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Course Description

Summary

This advanced research seminar offers students the opportunity to conduct advanced work in social science and public action in the form of an independent research project. For some students, this will be the first half of a year-long thesis that involves field work and/or the collection of data. For others, this will be a one-semester long project. For all students, however, the process in these fourteen weeks is similar, if not exactly the same: all students must conduct a detailed review of the scholarly literature that informs their inquiry, and must begin to situate themselves within that scholarly conversation as an independent voice. We will begin the course by reflecting on the nature of the social science disciplines, what it means to conduct individual research, and by examining model literature reviews from different disciplines. Aside from the few shared readings, the bulk of what individuals read is directly the result of the research they do. Writing will take place throughout term, and students will receive feedback both from the instructor and from their peers in the course. Individual works and directions will be discussed and work-shopped in class.