We finished presentations on the research proposals and it looks like you are all on the right track. Remember that a research proposal is your "pitch" to an advisor. It should give a CLEAR, CONCISE representation of your project. The lit review should set up what is out there and it should make 3-5 points about what the literature "does". If your project is NOT out there =say so.
Some general suggestions for the proposals:
Think up a clear, informative title for your project
Make sure to point out the importance of your project for writing studies
Use headings and sub-headings
Choose headings that give meaningful information about what is in each section (Introduction, methods, lit review are placeholders and may not always be the best choice)
Make good use of your timeline
We spent the rest of the class reviewing the readings in light of the Final exam (posted to the right).
As noted on the assignment sheet, the idea is to frame a coherent discussion of your research philosophy. To write your exam, you probably want to map out your research philosopy and then think about what points you want to make about what you believe and why, and THEN decide which of the readings best support those points. You might organize your discussion of your philosophy along the lines of your beliefs about: appropriate(effective/ethical) methods, where data should come from, where theory should come from, important focuses, the relevance of social justice, etc.
Turning in your work: Turn in the final proposal + IRB materials, and the final exam, as attachments by 7:15 (the end of the exam period) May 13.
What a great class you have been! Thank you for your good work and I look forward to reading your papers!
Getting your grades: I will grade/respond your work as soon as I can. I will send you an email with my first approximation add-up of your points, probably byWednesday. If you agree - or not- let me know and we can re-check, talk things through. If I don't hear from you in 24 hours - I will assume you are OK with your grade and post to Keanwise.
Thanks again for your good work and the fine conversation. Have a good summer and be in touch!
