Summer 2014 Classroom: Dawson Hall D114 June 2 – August 4, 2014 Every Monday 6:00-10:00 P.M. Classroom: 6/2, 6/9, 7/28, 8/4 Online: 6/16, 6/23, 6/30, 7/7, 7/14, 7/21 Dr. Ray Redick, PsyD. Office: 788-4065 Email: rredick@ben.edu PRE-ASSIGNMENT: 1. Review the syllabus 2. Read Chapters 1 & 2 of textbook "Writing With Style". PSYC 395 - SENIOR THESIS I. COURSE DESCRIPTION (3 CREDIT HOURS) Completion of an original research project under faculty supervision, involving an original survey design, case study or experimental analysis. II. TEXTBOOKS: Szuchman, Lenore (2014). Writing with Style: APA style made easy (6th Ed.). Cengage Learning. ISBN: 978-1285077062 ISBN: 128-5077067 III. MISSION STATEMENT Benedictine University is dedicated to the education of undergraduate and graduate students from diverse ethnic, racial and religious backgrounds. As an academic community committed to liberal arts and professional education distinguished and guided by our Roman Catholic tradition and Benedictine heritage, we prepare our students for a lifetime as active, informed and responsible citizens and leaders in the world community. IV. GOALS, OBJECTIVES AND STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES A. Benedictine Core Goals Benedictine University's core mission is to prepare students for active participation in an increasingly interconnected world. Its Core Curriculum advances this mission by enabling students to attain a broad range of learning goals, listed below: 1. Demonstrate an effective level of cognitive, communicative, and research skills; 2. Achieve a college level of computational skills and an ability to understand and interpret numerical data; 3. Acquire a knowledge of the history and heritage of western civilization, to include the contributions of religious faith and philosophical thought to understanding the person in community, the relationship of the individual to society: membership and participation in groups and institutions, scientific literacy through a knowledge of the history, the methods, and the impact of science on the individual, society, and the environment, artistic and literary heritage; 4. Develop an understanding of global society: cultural diversity, mutual relationships, interdependence of peoples and nations; 5. Apply liberal learning in problem-solving contexts as preparation for active participation in society; 6. Make informed ethical decisions that promote personal integrity, the legitimate rights and aspirations of individuals and groups, and the common good. B. Course Objectives/Outcomes As a distribution course within the Core Curriculum, PSYC 395 was designed with the above Core goals in mind. Thus, upon successful completion of Senior Thesis (PSYC 395), the student will be able to demonstrate their mastery of the following objectives and student learning outcomes: 1. To design and complete research project. 2. To develop a familiarity with the proper APA (American Psychological Association) style. 3. To develop an understanding of social science research methods. 4. To become familiar with the basic techniques of social science research. 5. To develop, articulate and test hypothesis. 6. To identify and employ a research design strategy and recognize and address threats to the design strategy. 7. To critically evaluate research articles for a literature review and describe and implement the methodology to be employed in the thesis. 8. To apply descriptive and inferential statistical techniques to analyze the data. 9. To apply ethnical guidelines for conducting and evaluating research in social science and recognize and avoid plagiarism. 10. To complete the thesis using the APA American Psychological Association publication style. 11. To communicate effectively in oral and written form. V. TEACHING METHODS Lecture/discussion/computer lab based statistical inquiry. Individual consultations with instructor and students. VI. COURSE REQUIREMENTS Attendance Policy This course is highly accelerated, and students will need to take a great deal of responsibility for their own learning outcomes. Attendance is required in each class meeting for the full period of time. Any absence must be due to extraordinary circumstances and will require documentation for it to be considered excused. Documentation must be provided immediately in order to determine what, if any, accommodations are reasonable or possible. Class attendance will directly impact your final grade, and each undocumented absence will be considered unexcused and will result in a 20% reduction in the final grade for the course. Due to the accelerated nature of the course, should you experience a medical condition which prevents you from attending any class(es), appropriate medical documentation must be provided immediately so it may be determined what, if any, accommodations are reasonable or possible. Reading Assignments It is expected that students will read and implement the writing formats noted in both the APA Manual and in the Writing with Style textbook. Each week students will be assigned a research article to read and review. Written and Oral Assignments Thesis (100 points) The student must conduct a research project and produce a thesis by the end of the semester. Details are attached. The thesis will be based on the proposal developed in the PSYC 299 Research Methods course. The thesis must be submitted in class on the day it is due, or it will not be accepted and the student will receive a failing grade for the assignment. Only students who submit a verified medical excuse can make arrangements to submit the thesis late. We will be using SafeAssign for the assignment. More detail will be provided in class. Each student will submit a review of a research articles posted on D2L by the assigned due date. The outline of the review will be given to the students during the first class. Each student will complete chapters’ exercises and submit them by the assigned due date. Students are required to submit a rough draft of their thesis for review. Instructor will provide feedback and recommendations. Students must submit their assignments and papers via the D2L Drop Box Function. Presentation (20 points) During the class session, students will present their thesis to the class. The presentation should be about 45 minutes in length. Students may ask their family members or friends to attend their presentations. Each student will provide a description of the project and the results of the study. Students will present information using power point. If a student fails to do the presentation at the scheduled time, an F will be given for the assignment. Students will post their progress weekly. Benedictine University at Springfield Student Academic Honesty Policy The search for truth and the dissemination of knowledge are the central missions of a university. Benedictine University at Springfield pursues these missions in an environment guided by our Roman Catholic tradition and our Benedictine heritage. Integrity and honesty are therefore expected of all University students. Actions such as cheating, plagiarism, collusion, fabrication, forgery, falsification, destruction, multiple submission, solicitation, and misrepresentation are violations of these expectations and constitute unacceptable behavior in the University community. Student’s Responsibility Though there is no formal honor code at Benedictine University at Springfield, students are expected to exhibit academic honesty at all times. Violations against academic honesty are always serious and may result in sanctions that could have profound long-term effects. The final responsibility for understanding the Academic Honesty Policy of the institution, as well as the specific policies for individual courses normally found in syllabi, rests with students. If any doubt exists about what constitutes academic dishonesty students have the responsibility to talk to the faculty member. Students should expect the members of the class to be academically honest. If students believe one or more members of the class have been deceitful to gain academic advantage in the class, students should feel comfortable to approach the faculty member of the course without prejudice. Violations of the Academic Honesty Policy will be reported to the Office of Dean of Academic Affairs. Along with a verbal warning, the following are consequences a student may face for academic dishonesty: a failing grade or “zero” for the assignment dismissal from the and a failing grade for the course, or dismissal from the institution VII. MEANS OF EVALUATION Evaluations will be made using the following point system: Review of research articles Chapters’ exercises Thesis Presentation Total Points 10 points 10 points 100 points 20 points 140 points A=140-126, B=125-112, C=111-98, D=97-84, F= below 83 The grade scale is as follows: A 90-100% B 80-89% C 70-79% D 60-69% F below 60% Grade Appeal Process If a student believes that an error has been made in reporting a grade, an appeal must be made in writing to the instructor and must be initiated within 60 calendar days after the end of the term for which the grade in question was reported. The appeal should contain specific information about why it is believed the grade reported is inaccurate. See the Student Handbook for details. Add/Drop Dates Please refer to the current Academic Calendar for add/drop dates. Incomplete Request To qualify for an “I” grade, a minimum of 75% of the course work must be completed with a "C" or better, and a student must submit a completed Request for an Incomplete form to the Registrar’s Office. The form must be completed by both student and instructor, but it is the student’s responsibility (not the instructor’s) to initiate this process and obtain the necessary signatures. Student Withdrawal Procedure It is the student’s responsibility to officially withdraw from a course by completing the appropriate form, with appropriate signatures, and returning the completed form to the Advising Office. Please refer to the Student Handbook for important financial information related to withdrawals. VIII. TOPICAL COURSE OUTLINE First week assignment: Read Chapters 1-2 in Writing With Style. Be prepared to discuss in class. Week Date Discussion Topic: Week 1 6/2 Overview of the thesis Review of literature and references Chapters 1 & 2 in Writing With Style Week 2 6/9 Review of methods and instruments Discuss assigned research article Chapters 3 & 4 in Writing With Style Week 3 6/16 Post review of assigned research article Complete exercises in Chapter 5 in Writing With Style Post thesis’ progress Week 4 6/23 Post review of assigned research article Complete exercises in Chapter 6 in Writing With Style Post thesis’ progress Week 5 6/30 Post review of assign research article Complete exercises in Chapter 7 in Writing With Style Post thesis’ progress Week 6 7/7 Post review of assigned research article Complete exercises in Chapters 8 and 9 in Writing With Style Post thesis’ progress Week 7 7/14 Post rough draft of Thesis Post review of assigned research article Week 8 7/21 Post feedback on review of rough draft Post review of assigned research article Week 9 7/28 Presentations Thesis due Week 10 8/4 Presentations IX. AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT (ADA) Benedictine University at Springfield provides individuals with disabilities reasonable accommodations to participate in educational programs, activities, and services. Students with disabilities requiring accommodations to participate in campus-sponsored programs, activities, and services, or to meet course requirements, should contact the Resource Center at springaccess@ben.edu or 525-1420, Ext. 3306. X. ASSESSMENT Goals, objectives, and learning outcomes that will be assessed in the class are stated in this syllabus. Instructor will use background knowledge probes, one-minute papers, reflective essays and/or other Classroom Assessment Techniques as deemed necessary in order to provide continuous improvement of instruction. PSYC 395 Senior Thesis Due date 7/28/14 - 15-30 pages in length, typed, double-spaced - Use APA style - Format: Title Page (2 points) o Include title, author, organizational affiliation, running head Abstract one paragraph of less than 120 words (5 points) o State the problem, the intent of the thesis, the methodology used, the findings, and the implications. Introduction (15 points) o State the problem and its importance, its background, the research question and the variables which will be considered in the study. Literature Review (25 points) o Describe the general theories which are related to the project, recent studies related to the topic, and relevant methodological approaches from related studies. Methodology (15 points) o Describe the research design; detail the qualitative or quantitative approach, the data collection methods including sampling, surveying or observational techniques, and the data analysis technique which will be employed. Results (10 points) o Describe the techniques used for conducting the data analysis, report the data, emphasize the important results Discussion (15 points) o Summarize the findings, describe the implications of the data analysis, address the limitations of the approach Conclusion (5 points) o Describe the applicability of the study, make suggestions for future research References (8 points) o Use proper APA form - Use your best writing and reasoning skills: points will be taken off for English errors. - Do not plagiarize - Intentional plagiarism is grounds for an automatic failing grade. If you must use someone else's work, give them credit. Cite using APA style. Plagiarism will not be tolerated in this class. Intentional plagiarism will result in an automatic failing grade for that assignment.