Welcome to the
first day of a
six-month journey!
Six Skills We Develop in the Senior Sequence
Conceptual
Creating examined conceptualizations of select objects of study—i.e., theory-building
Philosophical
Becoming critically self-aware of your normative perspectives (calling into view ethics
and the philosophy of social science)
Designing/applying investigative strategies through scholarship of engagement
Methodological
Analytical
Communicative
Writing
Unpacking a whole into its component parts; examining a complex object, its elements
and interdependencies
Building, supporting, and presenting an evidence-based position or argument (through
print and multimedia); working effectively as a member of a research team, listening to
learn
Producing a clearly written research proposal, well-documented thesis, and scientific
poster
A Perfect Storm?
John Beddington, the UK government's chief scientific adviser, warns of a possible crisis in 2030.
By 2030 "a whole series of events come together":
•The world's population will rise from 6bn to 8bn (33%)
•Demand for food will increase by 50%
•Demand for water will increase by 30%
•Demand for energy will increase by 50%
“You are here because you are
the best and brightest students,”
Chancellor Pradeep Khosla
said. “Here, you will learn to use
your left and right brain to think
critically and to solve problems.
You will learn to work with your
peers and faculty members in
different disciplines…That is the
type of collaboration and
thinking that we need to address
problems facing our society—
like food and water shortages,
global warming and health
issues.”
“The greatest search engine is
not Google,” Don Murphy
(welcome week keynote
speaker) said. “The greatest
search engine is the human
mind…You must ask the
question, “Who Am I?” What is
my unique genius?” Use these
years to gain a deeper
understanding of yourself, not in
terms of grades only but in
terms of understanding, wisdom
and knowledge.”
Your Research Identity
* 1. Describe yourself or your career ambition in
one or two sentences
* 2. What are you most curious about?
* 3. What social, cultural, economic and/or
environmental problem concerns you the most?
* 4. What positive (local, regional and/or global)
trend, initiative or project most inspires you?
Your Six-Month Journey
Begin with broad questions
narrow down, focus in.
Proposal
OBSERVE
Analyze data.
Reach conclusions.
Senior Research Project
Sept. 27, 2012
October
November
December
January
February
Mar. 14, 2013
Required Readings
Available at the UCSD bookstore, and on reserve at the Geisel Library. We will use the same books next quarter in USP 187
Graff, Gerald, Cathy Birkenstein, and Russel K. Durst. 2012. "They say/I say" : the moves that matter in academic writing.
New York: W. W Norton Company.
Green, Gary P. and Anna Haines. 2012. Asset building and community development. Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications.
Robson, Colin. 2011. Real world research : a resource for users of social research methods in applied settings. Hoboken, N.J.:
Wiley-Blackwell.
Recommended Readings
All available at the UCSD bookstore, and on reserve at the Geisel Library
• De Young, Raymond and Thomas Princen. 2012. The localization reader : adapting to the coming downshift. Cambridge,
Mass.: MIT Press.
• Fainstein, Susan S. 2010. The just city. Ithaca: Cornell University Press.
• Marshall, Catherine and Gretchen B. Rossman. 2011. Designing qualitative research. Los Angeles.
• Turabian, Kate L. 2007. A manual for writers of research papers, theses, and dissertations : Chicago style for students and
researchers. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
• Yin, Robert K. 2009. Case study research : design and methods. Los Angeles, Calif.: Sage Publications.
Assignment/Tasks
Due Date
Class Participation (including research profile, online tasks, All quarter
% Grade Value (x/100)
10
class attendance and participation in section)*
Publish Senior Sequence Online Research Profile;
Week 2 (Oct 9)
Complete HRPP Training (http://irb.ucsd.edu/training.shtml)
Week 2 (Oct. 11)
Literature Review
Week 4 (Oct. 23)
30
Research Proposal + draft of HRPP application
Week 6 (Nov. 8)
40
HRPP Application (submit research plan to HRPP)
Week 8 (Nov. 20)
*
Data-Transition Plan
Week 10 (Dec. 4)
20
Internship (100 hours service learning)
Contract due finals week
*
Total Points
*
100