised version of research project

SYLLABUS: 

SYNOPSIS: This Animal Physiology course compares physiological processes across evolution and applies what is learned to human physiology. These processes include neural signaling, muscle contraction, water balance, respiration, metabolism, sensory systems, and more. The lab portion explores two main topics, muscle contraction force in mussels and metabolism in zebrafish. Students have the opportunity to generate their own hypothesis, design methods, collect and analyze data, construct a figure, and write a report of their experiment.

WRITING ASSIGNMENT: Two 2-page writing assignments with feedback before each due date (3/10 & 4/7 respectively) and feedback for one final 5 page writing assignment before due date (4/21).

READER REQUIREMENTS: The Reader is most helpful in giving feedback on how well a paper makes a scientific argument, flows logically, and includes an appropriate amount of detail. The Reader does not need incredibly specialized knowledge about muscle contraction, oxygen consumption, or glucose metabolism.

READER QUALIFICATIONS:  Anyone scientifically literate (preferably in biology) with an eye for science communication and effective data visualization are welcome. Readers with graduate biology degrees or MDs are encouraged.

INSTRUCTOR SUGGESTIONS FOR READERS: We have found it most helpful when readers can note the strengths and weaknesses in the drafts that they will read.  Students appreciate the comments on the consistency of their arguments and flow of discussion, validity of their methodology, and resource suggestions. Readers offer their perspective on how to shape an idea into a well-argued, well-structured proposal and may continue working on the Honors Thesis with the student in the spring.

IMPORTANT COURSE DEADLINES: Applicable student assignment deadlines are noted on the syllabus and in "writing assignment" section.  The reader and student can establish their working relationship with regard to the deadlines.

 

Questions readers should ask when reading a draft:

  1. Is the writing clear and well organized? That is, how easy or difficult is it for you to follow the student’s line of reasoning?
  2. What do you find interesting and compelling?  Where are you skeptical or bored?

If possible, do a “think aloud response”—reading the paper aloud and pausing frequently to describe your reactions to what you’re reading. For guidance on how to do this, please listen to this example:

 

 

SYLLABUS: (2022 version, same structure as 2023)

SYNOPSIS: This program challenges dominant ways of approaching global issues, emphasizing a variety of methods of writing across disciplines, transgressing personal perspectives, and understanding discourse and representation in global as well as local geographies. The small seminar setting will push students to engage deeply with class materials, further develop critical reading and writing skills, and become comfortable with presenting their own projects in an academic as well as public environment. Students will leave this course having thoroughly assessed how “others” are represented and represent themselves through global and transnational networks and having carefully contemplated their own position within specific institutions and geographies.

WRITING ASSIGNMENT:

1) 500 word research project proposal and bibliography due Thurs 16th February

2) 6-7 page draft of final paper  due Thurs 30 March

3 ) 12–15 page final paper due Tuesday 2nd May

 

READER REQUIREMENTS: Readers will primarily help students throughout stages of formulating and writing their final paper. The final paper topic will be centered a “site” that is interesting to the student and that has potential for thinking through one or more of the themes the class explores; globalization and its meaning at home and abroad, neoliberalism, representations, humanitarianisms, mobility and its constraints, urbanism etc. and, drawing on primary sources, that could include historical documents, literature or the student’s own fieldwork/surveys, at least 4 texts from the whole class, and additional written and visual materials to produce a 12-15 page paper that makes a specific argument linking your analysis with theory. The student will develop an argumentative thesis and support that thesis through data gained from analysis of your primary source material combined with close reading of the class and other texts.

 

READER QUALIFICATIONS:

Students in the course will be coming from a variety of academic backgrounds and will write papers across a variety of themes and cultures. As such, the ideal readers will be open-minded individuals who have broad interests in the world and have experience crafting analytical writing that supports a thesis.

Questions readers should ask when reading a draft:

  1. Is the writing clear and well organized? That is, how easy or difficult is it for you to follow the student’s line of reasoning?
  2. What do you find interesting and compelling?  Where are you skeptical or bored?

If possible, do a “think aloud response”—reading the paper aloud and pausing frequently to describe your reactions to what you’re reading. For guidance on how to do this, please listen to this example:

 

SYLLABUS: