Course Description
In this course students will facilitate development of the dissertation concept. To this end, students will explore a suitable subject/area of interest and work to narrow the scope of concern to a responsibly narrow and appropriate topic that they are then able to articulate into a cogent and compelling prospectus.
For information regarding prerequisites for this course, please refer to the Academic Course Catalog.
Course Guide
View this course’s outcomes, policies, schedule, and more.*
*The information contained in our Course Guides is provided as a sample. Specific course curriculum and requirements for each course are provided by individual instructors each semester. Students should not use Course Guides to find and complete assignments, class prerequisites, or order books.
Rationale
As students prepare to engage in research toward their dissertation, it is incumbent upon them to ascertain the scope and direction of that research so that what results is a compelling and appropriate academic product that is both personally edifying and fruitful for the academic community. This course seeks to provide a foundation for the focused area of study that will be pursued in the remainder of the student’s program by distilling a thesis statement that can be used to guide the remainder of the research and dissertation process.
Course Assignment
Textbook Readings and Lecture Presentations
No details available.
Course Requirements Checklist
After reading the Course Syllabus and Student Expectations, the student will complete the related checklist found in the Course Overview.
Discussions (4)
Discussions are collaborative learning experiences. Therefore, there are 4 such discussion assignments in this course. To successfully complete a discussion, the student is required to provide a thread in response to the prompts located in their respective modules. Each thread must meet the word count stipulated in the instructions and demonstrate critical thinking and awareness of course-related knowledge (utilizing at least 2 secondary sources from the course materials or presentations along with citations). Threads need to satisfy what is asked for in the prompt (nothing more, nothing less) and be accompanied by replies as defined in the instructions given for each discussion.
Academic Survey Assignment
Using the research skills that they have learned and exercised in RTCH 905, the student will discover 10 recent (published within the last ten years) scholarly resources (journal articles, academic monographs, dissertations, etc.) that either directly or indirectly highlight a specific issue/topic that is appropriate to his or her field of study. The student will then list these via their bibliographic information in alphabetical order. Beneath each entry, the student will then compose at least a half page (double-spaced) summary/observation about each source and its unique contribution to their focused area of study.
Mind Map Assignment
The student will take the specific topic that they investigated in their academic survey assignment and produce a mind map of related subtopics/issues that are directly and indirectly related to his or her particular subject matter. After this is completed, the student will write at least a one-page double-spaced summary of the connections that were illustrated on the mind map produced.
Organizational Outline Assignment
Having identified a topic, discovered a problem, composed a thesis statement, and created a mind map, the student will produce a detailed organizational outline that reveals how the argument identified in his or her thesis statement might unfold.
Prospectus Assignment
After completing the assignments prior to this one, the student will compose a formal prospectus on a compelling thesis that introduces a specific topic worthy of further investigation, articulates a cogent and focused thesis statement, and explains how an appropriate argument might unfold.
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