HNRS 110:010
Introduction to Research
MW 1:30-2:45 Innovation Hall 208
F 2:30-3:20 Innovation Hall 318
F 3:30-4:20 Lecture Hall 1

Robert Matz
Office: Rob A487
Office Hours: MW 10:00 - 11:00
Email: rmatz@gmu.edu
Office Phone: 703 993 1170
Home Page: http://mason.gmu.edu/~rmatz/

GTA: Ms. Gretchen Beasley
Office: ENT 345
Office Hours: MW 11:00 - 1:00
Email: gbeasle1@gmu.edu

COURSE DESCRIPTION:
In Honors 110 you are invited to pursue research on a question of interest to you. Your first challenge is to choose an issue about which there is genuine debate, an ongoing conversation—this is a problem to which there could be multiple solutions depending on the points of view or types of analysis used to investigate it. This must be a topic you want to learn more about, NOT one on which you are already something of an expert or have formed strong opinions. It must be a topic you are willing to consider from multiple perspectives, including perspectives that may conflict with your own.

EXPECTATIONS:
Consider the kinds of research you have already done, the sources of evidence and the methods of research you are familiar with. Pursue a research question that will involve you with sources and perspectives you have never encountered or considered before. Whether or not you have had experience with academic research, Honors 110 will challenge you to think and learn and write in new ways. Most of your experience of this class will be shaped by your research question, so how much you learn will depend on you more than it does in other classes.

PROCESS:
The course is built on the idea that research is a process. The readings and assignments are designed to lead you through this process by giving you practice in the various stages of researching, drafting, and revising a research essay.

PARTICIPATION in the LEARNING COMMUNITY: You will be evaluated not only on the quality of your own work, but also on the quality of the feedback you provide to your classmates on their research and writing processes. You will learn a lot from responding to the work of your classmates, and this will help you do your own work better. Come to class every day prepared to share your own work and to contribute to the development of your classmates’ work as well.

FRIDAY AFTERNOON SECTION MEETING:
This is a 4-credit class, so in addition to your regularly scheduled section meetings, you are required to meet with your graduate teaching assistant, a library representative, and/or a peer research mentor from either 1:30 to 2:20 or from 2:30-3:20 every Friday afternoon. These class meetings are held in computer classrooms in order to provide you with the opportunity to receive individual attention and small group instruction as you pursue your research.

MAKE-UP for FRIDAY AFTERNOON SECTION MEETING For those of you who have conflicts on Friday afternoons because of classes, practice, competitions, or travel, you will be assigned to regularly scheduled makeup sessions. If you are a student who will be missing Friday afternoons but have not yet been contacted about a makeup section, please email Ms. Anderson a.s.a.p.

FRIDAY AFTERNOON COLLOQUIA 3:30-4:30: These will be held directly after the Friday afternoon section meetings. Your attendance is required at the colloquia Friday September 2rd, Friday September 16th, and Friday September 23rd.

Beginning Friday September 30th: Each week a different member of the faculty (representing a different field) will be coming to talk with you about research opportunities in his or her field. These colloquia are designed to expose you to a variety of intellectual and creative models and opportunities. You are invited to all of these, but only required to attend two. For your attendance to count, you must sign up ahead of time, and you must be there at the start of the talk, and stay through the end (including the questions). Choose to participate in the colloquia that most interest you.

WRITTEN WORK:
I expect you to keep a copy (either on disk or hard copy) of all writing assignments you turn in. Writing assignments are due at the beginning of the class for which they are assigned. Except in the most serious of circumstances, I do not accept late assignments, and in a class that requires as much motivation and independence as this one does, it will be crucial to your success to complete your work on time. Our seminar format means that we rely heavily on one another’s consistent participation.

All assignments should be typed, double-spaced, in a standard 12-point font with 1-inch margins.

EMAIL POLICIES:
All students will need to have access to the Internet and to email for this course. All official communications from George Mason University will be sent to your Mason email account, so you should activate it as soon as possible. You're welcome to set up automatic forwarding to an alternative email account if you have one (log-in to your account via the http://mail.gmu.edu interface and follow the directions under "Options/Settings.")

However, please do not use email to ask us substantive questions about the intellectual work for the class or about personal issues. Appropriate uses of email for this class include making an appointment to see me or your TA (as appropriate) to discuss the above, or asking simple questions about assignments (e.g. a revised due date, an apparent error in the syllabus). Do not email us any written work unless we ask you to.

HONOR CODE / PLAGIARISM:
The use of anyone’s material besides your own without proper documentation is a serious offense and will not be tolerated. Punishments can range anywhere from an F for the work to expulsion from the university. Ignorance of the law is no excuse, but, for the record: plagiarism includes borrowing (or buying) anywhere from a phrase to an entire essay from another source without giving credit, allowing a friend to write (or rewrite) some or all of your paper (again, without giving credit), even using an idea or key word that you learned from another source without documenting it. Because this is a research methods course, it is essential that you become familiar early on with guidelines and procedures for appropriately documenting your sources. For more information on the University’s Honor Code, see http://honorcode.gmu.edu.

DISABILITY SERVICES:
If you have a disability and need academic accommodations, please contact the Office of Disability Services (ODS) at http://www.gmu.edu/student/drc/ or 703-993-2474. All academic accommodations must be arranged through ODS.

Texts

• Wayne Booth, Gregory Colomb, and Joseph Williams. The Craft of Research. 3rd ed. Chicago: U Chicago P, 2008. (Abbreviated Craft in syllabus).

• Citation Guide: Purdue University Online Writing Lab (Purdue OWL), “Research and Citation”: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/section/2/.

• Cronon, William. "A Place for Stories: Nature, History, Narrative." Journal of American History 78.4 (1992): 1347-76. (on Blackboard)

• Frances E. Dolan, Marriage and Violence: The Early Modern Legacy (Philadelphia: U of Pennsylvania P, 2008). (Selection on Blackboard)

HNRS 110 has a three-part structure:

Part One (Weeks 1-4): preparation for the research project: Central to the idea of this course is a belief that the aim of research is to learn something new, not to prove something to your readers; a question that can be answered with a simple “yes” or “no” is not a useful beginning for a research project. In this first section, we will examine ways information can be organized and presented through multiple perspectives. Our focus on the different and divergent representations of the Grizzly Man phenomenon, on readings that examine the question “What does it mean to be human?” and our extended study of the Smithsonian Human Origins exhibit will lay the groundwork for an approach to research that seeks not to argue one side of a question but to examine the many directions a question can take, and the range of possible answers.

Part Two: (Weeks 5-9): formulating a research plan and working with sources: Now that you have chosen and refined your research question, you will spend the next several weeks working with your instructor, graduate teaching assistant, peer mentors and liaison librarians to formulate a plan for your research and to find and evaluate sources. As a new researcher in your topic, you are entering a scholarly conversation that is existing and ongoing. Your job is to understand the conversation and your place within it.

Part Three: (Weeks 10-15): drafting, revising, and presenting the research project: Writing is a process, but it is neither smooth nor entirely linear. You will find yourself drafting; revising; redrafting; revisiting your sources or finding new ones; even reformulating your question, as you work gradually toward the finished project. In this section of the course, you will have several opportunities for feedback from your instructor and peers as you move from a preliminary, to a polished, and eventually to the final, draft of your research paper. The end of your research will be a presentation of your conclusions in both a written and a visual format, as a final paper and a poster or brochure that visually represents your research question and findings. You will present your posters to students and faculty at an end-of-semester celebration and poster session on December 9.

PERCENTAGES OF FINAL GRADE:
Participation (in classroom discussions and exercises, including attendance at required colloquia): 10%
Museum Assignment: 10%
Research Journal: 10%

The HNRS 110 RESEARCH PROJECT (70% Total)
Annotations: 10%
Research Plan: 5%
Preliminary Draft: 15%
Final Version: 25%
Oral Presentation on Research Problem: 5%
Final Poster Presentation: 10%

Class Schedule:
Please note that dates and readings on this schedule are subject to change. Of course, I will give warning.

Date

Readings and Events

Due Dates

M Aug. 29

Introductions, course overview, initial discussion of research papers and topics

In-class exercise/discussion on Grizzly Man, The Grizzly Diaries, and The Grizzly Man Diaries

W Aug. 31

Museum assignment given out in class and discussed

Discussion of Hall of Human Origins Exhibit

Approaches to research and to defining research topics

Browse the website for the Smithsonian Museum's Hall of Human Origins before class (including the interactive map), and write briefly about/be prepared to discuss your impressions.

Print: the Museum Assignment (get to it by clicking here) and bring it to class.

Research Journal: 1-page response: What strikes you about the website for the exhibit? Do you notice any themes going through it? Any particular ways of characterizing its interest? Are there any surprising omissions?

F Sept. 2

Recitation: students should complete “How do you feel about research?” questionnaire online: http://infoguides.gmu.edu/hnrs110 (column on the left). Peer research mentors introduced; practice using subject guides.

Required Colloquium: Jim Trefil on museum exhibit and what it means to be human

4:30 – 6:00 pm Build-a-Burger, Eastern Shore Lawn

M Sept. 5

No Class - Labor Day

W Sept. 7

Cronon, "A Place for Stories," 1347-62 (available on Blackboard)

Preliminary discussion of research topics - brainstorming

Research Journal: 1-2 page response: What alternative histories of the Dust Bowl does Cronon summarize, and what motives does Cronon ascribe to these differing histories?

F Sept. 9

No colloquium or recitations: museum trip on Friday/Saturday

M Sept. 12

Follow up discussion of exhibit

Continue discussion of research questions/topics - developing your topic

Research Journal: Record two distinct questions you'd like to research. Bring these to class as well as handing in in your journal.

W Sept. 14

Craft “From Topics to Questions” (35-50); “From Questions to a Problem” (51-67)

Continue discussion of research questions/topics - refining your topic

Students can attend one of the library’s Scholarly Skills Discovery workshops offered for students in Honors 110. Sign up here.

Research Journal: 1-2 pages. Beginning from an initial statement of your research problem so far, consider the following three questions: what other angles or perspectives might you apply in refining or shifting your question; what obstacles might there be to answering your question; why are you interested in this question and why might other people be?

Sept. 16

Recitation: GTAs and PRMs work with students using the Honors 110 infoguides

Required Colloquium: Peer Research Mentors on the experience of undergraduate research

M Sept. 19

Craft, Engaging Sources (84-100)

Dolan, Marriage and Violence, 26-57

In-class annotation and citation exercises on Dolan

Evaluating sources

Museum Assignment

Research journal: 1-2 pages. In an appropriate database, find three sources on your research question. Which looks most helpful and why? Does it seem authoritative? Why? Is there a source that looks weak? Why?

W Sept. 21

In-class annotation and citation exercises on student sources TBA

Evaluation of sources

Research Journal: Turn in an example of your written engagement with a source—either as a set of notes, or a photocopy of your source marginalia.

F Sept. 23

Recitation: complete Mapworks survey (20-40 minutes); GTAs and PRMs work with students using the Honors 110 infoguide

Required Colloquium: Meeting with Librarians, SUB II Ballroom

M Sept. 26

Research Techniques - observations, problems, solutions

Oral Presentation Outlines

W Sept. 28

Oral Presentations

Research Journal: Provide a list of at least six sources that you are currently reading for your project. The list should be in proper citation format, provide the source of the source (e.g. a particular subscribed database, the WRLC catalogue, an infoguide), and show a range of kinds of sources.

Annotation #1

F Sept. 30

Recitation: PRMs discuss strategies for working with sources

Colloquium: Professor Carma Hinton, “Using Visual Evidence in Documentary Film making”

M Oct. 3

Student Research Problems - Oral Presentations

W Oct. 5

Student Research Problems - Oral Presentations

Heather Anderson on Poster Presentations (day may shift slightly)

Annotation #2

M Oct. 10

Fall Break - No Class. Monday Classes meet Tuesday

T Oct. 11

Student Research Problem - Oral Presentations

W Oct. 12

Evaluation of Student Problem Presentations - in class assessment.

Annotation #3

F Oct. 14

Recitation: PRMs and GTAs work with students to troubleshoot research problems

Colloquium: Professor Ali Weinstein and Honors student interns, “Undergraduate Internship Program in Clinical Research” 

M Oct. 17

Individual Conferences

Annotation #4

Research Plan due in conference

W Oct. 19

Individual Conferences

Research Journal: 1-page: Pick one of your sources that you believe is a model for scholarly writing, not because you agree most with its argument, but because of the way it uses and presents evidence. Be sure to support your observations with specific and detailed examples.

Research Plan due in conference

F Oct. 21

Recitations meet in classrooms designated by subject area rather than section; liaison librarians, TAs, and PRMs work with students in recitations

Colloquium: Provost Peter Stearns, “Historical Research and Current Issues"

M Oct. 24

Discussion sample of professional research (TBA; student supplied)

W Oct. 26

Discussion of sample student paper from previous years

F Oct. 28

Recitation: PRMs and GTAs work with students to troubleshoot research problems

Colloquium: Professor Vasiliki Ikonomidou, “Modern Neuroimaging: Looking into the Brain with MRI and PET”

M Oct. 31

Craft, “Planning and Drafting” 187-202; “Revising Your Organization and Argument,” 203-212

In-class workshop on organization and drafting

Bring to class the current draft of your project

W Nov. 2

More organizational strategies: keywords, framing, signposting, sections and titles

Research paper draft (10 pages, plus works cited; more detail to follow)

F Nov. 4

Recitation: troubleshooting, peer review, or conferences

Colloquium: Professor Sean Salyards

M Nov. 7

In-class discussion of poster presentation

Bring to class the current draft of your poster

W Nov. 9

Discussion/workshops on posters

Bring to class the current draft of your poster

F Nov. 11

Recitations meet in classrooms designated by subject area rather than section; liaison librarians, TAs, and PRMs work with students in recitations

Colloquium: Professor Steven Weinberger, “Alien Language: Science or Fiction”

M Nov. 14

No class - individual conferences to discuss research paper drafts

Bring to conference 1 copy of your complete draft

W Nov. 16

No class - individual conferences to discuss research paper drafts

Bring to your conference 1 copy of your complete draft

F Nov. 18

Recitation: conferences to discuss drafts

Colloquium: Professor Daniel Cox, “Seeing the Forest for the Trees: Neurogenetic dissection of dendritic arbor development and behavior”

M Nov. 21

Craft, “Introductions and Conclusions,” 232-248

Bring to class the current draft of your project

W Nov. 23

No class - Thanksgiving Break

M Nov. 28

Poster Presentations

Electronic versions of posters due

W Nov. 30

Continued Poster Presentations; Peer review of drafts

Bring to class the current draft of your project

F Dec. 2

Recitation: option to work with TA on drafts or on poster presentation with PRMs

Colloquium: Swap and edit paper drafts

M Dec. 5

Finishing touches

Bring to class the current draft of your project

W Dec. 7

Wrap up

Final version of research paper and Two-page reflective essay

F Dec, 9

End-of-year poster session and semester-end refreshments

Other Important Dates:

Sept. 6:
Sept. 6:
Sept. 19:
Sept. 30:
Oct. 3 - 28:

Last day to drop a class with no tuition penalty
Last day to add a class
Last day to drop with a 33% tuition penalty
Final Drop Deadline (67% tuition penalty)
Elective Withdrawal Period

Description of Assignments:

Research Journal (10%) due as directed in the course schedule:

This online journal is designed to allow you to write responses to course readings and to comment on specific research activities. See details in the course schedule. Gretchen Beasley, at her discretion, may assign journal entries as preparation for recitations.

The Honors 110 Research Project:

The main product of your semester's work will be a researched essay of at least 12 pages on a subject of your own design, accompanied by a bibliography of at least 12 sources, no more than two of which may be web pages. You must engage with and cite at least six of your sources in the body of your paper.

In the course of the semester, you will work through the process of finding a topic, shaping a research problem, locating and analyzing evidence that represents divergent perspectives or approaches to that problem, and presenting a scholarly argument in which you analyze your findings. Research takes time, so make sure that you work steadily on your project. It’s broken up into separate assignments to keep you moving forward on schedule. Instructors, GTAs, and librarians are ready to assist you at all stages.

The research project is composed of the following assignments:

Required conferences: Throughout the semester, you will be required to meet with us to discuss your research project. Please come to these meetings prepared with a list of questions you want to ask us as well as any relevant materials we may ask you to bring. These meetings will provide you the opportunity to draw on our experience as expert researchers to help you direct and shape your research project. Conferences are very important; your preparation for them will ultimately be included as part of your participation grade.

Annotations (one each due at the end of weeks 5, 6, 7 and 8) for the four most promising sources you have found to date. Each annotation should demonstrate that you have thoroughly read and evaluated the source. Annotations should be between 200-400 words, composed in paragraph form, and should begin with a complete citation in MLA style (Use Purdue OWL). Further detail on the content of the annotations to follow.

Oral Presentation I: Research Problem Presentation (Week 6): This is a very short (2 minute) and tightly focused presentation in which you

• Introduce the class to your topic

• Identify the types of questions you are asking, and

• Indicate the overall significance of your research problem.

So that you can be sure you are prepared for the presentation, a written draft outline of your presentation will be due in Week 5.

Research Plan (due week 8): This is a three-page document (due in conference) that should start with a precise and concise statement of your research problem, continue with a summary description of the research you have completed thus far, and conclude with a detailed plan of how you intend to conduct the rest of your research. Among other things, your plan should include descriptions of the kinds of sources you will be consulting in order to represent the points of view of the major stakeholders and a list of tasks you need to complete. Your plan must be accompanied by a bibliography of at least 6 relevant sources that you have identified and plan to use in your Complete Draft, no more than 2 of which may be web pages. The plan should follow correct MLA citation form.

Research Paper Draft (due week 10): The draft should be at least ten pages long, cite evidence from at least six sources, and be accompanied by a works cited list of at least ten sources (no more than two of which may be web pages), produced in correct MLA citation form.

• Make sure your research question is clear, original, relevant, and not a question to which you already know, or think you know, the answer. This should be an interpretive, not a factual or evaluative question.

• Make sure your research reflects multiple perspectives on your issue: you may not have the answer yet, but your research should demonstrate the range of possible answers from a variety of perspectives.

• Make sure the information and arguments offered by your sources is organized in a way that guides the reader logically through these perspectives and demonstrates their relevance to your question

Your draft will be evaluated according to how effectively you have accomplished this. But remember, this is not what your final paper will look like. At this point in your research you are still exploring the contours and the reach of your research question. You may have an idea of what you want to argue, and you may be getting excited at the directions your research is taking you in, or the claims your sources suggest or make possible. But you probably won’t have settled on a thesis that can be articulated in a single statement yet. You may very well have more research and certainly more organization and revision to do before you have a complete, researched essay. It should, however, be thoughtfully organized, with an introduction, coherent sentences and paragraphs, clear transitions, and a conclusion. Work from an outline. This is a draft, not a collection of notes.

Oral Presentation II: Poster Presentation (Week 14): Accompanying your paper will be a poster that visually represents your research question and findings. You should think of this poster as neither a substitute nor a supplement but rather a coordinated component of your overall research project. It should communicate the outline of your research and claims in a way that is clear and visually engaging but that does not overwhelm your audience. The poster should be something your audience can understand without either reading the paper or asking you questions, but it should engage them and provoke their curiosity. Here are some things to think about when designing your poster.

• Keep it simple: use only key images; you will not be able to communicate everything that’s in your paper

• Images and text should connect directly to paper content, and the hierarchy in your poster should reflect the hierarchy in your paper

• Images should be high quality (no pixels, please)

• Titles and subtitles need to be readable from a distance (4-5 feet)

Final Version (Due Week 15): At least 12 pages, plus a bibliography divided into works cited and works consulted. You must include a total of at least 12 sources, no more than 2 of which may be web pages. You must refer directly to at least 6 different sources in the body of your essay. This draft will be graded according to how

• The scope and effectiveness of your revision of the preceding draft

• The overall insight and complexity of your argument including your incorporation of multiple perspectives on the issue

• The overall effectiveness of your handling of style, rhetoric, and evidence

• The correctness of grammar, spelling, punctuation and proofreading

In addition, your revised draft must be accompanied by a 2-page reflection essay on what you learned about research this semester.

Best wishes for a good semester.