Type of Credit: Elective
Credit(s)
Number of Students
Content: This course introduces the key elements of social theories and the organization of academic articles such as research proposals, prospectuses, dissertations and research articles. With this knowledge, students will analyze research papers, conduct literature reviews and write their own research proposals. Major tasks will be broken down into smaller milestones. Students will receive feedback through peer reviews and one-on-one consultations with the instructor.
Audience: An elective for NCCU IDAS doctoral students, this course may also be of interest to Masters students preparing to write a prospectus, thesis, or research proposal.
Prerequisites: No prerequisites. Students will be expected to read and write at a graduate level.
能力項目說明
This course aims to help students master the knowledge domains and academic skills related to analyzing and constructing social theories:
And using this knowledge to conduct literature reviews and write research proposals:
| 教學週次Course Week | 彈性補充教學週次Flexible Supplemental Instruction Week | 彈性補充教學類別Flexible Supplemental Instruction Type |
|---|---|---|
|
Week of |
Lecture Topics |
Assignment Deadlines |
|
1. Sept 11 |
Course Overview & Syllabus
|
Schedule Self-Intro Consultation |
|
Module 1: Analyzing Social Theories (i.e., How to Read Research Papers)
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Week of |
Lecture Topics |
Assignment Deadlines |
|
2. Sept 18 |
Causal Arguments on Three Levels
|
Sun Sept 24: Submit Team Article List |
|
3. Sept 25 |
Concept Operationalization
|
|
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4. Oct 2 |
Selecting a Research Design
|
Sun Oct 8: Team Video & Script #1 |
|
5. Oct 9 |
Evaluating Propositions & Theory in Light of Evidence
|
|
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6. Oct 16 |
Evaluating Framing
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Sun Oct 22: Team Video & Script #2 |
|
Module 2: Constructing Social Theories (i.e., How to Conduct a Literature Review & Write a Theory Section)
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7. Oct 23 |
Searching Prior Literature
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8. Oct 30 |
Organizing the Literature Review |
Sun Nov 5: Article List & Outline & Schedule Outline Consultation |
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9. Nov 6 |
Summarizing Key Arguments
|
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10. Nov 13 |
Constructing Arguments, Propositions & Hypotheses |
Sun Nov 19: Key Article Summaries & Schedule Summaries Consultation |
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11. Nov 20 |
Framing a Paper
|
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Module 3: Writing Academic Articles (i.e., How to Compose a Research Paper, Proposal or Thesis)
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12. Nov 27 |
Writing a Research Plan |
Sun Dec 3: Lit Review & Schedule Lit Review Consultation |
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13. Dec 4 |
References, Footnotes and In-Text Citations
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14. Dec 11 |
Peer Reviews
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Sun Dec 17: Draft Proposal & Schedule Proposal Consultation |
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15. Dec 18 |
In-Class Proposal Workshop
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16. Dec 25 |
In-Class Proposal Workshop
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Sun Dec 31: Peer Reviews |
|
17. Jan 1 |
No Class. Schedule individual consultations. |
|
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18. Jan 8 |
No Class. Schedule individual consultations. |
Sun Jan 14: Revised Proposal |
|
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Deadline for Submitting Grades: Thursday January 25 |
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Course activities are broadly defined below. Detailed instructions and grading rubrics will be uploaded to the course website and introduced in class.
Review Videos – 20% of Overall Grade
During Module 1, Analyzing Social Theories, students will form teams of 2-3 students to analyze research articles and produce two review videos. By the end of the second week, teams will search for relevant articles and submit a list of 4-5 articles to the instructor. The instructor will choose 2 of these for your team to review. The instructor will provide detailed instructions and a grading rubric in a separate document, but the basic steps for making a review video include:
Literature Review & Research Proposal – 80% of Overall Grade
Throughout the semester, each student will undertake several milestones leading up to an original Literature Review and Research Proposal. The instructor will provide detailed instructions and a grading rubric in a separate document, but the basic milestones for the literature review are:
Consultations – Non-Graded Requirements
Students will schedule a consultation with the instructor following the submission of each Milestone #1-4. Consultations will be held out of class at a time convenient for the student and instructor. During consultations, students will communicate their progress and concerns, and the instructor will provide detailed feedback. Consultations are not graded but are required in order to receive each a grade for Milestones #1-4.
Peer Reviews – Non-Graded Requirement
Students will review their classmates’ Milestone 4 - Draft Proposals in the form of a peer review. a consultation with the instructor following the submission of each Milestone #1-4. The instructor will provide detailed instructions in class and in a separate document. Peer Reviews are not graded but are required in order to receive a grade for Milestone 5.
Activity-ILO Matrix
Course activities support Intended Learning Outcomes in the following way.
|
Activity |
ILO1 Know Theory Elements |
ILO2 Analyze Theory |
ILO3 Conduct Literature Reviews |
ILO4 Write Theory Section
|
ILO5 Know Proposal Structure |
ILO6 Write Research Proposal |
|
Review Videos |
X |
X |
X |
|
|
|
|
Article List & Outline |
|
|
X |
X |
|
|
|
Key Article Summaries |
|
|
X |
X |
|
|
|
Literature Review |
X |
X |
X |
X |
|
|
|
Draft Proposal |
|
|
|
X |
X |
X |
|
Final Proposal |
|
|
|
X |
X |
X |
|
Peer Reviews |
X |
X |
|
|
X |
|
|
Consultations |
X |
X |
X |
X |
X |
X |
4. Policies
Grading Rubric
|
Graded Assignment |
Percent of Overall Grade |
Non-Graded Requirements |
|
Review Video #1 |
10 |
Team Article List required to receive grade |
|
Review Video #2 |
10 |
Team Article List required to receive grade |
|
Milestone 1: Article List & Outline |
15 |
Consultation required to receive grade |
|
Milestone 2: Key Article Summaries |
15 |
Consultation required to receive grade |
|
Milestone 3: Literature Review |
20 |
Consultation required to receive grade |
|
Milestone 4: Draft Proposal |
20 |
Consultation required to receive grade |
|
Milestone 5: Final Proposal |
10 |
Peer Review required to receive grade |
|
In-Class Participation |
- |
After 2 free absences, each absence is -5%. |
Attendance Policy
Class attendance is essential to students’ achieving the Intended Learning Outcomes; however, students must also balance learning with other life priorities. As a result, this course allows students to have TWO FREE ABSENCES during the semester. After two free absences, each unexcused absence will subtract 5% from the student’s overall grade. Arriving to class late, or leaving class early, by more than 10 minutes will be counted as half an absence.
Excused absences will not affect students’ grades and do not count as the student’s two free absences. Excused absences require:
Absences due to the following reasons will not be excused:
University Policy on Academic Integrity – TBD
University Policy for Students with Disabilities – TBD
Required Texts
1. Stinchcombe, A. L. (1987). Constructing social theories. University of Chicago Press.
2. Swales, J. M., & Feak, C. B. (1994). Academic writing for graduate students (pp. 155-6). Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press.
Weekly Articles – To Be Determined