REM 505: Winter, 2009*

Assignment Descriptions: (Additional instructions may be provided for individual assignments in class, but some basics are provided here.)

• Assignment #1: Initial Interest Statement: Write a statement of 100-200 words describing the topic of your proposed thesis, and provide a tentative title. Although there is no set format, consider describing things like: the issue to be explored, question to be answered, research niche (literature data gap), area to be investigated (i.e. where the proposed study will take place), means of studying the topic, etc. Provide a word count after the statement. (You can use the Tools>Word Count function in Word.) Please also identify a potential supervisor for your thesis.
• Assignment #2: Thesis Critique: Go to the CWU library and choose a completed REM thesis, read it, and write up a critique 4 full pages (MIN)-5 full pages (MAX) (about 1000-1200 words). Be sure to provide the full bibliographic citation for the thesis, including year and number of pages, and also the names of the committee members.
• Assignment #3: Proposal Introduction: Write an introduction to your thesis proposal, including its tentative title, plus a discussion of problem, purpose, and significance (the What and Why of your thesis). You may also include formal hypotheses, research questions, or specific objectives as appropriate. There is no set length for this work, but it is likely to be approximately 3 pages. Include a References Cited section as necessary. Additional information will be provided in class and in the Creswell portion of the course pack. (You may also use Assignment #1 and faculty feedback to help revise your problem statement and tentative title). You will also need to consult with a possible thesis chair and have him or her agree to act as a thesis topic chair. Submit your assignment with the following at the bottom: "I (typed name of chair) have read this and agree to act as the chair for the quarter, signed ." Be sure to obtain their signature and include a copy of Assignment #1 with our comments on it.
• Assignment #4: Annotated Bibliography: Complete a bibliography of sources relevant for your thesis topic, each with an annotation summarizing the reference and noting how you might use it in your thesis. Format the bibliography with each reference followed by its annotation rather than a list of annotations and a bibliography at the end. You are expected to include at least 8 sources and provide annotations for each at least ½ page long. Additional details will be provided in class.
• Assignment #5: Partial Proposal 1: Expand your proposal to include a revision of the Title, Introduction, and References Cited section (as appropriate), and sections for Literature Review and Study Area. The Literature Review should place your proposed thesis research into context, and show you are aware of the current state of knowledge regarding your topic. Be sure to include Assignment #3 with our comments on it.
• Assignment #6: Partial Proposal 2: Expand your proposal to include a revision of Assignment #5 (as appropriate), and a new Methods section. The Methods section should clearly tell us what you are going to do and how you are going to do it. Be sure to include Assignment #5 with our comments on it.
• Assignment #7: Oral Presentation of Proposal. Provide a brief oral presentation of your proposed work, supported with graphics like Powerpoint. You should include problem, purpose, significance, and the literature context. Your presentation is limited to 15 minutes, including setup and questions, and you will be dismissed at 15 minutes even if you are not done. You should aim for a presentation about 12 minutes, with 3 minutes for questions and transition to the next speaker.
• Assignment #8: Complete Proposal: Expand your proposal to include a revision of Assignment #6 (as appropriate), and a new section with an Abstract (up to 150 words). Be sure to include Assignment #6 with our comments on it. The completed proposal (for the purposes of this class) should have the following sections in this order: (1) title, (2) abstract, (3) introduction, (4) literature review, (5) study area, (6) methods, (7) expected results, and (8) references cited.

GRADING RUBRIC FOR ASSIGNMENT 7

Your final grade for your presentation will be based 1/3 on Bob's evaluation, 1/3 on Bill's evaluation, and 1/3 on the average of the student evaluations. Yes, each of you will fill out one of these for every presentation except your own. Total points will be scaled to 10, per the syllabus.

GRADING RUBRIC FOR ASSIGNMENT 8

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