DPLS 730fa08 Proposal Seminar

DPLS 730 - Proposal Seminar
Fall 2008                  3 Credits

Professor: James Beebe
Office RC 250
Office phone: (509) 323-3484
Home phone: (509) 456-2571
email: mailto:beebe@gonzaga.edu

Last updated Aug 18, 2008, minor edits

Disability Access and Accommodation Statement

If you need an accommodation based on the impact of a disability, please contact Kathryne Shearer, Director, Disability Resources, Education, and Access Management as soon as possible. Her office is in Foley Library, 2nd Floor (phone: 323-4134). Mrs. Shearer will help verify the need for accommodations and develop accommodation strategies. If you have not contacted them previously, I encourage you to do so.

Course Overview

This course is a seminar which means students meet to share ideas and learn from each other. In order to gain the most benefit from the seminar, students need to be prepared for each session and be open to other class members'  suggestions. Proposal Seminar is designed to provide students with assistance in developing the dissertation proposal. Students should aim to leave the seminar with a completed draft of the entire proposal (Chapters I, II, and III of the dissertation).

Requirements to Register

To register for DPLS 730 students must (a) have candidacy, (b) have no incompletes, (c) have evidence that they have submitted a paper based on their candidacy paper to a journal, (d) have on file a copy of the certificate of completion of the NIH human subject training, and (e) have a petition that has 3-5 pages of Chapter I, at least 30 pages of Chapter II, and 3-5 pages of Chapter III. Once the student's advisor is satisfied that these requirements have been met, she or he informs me. At this point the student should send me their petition, I will review it, and will then add the student to the class list.

NOTE: Everyone is expected to do the Human Participant Protections Education program.  This training satisfies the NIH human subjects training requirement for obtaining Federal Funds.  We will add a copy of your certificate to your file and you will want to keep a copy.  Link for course.  http://phrp.nihtraining.com/users/login.php

Course Objectives

By the end of the semester, the students should:

1. Be familiar with critical elements in the dissertation process and the Doctoral Program's expectations.

2. Be able to produce written material in APA format that is easy to read and that meets the requirements of a doctoral dissertation, including the use of references.

3. Have developed a knowledge base pertaining to their topic and have communicated this knowledge base in a meaningful, interesting, and clear manner.

4. Have identified a research problem that is supported by this knowledge base.

5. Have developed a clearly stated purpose of the study.

6. Have identified methods for researching the problem to be studied.

7. Have identified ethical considerations and limitations of the study given the chosen research design.

Required Texts

Available from Marnie Broughton ($10 each for Blue and Red Book, no charge for White Book) or available for free as download from the Information for Current Students line on the Doctoral Web Page.

But I've Never Written a Dissertation Before: A User-friendly Guide for the Preparation of the Dissertation (2007) (Blue Book)

Doctoral Program in Leadership Studies: Guide to Style and Mechanics (2006) (Red Book)

Doctoral Program in Leadership Studies Template Instructions (2007) (White Book).

Strongly Recommended Support Materials

RefWorks. Software for managing bibliographic references. (add link)

Dissertation Template. The Doctoral Program in Leadership Studies provides students a template for the dissertation based on Microsoft Word (available on the Doctoral Web Site).

Dissertations available through Foley and at other universities.  

Laptop, memory stick (UBS). Bring to class.

Optional Texts

American Psychological Association. (2001) Publication Manual (5th ed.). Washington DC: Author

Becker, H. (1986). Writing for social scientists: How to start and finish your thesis, book, or article. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

Hart, C. (1998). Doing a literature review: Releasing the social science research imagination. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Locke, L., Spirduso, W. W., & Silverman, S. J. (2007) Proposal that work: A guide for planning dissertations and grant proposals (5th ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Pellegrino, V. C. (1987). A writer's guide to transitional words and expressions. Wailuku, HI: Maui Arthoughts.

Perrin, R. (2007). Pocket guide to APA style (2nd ed.). Boston: Houghton Mifflin.

Rudestam, K. E. & Newton, R. R. (2007). Surviving your dissertation: A comprehensive guide to content and process. (3nd ed.) Newbury Park, CA: Sage

Any book on how to use MS Word.

Grading

All students who complete a draft of the dissertation proposal will receive a "S" (Satisfactory) for the course. Students who do not complete the work for the course will receive an "IP"(In Progress). At the time the proposal is completed, the student will be responsible for preparing a grade change form and getting the signature of the instructor.

Assignments and Seminar Activities Sept 6, 20; Oct 4, 18, 25; Nov 8, 22; Dec 6

PRIOR TO THE FIRST SESSION

1. Post to Blackboard your petition. The Petition should include a clear statement about the purpose of the study that begins: The purpose of my study is to.......  This will be part of at least three or four pages of Chapter I.  The petition should included an almost complete Chapter II, about 40 pages, with a minimum of about 20 research studies (as oppoed to theoretical thought pieces), and at least three of four pages of Chapter III.  
Your posting should be a new thread, revisions will be a reply to your posting. Comments on others topic will be replies to their posting.
2. Locate at least one dissertation that could serve as a model for your dissertation. Ideally it will have to do with your topics but it does not have to. Begin with the Doctoral Program List of Dissertation Title. See link from the Doctoral Home Page /doctoral. Search for dissertations at other universities using the link from the Doctoral Program Dissertation Titles page. Bring to the second class session.
3. Make an appointment with one of the librarians at Foley to search for dissertations and other sources and Post to Blackboard the title of the dissertation using correct APA format
4. Read all of the Blue Book.
5. Check out the All But the Dissertation Survival Guide http://www.abdsurvivalguide.com/ (note this is a site sponsored by a commercial organization and we are not endorsing their products, check out the resources, you may find their free newsletter helpful) and the PhinisheD page http://www.phinished.org/
6. During the first session we will decide on how many copies of assignments will be needed and ways to distribute them to your classmates.

Class Assignment should be posted to Blackboard by Thursday. 5:00 before the Saturday class session if you want feedback.

If you already know how to use the template and RefWorks or another reference software, send me an email with details and do not attend theses sessions.

Session 1 Sept 6

Assignment to be completed prior to class. Read entire Blue Book, Reread Chapter I and II, be prepared to make an oral presentation on research topic and purpose statement. See Prior to the First Session

a. Introductions, introduction to the seminar, and overview of the syllabus

b. Overview of the dissertation process

c. Student presentation of topic and purpose statement

d. Review of contents of Chapter I

e. Overview of research questions (Not to be confused with illustrative interview topics and questions)

Session 1A Sept 6

a. Use of the template and MS Word, focus on copying material into the template, headers, styles, table of contents, and when things get messed up.

Session 2 Sept 20

Assignment to be completed prior to class. Read introduction to academic writing. Read Red Book. Re-read Bluebook pp 19-22. If petition is not already in the template, move into template. Generate a table of contents. Revision of Chapter I with focus on purpose of the study statement and research questions. Print and bring to class (a) your table of contents and (b) your revised Chapter I. Note to print out selected pages type page numbers and/or page ranges separated by commas counting from the start of the document or the section. For example, type 1, 3, 5-12 or p1s1, p1s2, p1s3-p8s3

a. Discussion of academic writing

b. APA requirements

c. Use of references, in text and reference list

d. Personal writing habits

e. Reports on revised purpose of the study statement and research questions

f. Peer editing of Chapter I

g. Overview of Chapter II

h. Discussion on the importance and use of model dissertations

i. Issues with template

Session 3 Oct 4

Foley RefWorks and Advanced Search

Session 4 Oct 18

Assignment to be completed prior to class. Re-read Bluebook pp 22-24, 70-72. Read Anfara and Mertz (2006, Introduction, pp.xii-xxx) Blackboard Course Document. Be prepared for oral class presentation on major authors and previous scholarship for Chapter II. Revise at least 3 pages, but not more than 5 pages, of Chapter II, not necessarily the first three pages, but a section where you have the solid references, especially empirical studies if appropriate to your dissertation, post to Blackboard, print, and bring to class. Print and bring to class the first two pages of your reference list.

a. Review of the purpose and contents of Chapter II

b. Chapter II and narrative

c. Use of the past tense to report materials from references

d. Use of page numbers

e. Dealing with personal biases and very limited opportunity for your opinions and views in Chapter II

f. Peer editing of 3 pages of Chapter II

g. Peer editing of 2 pages of References

h. Overview of conceptual framework

Session 5 Oct 25

Assignment to be completed prior to class. Re-read Blackboard pp. 32-42. Expand your Chapter II to one full section, 5 pages, but not more than 8 pages, with outline for the rest of the chapter. Focus on making Chapter II a narrative. Post to Blackboard, print out, and bring to class. Print out, fill in, and bring to class Dissertation Timeline (p. 80 Blue Book, ignore item 18). Prepare one to three pages of your conceptual framework, post to Blackboard as part of your draft, print out, and bring to class. Expand your reference list to 4 pages, print out and bring to class.

a. Peer editing of section of Chapter II

b. Presentation and discussion of conceptual frameworks

c. Presentation on projected time line for completion of the dissertation (Blue Book, p. 80)

d. Discussion of personal writing experiences

e. Peer editing expanded reference list 

f, Overview of Chapter III

Session 6 Nov 8

Assignment to be completed prior to class. Prepare as part of your proposal the first 3, but not more than 8 pages of your Chapter III, post toBlackboard, print out, and bring to class. Download instructions and forms for the IRB from the Doctoral Web site. Prepare on letterhead a draft of your letter of informed consent.

a. Presentations and evaluating the extent to which your Chapter III will help you achieve the purpose of your study

b. Panel discussion by graduates of program on the process of moving from 730 to Sign-Off of dissertation

c. Discussion of the IRB process

d. Peer editing of letters of informed consent

Session  7 Nov 22

There is no face-to-face class.

You are encouraged to make an appointment with me to discuss your progress

Continued work on Chapter II and III, content and writing

Session  8 Dec 6

Potluck Brunch at James' house, 1249 S. Wall St.

Assignment to be completed prior to class. Draft of Chapters I, II, and III with reference list. Bring to class. Be prepared to make a 5 minute presentation on the journey that brought you to your topic and a 10 minute introduction to your topic and proposed methods. Note that for the proposal you will not include the "front" pages such as the copyright, signature, dedication, acknowledgements, and abstract pages.

a. Mock proposal defense

b. Discussion of the dissertation process, working with your committee, changing the proposal, etc.