Core Seminar II (MARS 501)

Core Seminar II
(MARS 501)
Spring 2009


Ron Kaufmann
Office: Shiley Center 274; x5904; kaufmann@sandiego.edu or rkaufmann@gmail.com
Tuesday & Thursday 10:30-12:00, 2:30-3:30 or by appointment

WEEK	TOPIC

Jan 27	Discussion of articles; Discussion of hypotheses/questions Literature identification: strategies, types, relevance
Feb 3	Discussion of articles; Discussion of experimental design Discussion of articles; Discussion of experimental design
Feb 10	Thesis proposal: Hypotheses/questions, experimental design Discussion of articles
Feb 17	Discussion of thesis proposal first drafts (in progress) Discussion of articles
Feb 24	Discussion of thesis proposal first drafts (in progress) Antarctic Cruise Preparations - No Class; First drafts due on Friday, Feb 27
Mar 3	Antarctic Cruise - No Class Antarctic Cruise - No Class
Mar 10	Spring Break - No Class Spring Break - No Class
Mar 17	Antarctic Cruise - No Class Antarctic Cruise - No Class
Mar 24	Antarctic Cruise - No Class Antarctic Cruise - No Class
Mar 31	Antarctic Cruise - No Class Antarctic Cruise - No Class; Second drafts due on Friday, Apr 3
Apr 7	Antarctic Cruise - No Class Easter Break - No Class
Apr 14	Antarctic Cruise - No Class Antarctic Cruise - No Class
Apr 21	Discussion of articles and/or thesis proposal final drafts (in progress) Scientific Presentations: Approaches, considerations
Apr 28	Scientific Posters: Approaches, considerations Scientific Communication: Discussion
May 5	Discussion of thesis proposal final drafts (in progress) and presentations Practice thesis proposal presentations
May 12	Discussion of thesis proposal final drafts (in progress) and presentations Thesis proposal presentations; Final thesis proposals due on Friday, May 22

Grades

     Thesis Proposal Drafts (2)
100 points
each

     Final Thesis Proposal
200 points

     Final Presentation

100 points

     Participation
100 points

     TOTAL
600 points

Objectives
The main goal of this course is for each student to write a solid, focused thesis proposal describing the research that will form the core of their M.S. project. Along the way each student will identify and begin working with a thesis committee chair, who will help to refine the thesis proposal and will work with the student to constitute a thesis committee of at least three members.

To help you with your thesis proposal we will discuss the identification, selection and evaluation of relevant scientific literature, explore some of the important concepts behind experimental design and data analysis, and cover the general content and style guidelines for the proposal and thesis.

Academic Integrity
The use of information from published sources can create some confusion about proper use and referencing of material that you did not generate yourself. Here are some guidelines to help you use but not misuse information produced by others. For writing assignments in general, it is expected that you will read publications and incorporate into your papers some of the findings and ideas contained in those published works. When you refer to information generated by someone else, it is important to credit the source of that information. Commonly, that credit comes in the form of a parenthetical citation. For example:

Global climate change has been implicated in the decline of zooplankton biomass in the eastern Pacific during the second half of the 20th century (Roemmich and McGowan, 1995).

This sentence contains a conclusion described by Roemmich and McGowan in a paper published in 1995. It could be appropriate for you to include a sentence like this in one of your papers, but since you didn’t perform the research that led to this conclusion you need to cite the people who did.
Neglecting to properly cite another person’s work is a form of plagiarism, the practice of reporting someone else’s work as your own. There are other forms of plagiarism as well, including: copying portions of text verbatim from published sources (including the internet), receiving unauthorized assistance on papers, and drawing material from similar papers written by other students. Plagiarism constitutes a serious breach of professional ethics as well as a violation of the University of San Diego’s academic integrity policy. If an instructor has reason to believe that an act of plagiarism has occurred, an academic integrity report must be filed with the dean of the college and an academic integrity hearing may be convened. If the academic integrity hearing committee determines that plagiarism has occurred, disciplinary action may range from loss of points or a grade penalty to expulsion from the university. Bottom line: do your own work and don’t copy the work of others. Any questions about acceptable procedures for sharing of data, exchange of ideas, citation of sources, or any other academic integrity issues should be addressed to your instructor. Better safe than sorry!

Thesis Proposal Drafts (2)	100 points	each
Final Thesis Proposal	200 points
Final Presentation	100 points
Participation	100 points
TOTAL	600 points