FACULTY

Dr. David Kahn
TV-Radio-Film-Theatre

Office Hours:
TR 12:00-3 PM
HGH 110;
924-4540
dkahn@email.sjsu.edu
FAX 924-4543
and by arrangement

CLASS MEETING -- Selected MONDAYS TBA – HGH 114

REQUIRED TEXTS

No particular texts are required for this course. However, you may wish to refer to the following books often used in TA 200 and available from Amazon.com:

• Gibaldi, MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers (6th ed.)
• Booth, Colomb and Williams, The Craft of Research
• Zinsser, On Writing Well (6th ed.)

COURSE DESCRIPTION

This class is conducted as a series of concise workshops related to the process developing a Thesis Proposal. The texts we consider are your own writing, geared toward the benchmark assignments. The issues we discuss are those that you encounter in the preliminary research and proposal-writing processes. As the class progresses, it will alternate between a) meeting as a group to allow you to raise issues about research dilemmas and get useful feedback on your specific concerns; b) individual meetings with me in my office during this course time slot, my scheduled office hours, or, if necessary, at some other agreed-upon time.

The bulk of the work, however, will be done by you, independently, outside of class, in the library, on your computers. No one can do this work for you. Consider all group meetings and appointments as a kind of lab period: they are mandatory and vital to your progress toward a successful proposal and thesis. Whether you complete the assignment for a given benchmark, you must come prepared to share what you do have with your peers and be open to constructive feedback.

REQUIREMENTS/GRADING

If you haven't already, you should make an appointment to see me to go over your "Request for Candidacy" form (30 unit program).

Follow closely the Thesis Proposal guidelines and calendar on the TRFT Graduate Web site:
http://www.tvradiofilmtheatre.org/MA/Pages/Thesisprop.html
The specific requirements are all there. Look closely at all of the on-line material. You must fulfill the formal requirements of the Thesis Proposal and write it up in academically persuasive scholarly style. Pay particular attention to the matters concerning "Human Subjects Review."

Apply the methods of research from TA 200 in forming questions, conducting thorough literature reviews, narrowing the topic, defining a "systematic, rigorous, repeatable" methodology. While there's some fluidity in our format standards, we are consistent in emphasizing 1) a clearly stated research question or problem; 2) a viable methodology; and 3) feasibility. This process generally demonstrates the student's capability to pursue thesis-level research. It's also a vital prerequisite to earning the advocacy of your advising professor. You must entice a qualified faculty member to work with you to develop your Proposal. Working with you to help prepare a Proposal does not necessarily mean a faculty member is committed to serve as First Reader after the proposal is approved by the Graduate Committee. Most faculty, however, are interested in continuing to advise the thesis.

It is your responsibility to meet all benchmark draft deadlines and to allow enough time for reading and revision of drafts. (Please don't expect a faculty member to read a draft and respond overnight. It's a good idea to allow at least 1-week turnaround.)

Each component of the proposal should be drafted as benchmark due dates arrive. Any unfinished component should still have place markers in each draft that you discuss in class or take to scheduled meetings with me or other faculty. In general, the following components should appear in the Proposal in the order suggested below (subject to your First Reader’s preferences). Note that we will not necessarily address these components in class in the order that they are listed here, because the process of developing a thesis proposal differs from the finished product.

• Statement of Problem/Question
• Significance
• Literature Review
• Terminology
• Method
• Feasibility
• Chapter Breakdown/Structure
• Bibliography

Date and save each draft of your Proposal so that you and your readers know which version you’re working with.

GRADING
To receive an "Incomplete" in the course, a student must have completed all of the assignment benchmarks through Draft 4, regardless of whether he or she decides, with the recommendation of the First Reader, to submit a final proposal and defend that proposal to the TRFT Graduate Committee at the end of the semester.

After the formal presentation on December 11, a Thesis Proposal will be 1) accepted, 2) denied, or 3) it may be "conditionally accepted" if the Graduate Committee determines that the research should proceed subject to "conditions" enforced by the First Reader. If "conditionally accepted," the student's TA 260 grade registers as an Incomplete until the conditions are satisfied. In such cases, the student may still enroll in TA 299 with the first order of business being to satisfy the "conditions" or deficiencies in the Thesis Proposal.

UNIVERSITY POLICIES

Academic integrity

Students should know that the University’s Academic Integrity Policy is availabe at http://www.sa.sjsu.edu/download/judicial_affairs/Academic_Integrity_Policy_S07-2.pdf. Your own commitment to learning, as evidenced by your enrollment at San Jose State University and the University’s integrity policy, require you to be honest in all your academic course work. Faculty members are required to report all infractions to the office of Student Conduct and Ethical Development. The website for Student Conduct and Ethical Development is available at http://www.sa.sjsu.edu/judicial_affairs/index.html.
Instances of academic dishonesty will not be tolerated. Cheating on exams or plagiarism (presenting the work of another as your own, or the use of another person’s ideas without giving proper credit) will result in a failing grade and sanctions by the University. For this class, all assignments are to be completed by the individual student unless otherwise specified. If you would like to include in your assignment any material you have submitted, or plan to submit for another class, please note that SJSU’s Academic Policy F06-1 requires approval of instructors.

Campus Policy in Compliance with the American Disabilities Act

If you need course adaptations or accommodations because of a disability, or if you need to make special arrangements in case the building must be evacuated, please make an appointment with me as soon as possible, or see me during office hours. Presidential Directive 97-03 requires that students with disabilities requesting accommodations must register with the DRC (Disability Resource Center) to establish a record of their disability.

Dropping and Adding

Students are responsible for understanding the policies and procedures about add/drops, academic renewal, etc. Information on add/drops are available at http://info.sjsu.edu/web-dbgen/narr/soc-fall/rec-324.html . Information about late drop is available at http://www.sjsu.edu/sac/advising/latedrops/policy/ . Students should be aware of the current deadlines and penalties for adding and dropping classes.

TA 260 - SCHEDULE (subject to revision 8/25/08)