Post 5

Post 5
THESIS RESEARCH AND WRITING/ METHODOLOGY OF RESEARCH
Study Day

I. Opening Comments
I seem to have to post this class each time we do this course on line....

One of the interesting things about doing an online course is that things don't operate in a straight line, chronologically speaking. One student may log on every day at the same time, while another may log on when ever he or she may find a moment. A third might wait until the end of the week and do all work on the weekends.

That flexibility can be a benefit or also a potential blunder. The reason for the benefit is that it gives the student flexibility. The potential blunder is that a student could wait too late and get behind. That would cause the student to try to hurry and complete assignments and either miss something in the rush, or do substandard work. That would not be good.

In order to prevent this, many online courses are managed so that the student has to log on and do the work sometime within a definite time frame, such as a week. At the end of that week, the instructor would remove the lessons that are currently posted and start posting new ones the next week. That way only a certain number of lessons are out on the web at a time.

I want to encourage all students to stay current with their work. One week is the most that anyone should be away from their lessons. I will try to stay in touch with you via e-mail, and if something comes up, such as having to make a trip with a relative, then let me know and I'll try to adjust my expectations accordingly. Together we can make this a great experience.

II. Assignment
A. Keep Working on the Literature Review
1. Pick your list of books to review
2. When you know which ones you'll use, e-mail the list of titles, including authors, to me
3. I suggest you read the introduction and conclusion (or final chapter) in their entirety and then read the first and last paragraphs of each chapter, as well as skimming the chapters.
4. Then, write a one full paragraph summary of the book, including bibliographic data.
B. Remember to post a comment on the class site for each assignment, even this one!
C. Keep up the good work.

Post 4

Post 4
THESIS RESEARCH AND WRITING/ METHODOLOGY OF RESEARCH
Lecture on Review of Literature

I. Opening Comments -
This assignment is to get some authoritative information into your presentation. Learners will gain more if you speak from research, not opinion. For that reason, you will need to find recent (published in the last 5 years) sources which you can quote. It will take some time, but it will reap great benefits.
Today's material should guide you in how to select your sources AND how to use them. Be sure and click on any links found in the assignment and read the material found on those sites. Include comments on those sites as well as this when you write your observations in the comment box at the end of this assigment.
II. Review of Assignment
For the last lesson you were to write a thesis statement. You should review what you wrote to see if it is both gripping and substantive. Readers should be able to view it and understand what your entire presentation is going to be about AND want to listen to every word you are going to say!
III. New Material on the Purpose of Study-
a. Introduction- From online writing handbook for Ole Miss: Doctoral and Masters students may find it helpful to begin writing a review of literature as soon as they enter graduate school. Building a comprehensive annotated bibliography may save many hours of work when dissertation time arrives. (http://www.olemiss.edu/depts/writing_center/grlitreview.html, accessed 2/7/05)
b. Definition-
1. A review of literature in a scholarly paper is a classification and evaluation of what accredited scholars and researchers have written on a topic, organized according to a guiding concept such as a research objective, thesis, or the problem/issue to be addressed. (http://www.olemiss.edu/depts/writing_center/grlitreview.html, accessed 2/7/05)
2. A review may be a self-contained unit -- an end in itself -- or a preface to and rationale for engaging in primary research. A review is a required part of grant and research proposals and often a chapter in theses and dissertations. (http://www.wisc.edu/writing/Handbook/ReviewofLiterature.html, accessed 2/7/05)
3. Not to be confused with a book review, a literature review surveys scholarly articles, books and other sources (e.g. dissertations, conference proceedings) relevant to a particular issue, area of research, or theory, providing a description, summary, and critical evaluation of each work. The purpose is to offer an overview of significant literature published on a topic. (http://library.ucsc.edu/ref/howto/literaturereview.html, accessed 2/7/05)
c. Purpose-
1. Generally, the purpose of a review is to analyze critically a segment of a published body of knowledge through summary, classification, and comparison of prior research studies, reviews of literature, and theoretical articles. (http://www.wisc.edu/writing/Handbook/ReviewofLiterature.html, accessed 2/7/05)
2. Demonstrate your intellectual ability to recognize relevant information.Demonstrate your ability to synthesize and evaluate the literature according to the guiding concept you have determined for yourself. (http://www.olemiss.edu/depts/writing_center/grlitreview.html, accessed 2/7/05)
3. A literature review may constitute an essential chapter of a thesis or dissertation, or may be a self-contained review of writings on a subject. In either case, its purpose is to:
a. Place each work in the context of its contribution to the understanding of the subject under review
b. Describe the relationship of each work to the others under consideration
c. Identify new ways to interpret, and shed light on any gaps in, previous research
d. Resolve conflicts amongst seemingly contradictory previous studies
e. Identify areas of prior scholarship to prevent duplication of effort
f. Point the way forward for further research
g. Place one's original work (in the case of theses or dissertations) in the context of existing literature (http://library.ucsc.edu/ref/howto/literaturereview.html, accessed 2/7/05)
d. Process- Similar to primary research, development of the literature review requires four stages:
1. Problem formulation—which topic or field is being examined and what are its component issues?
2. Literature search—finding materials relevant to the subject being explored
3. Data evaluation—determining which literature makes a significant contribution to the understanding of the topic
4. Analysis and interpretation—discussing the findings and conclusions of pertinent literature (http://library.ucsc.edu/ref/howto/literaturereview.html, accessed 2/7/05)
e. Format –
1. The format of a review of literature may vary from discipline to discipline and from assignment to assignment. (http://www.wisc.edu/writing/Handbook/ReviewofLiterature.html, accessed 2/7/05)
2. Literature reviews should comprise the following elements:
a. An overview of the subject, issue or theory under consideration, along with the objectives of the literature review
b. Division of works under review into categories (e.g. those in support of a particular position, those against, and those offering alternative theses entirely)
c. Explanation of how each work is similar to and how it varies from the others
d. Conclusions as to which pieces are best considered in their argument, are most convincing of their opinions, and make the greatest contribution to the understanding and development of their area of research (http://library.ucsc.edu/ref/howto/literaturereview.html, accessed 2/7/05)
f. Things to consider:
1. Resources discussed in the review should be scholarly in nature. Scholarly journals generally have a sober, serious look, and contain many graphs and charts (few glossy pages or exciting pictures). Scholarly journals always cite their sources in the form of footnotes or bibliographies. Authors are scholars in the field or someone who has done research in the field. Scholarly language is that of the discipline covered and assumes some scholarly background on the part of the reader. The main purpose of the review of literature is to report on original research or experimentation in order to make such information available to the rest of the scholarly world. (http://www.olemiss.edu/depts/writing_center/grlitreview.html, accessed 2/7/05)
2. Provenance—What are the author's credentials? Are the author's arguments supported by evidence (e.g. primary historical material, case studies, narratives, statistics, recent scientific findings)?
3. Objectivity—Is the author's perspective even-handed or prejudicial? Is contrary data considered or is certain pertinent information ignored to prove the author's point?
4. Persuasiveness—Which of the author's theses are most/least convincing?
5. Value—Are the author's arguments and conclusions convincing? Does the work ultimately contribute in any significant way to an understanding of the subject? (http://library.ucsc.edu/ref/howto/literaturereview.html, accessed 2/7/05)
6. Show off your research skills:
a. Information seeking: your ability to scan the literature efficiently using manual or computerized methods to identify a set of potentially useful articles and books.
b. Critical appraisal: your ability to apply principles of analysis to identify those studies which are unbiased and valid. (http://www.olemiss.edu/depts/writing_center/grlitreview.html, accessed 2/7/05)
IV. Assignment-
A. Write your Review of Literature.
1. (5 Books)
2. Send this part of your assignment to the instructor in an e-mail. Use wmartin@abcnash.edu.
B. Write an evaluation of the assignement on the class website in the comment section

Post 3

Post 3
THESIS RESEARCH AND WRITING
Starting With A Goal In Mind

I. When a Boy Scout is earning a Merit Badge for Map Reading, that Scout is given a map and told to find his way to a “DESTINATION”
a. The leader doesn’t ask the scout to cover all of the territory or even to memorize the map
b. The scout has to arrive at a specified location within a time frame
c. When writing a paper, a student has to know where he or she wants to go.
II. A plan of attack for the keystone of your paper
We know the buildup to the actual research step is getting to be really intense, but you need to learn to pick and refine a topic before figuring out the focal point of your paper: your thesis statement or research question. You just can't afford to waste time wandering aimlessly around the library, or even worse, in your paper. You need to know what your ultimate purpose is and what you need to know and do to get there. (Accessed June 6, 2006. )
III. Look at the following web pages and work through the tutorials that you find:
a. http://www.powa.org/content/view/215/104/
b. http://writing2.richmond.edu/writing/wweb/1stqs.html
c. http://members.aol.com/lklivngstn/essay/topic.html
d. http://www.writing.ku.edu/students/docs/research.shtml

IV. Assignment for the next class: Write a great thesis statement for your project paper. Keep a copy of it on your computer in Micro Soft Word documant format. Also, post it on the blog site.

Post 2 Syllabus

Post 2
AMERICAN BAPTIST COLLEGE
Thesis Research and Writing
Course Syllabus

Course Number and Title: Thesis Research and Writing TH/PS 501

Term, Level, and Credit: Summer 2007, 1 semester credit hour

Course Description: The students are expected to learn to do three things: demonstrate an understanding of original research; select a subject-topic, and write a paper which can be used in a teaching situation

Course Prerequisites: All other Th.B. coursework.

Course Text: A Research Guide For Undergraduate Students, Baker and Huling

Course Objectives:
Introduce students to the concept of scholarly research
Familiarize students with the rules of documentation
Immerse students in the practice of research
Have students produce a paper for teaching others.

Contact Information:
Instructor: William C. Martin, D.Min.
E-mail: wmartin@abcnash.edu
Phone: 615.354.1064
Virtual Office Hours: Monday through Friday 9:00-5:00

Course Policies:
Class starts July 9 and runs until August 3.
All assignments are due at the time assigned.
Student collaboration is encouraged, but all work submitted is to be done by the student, ALONE!
Attendance policy as stated in the College Catalogue
American Baptist College fully implements the mandates of the Americans with Disabilities Act. If you need an accommodation, please see the Dean of Student affairs and bring the requisite paperwork to the instructor before the next class.


Course Evaluation:

Homework: 30%
Participation: 30%
Paper: 40%

The grading scale is as per the College Catalogue:
A 100-95
B 94-85
C 84-70
D 69-60
F 59-0

Course Construction:
This is an experience with electronic delivery of course content at American Baptist College. Using a public blog site, this course seeks to enable one to explore the methods of research necessary for the production of excellent written communication at the graduate level. Much of what will be accomplished during the course of the class will be done outside of class. That having been said, participation and timeliness will be mandatory for maximum benefit.
To meet the requirements of this course, you are to:

1: visit the class site http://phth501.blogspot.com each day
2: read what is posted by the instructor there each day.
3: write a paragraph each day in regard to the information posted for the day.
4: engage in the concept of online discussion by logging back in and posting a comment on someone else’s comment. (Thus, two paragraphs should be posted each day to earn the participation grade.)

The construction of the class is designed both teach the student how to do the research and also to produce the research. So, by logging on the website and completing each assignment, the student will create their final project.

Be sure, then, to keep a copy of each assignment (in MicroSoft Word format). You will then assemble them into a three ring binder (2" with hard cover), seperated by labeled tabs. There will also be a table of contents, typed, inside the first cover. It will have the following information:

I. Introduction to class
II. Syllabus
III. Project
A. Introduction/Background of Study
B. Review of Literature
C. Problem
D. Scope Statement
E. Purpose Statement
F. Signifcance of the Study
G. Definition of Terms
H. Definition of Terms
I. Conclusion
J. Works Cited
IV. Extra Pages/Notes

Make sure that you understand the format listed above. This is the only acceptable final format. Contact the professor if you need any additional information.

“Piete piatatem et amicitium”

Post 1 Introduction

This Post is to serve as an introduction to an experience in online education for the Th.B. Program of the American Baptist College. If you are registered for the class, Ph/Th 501, you have gotten an e-mail from the instructor with the website address and instructions as to how to use this website.

Our class meets entirely online. You won't have to go to the campus of American Baptist College at all during this class. You will have to visit this website for each of the 14 class meetings. Each class builds on the one before, so don't skip any lessons. The work you do for each lesson will also fit together to create the final assignment, so make sure and keep copies of everything you do.

For today, please take time to read this introduction. Your first assignment is to post a comment. To do so:

1. Scroll to the bottom of the page and click on the word "comments."
2. Compose one complete paragraph (three to five sentences) stating your name, your goal for taking this course, and your impression of this method of learning to this point.
3. Scroll to the bottom of that window, click the radio button that says "other"
4. Type your first and last name.
5. Click "publish your comments."

Tuesday I will post the next new information. Be sure and look for it. In fact, for the rest of the course, you will need to check this website every day: www.blogger.com. Once there,go to our course site, phth501. Or, you can go directly to http://phth501.blogspot.com/ I will post new information every day or so. It is also a part of your class assignment to read the comments of others and respond online. This is how we have our virtual-class discussions. Remember, talk about the comment, not the commenter.

Thank you for participating in this experience!