January 12: The importance of research design |
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| Topics: | An introduction to seminar focusing on: 1) the value of research and writing skills in professional life; 2) the research interests of participants; and 3) details of seminar organization. |
| Readings: | Babbit,
Victoria, Elizabeth Rudd, Emory Morrison, Joseph Picciano, and Maresi
Nerad. 2008. Careers of Geography PhDs: Findings from
Social Science PhDs—Five+ Years Out.
Seattle: University of Washington, Center for Innovation
and Research in
Graduate Education. http://depts.washington.edu/cirgeweb/c/wp-content/uploads/2008/04/ss5-geography-report.pdf
(accessed December 29, 2008). Study
questions: 1) What
value do the respondents place on research, grant writing, and
publishing skills? 2) Do
doctoral students who pursue academic careers value research skills
differently from doctoral students who pursue careers in government,
business, and non-profit organizations? 3) How do you think these
results might be different if master's students were surveyed rather
than doctoral students?
Solem, M., Cheung, I., and Schlemper, B. 2008. Skills in Professional Geography: An Assessment of Workforce Needs and Expectations. The Professional Geographer, 60, no. 3: 1-18. Study
questions:
1) Of the skills areas listed in Table 6, where have
you received most of your training? 2) Does the argument in this
article suggest that graduate training should include more or less
attention to research design? 3) How might table 8, 9, and 10 inform
your decisions about future coursework and training?
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| Assignment: |
Based
on your work in History and Theory last semester, pick one journal
article on a topic that is closest to the topic you would like to
pursue for your thesis or dissertation research. Prepare a short
presentation (6-8 minutes) that addresses the following points: 1) what
are the author(s)'s research questions; 2) what research methods
are used; 3) what is the author(s)'s rationale for using these methods
to address the article's questions; and 4) what other methods could the
author(s) have used to address the same questions? |
January 19: Martin Luther King, Jr.
Holiday: No Class
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January 26: Defining and refining
a thesis or dissertation topic
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| Topics: | This seminar session will be devoted to strategies of defining and refining research questions. |
| Readings: | e-Reserve: Solís,
Patricia. 2009. Preparing
Competitive
Research Grant Proposals. In Michael N. Solem, Kenneth
E. Foote, and
Janice J. Monk, Aspiring Academics: A
Resource Book for Graduate Students and Early Career Faculty, pp.
139-166. |
| Assignment: |
Prepare a one page (2-3
paragraph) statement and a
five-minute oral presentation that describes your thesis or
dissertation plan. It should tentatively define the research
problem or question and identify its significance to your sub-field.
Try to justify your research problem in terms of its potential
contribution or significance to your sub-field (e.g. conceptually;
methodologically; in terms of new data from an unstudied place or
population; a new application, model, or algorighm; etc.). If
appropriate, also comment on its practical significanceand potential
broader impacts for geography, science, and society. Finally, state one or more
strategies
you think you will follow in your research; include in this final
paragraph a
brief description of general methods, data sources, tools of analysis,
and
schedule. Use Patricia Solís's Activity 11.1 "Starting with a Good Problem" (pp. 1-4) as a guide. |
February 2: Literature Review and
Conceptual/Theoretical Framing
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|
| Topics: | Discussion of
refined research questions. Writing an effective literature is
one of the greatest challenges of developing a proposal. Here we
focus on how to develop and shape a concise and convincing review for
yoru project. |
| Readings: | Chapters 1, 2 & 3
from Cresswell, John W. 2009. Research design: Qualitative,
quantitative, and mixed methods approaches. 3rd ed.
Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. Chapters 1 & 2 from Montello, Daniel R. and Paul C. Sutton. 2006. An introduction to scientific research methods in geography. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. Chapter 1, 2, 3, 4, 15 & 18 from Turabian , Kate L. 2007. A manual for writers of research papers, theses, and dissertations: Chicago style for students and researchers. 7th ed.. Revised by Wayne C. Booth, Gregory G. Colomb, Joseph M. Williams and the University of Chicago Press Editorial Staff. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. |
| Assignment: |
In
no more than six double-spaced pages (not including reference list),
write a
literature review and conceptual framework based on your (revised)
research
questions. Include your research
questions with this assignment. In citing literature,
follow the Turabian parenthetical, reference list style of
citation. Bring three printed copies of this statement to seminar so that the copies can be shared, read, and discussed in seminar next week. On the cover sheet be sure to include your name, but also: 1) state what you consider to be the best or strongest part of your review; and 2) state any questions or points at which you would like the reviewers focus particular attention. |
February 9: Workshop on Writing and
Reviewing Grant Proposals
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|
| Topics: | Discussion
of literature reviews. Overview of the grant writing process
including issues relating to the review process used by some of the
major granting agencies. We will also focus on some of the other
elements grant proposals include schedules and budgets. We will
also discuss the need for pilot projects to test methodologies as well
as the process of developing "fall-back" plans in case an element of
our methodology doesn't work in the field. |
| Readings: | e-Reserve: Chamberlin, T.C.
1890. The method of multiple working hypotheses. Science (old
series), 15, 92. Chapters 4, 5 & 6 from Cresswell National Science Foundation, Proposal and Award Policies and Procedures Guide, http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/policydocs/papp/ National Science Foundation, Geography and Regional Science, SBE Doctoral Dissertation Research Improvement Grants, http://www.nsf.gov/sbe/bcs/grs/suppdiss.jsp National Science Foundation, Geography and Regional Science, Samples of Successful Doctoral Dissertation Research Improvement Grants http://www.nsf.gov/sbe/bcs/grs/propsamples.jsp Use Patricia Solís's Activity 11.2 "Achieve and Communicate Coherence" (pp. 5-7) as a guide, including the "Coherency Matrix" that Patricia provides as an Excel .xls file. You may also like to review some of the materials in the appendices of ( e-Reserve): Solís, Patricia. 2009. Preparing Competitive Research Grant Proposals. In Michael N. Solem, Kenneth E. Foote, and Janice J. Monk, Aspiring Academics: A Resource Book for Graduate Students and Early Career Faculty, pp. 139-166. Watts, M. Dissertation proposal writing workshop, http://globetrotter.berkeley.edu/DissPropWorkshop/. |
| Assignment: |
Prepare a page of written
comments for
two of the literature reviews distributed in seminar last week.
Focus on: 1) the strengths of the review; 2) issues which are unclear,
need further refinement, or could be strengthened. As to the
latter issues, provide concrete suggestions and ideas about how to
strengthen the literature review. Bring two printed copies of each of these review statements to seminar so that you can give one to the authors of the literature reviews and one to me. |
February 16: Data Collection and
Research Methodologies
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|
| Topics: | I
have set aside three weeks for us to review and discuss methodological
issues related to our projects. We will discuss the strengths and
weaknesses of some of the major qualitative and quantitative methods
used in contemporary geography, as well as those of direct relevance to
your thesis and dissertation projects. We will also consider some
of the recent methodological critiques of contemporary research
paradigms in geography. |
| Readings: | Chapters 7, 8, 9 &
10 from Cresswell Chapters 3, 4, 5 & 6 in Montello and Sutton |
| Assignment: |
In
no more than six double-spaced pages (not including reference
list), write the methodology section of your
proposal. This section should include a
description of the nature and sources of your data (which may also
include a
description of the field site, if appropriate), data collection
strategies, and
data analysis. Be
sure and make clear
how your data and analysis will specifically address your research
questions and your rationale for picking the method you propose to
use. If more than one methodology could be applied to your
research question, you may need to compare and contrast the possible
methods. Follow Turabian as to style of presentation and citation. Bring three printed copies of this statement to seminar so that the copies can be shared, read, and discussed in seminar next week. On the cover sheet be sure to include your name, but also: 1) state what you consider to be the best or strongest part of your review; and 2) state any questions or points at which you would like the reviewers focus particular attention. Also, begin methodological presentations. Instructions are located here. |
February 23: Contemporary Research
Methodologies and Methodological Debate in Geography
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|
| Topics: | Continuation of
discussion of contemporary research methodologies. |
| Readings: | Chapters 7, 8, 9 & 11 in Montello and Sutton |
| Assignment: |
Prepare a page of written
comments for
two of the methodological statements distributed in seminar last
week. Focus on: 1) the strengths of the statement; 2) issues
which are unclear, need further refinement, or could
be strengthened. As to the latter issues, provide concrete
suggestions
and ideas about how to strengthen the methodology. Bring two printed copies of each of these review statements to seminar so that you can give one to the authors of the methodology sections and one to me. Continue methodological presentations. Instructions are located here. |
March 2: Contemporary Research
Methodologies and Methodological Debate in Geography
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|
| Topics: | Continuation of discussion of contemporary research methodologies. |
| Readings: | Readings as needed from: Norlin Reserve: Clifford, Nicholas J. and Gill Valentine, eds. 2003. Key methods in geography. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. Norlin Reserve: Cloke, Paul, Ian Cook, Philip Crang, Mark Goodwin, Joe Painter, and Chris Philo. 2004. Practising human geography. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. Norlin Reserve: Hay, Iain, ed. 2005. Qualitative research methods in human geography. 2nd ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Norlin Reserve: Yin, Robert K. 2009. Case study research: Design and methods. 4th ed. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. |
| Assignment: |
Finish
methodological presentations. Instructions
are located here. |
March 9: Professional Ethics in Research and Publishing |
|
| Topics: | Professional
ethics are at the foundation of all of our work. This week we
consider some of the key issues involved in the ethics of research and
publishing as well as steps for recognizing and resolving ethical
dilemmas.. |
| Readings: | Association of American
Geographers, Statement on Professional Ethics, http://www.aag.org/Publications/Other
Pubs/Statement on Professional Ethics.pdf CU Human Research Committee, http://www.colorado.edu/VCResearch/HRC/index.html e-Reserve Hay, Iain and
Mark Israel. 2009. Private people, secret places: Ethical research in
practice. In Michael N. Solem, Kenneth E. Foote, and Janice J. Monk, Aspiring
Academics: A Resource Book for Graduate Students and Early Career
Faculty, pp. 167-178. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice-Hall. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, s.v. "Scientific
Misconduct," http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scientific_misconduct |
| Assignment: |
Read
and be prepared to discuss the case study scenarios found in Iain Hay
and Mark Israel, Activities
for AA Chapter 12, Private
People, Secret Places: Ethical Research in
Practice, pp. 16-23. |
March 16:
Getting the Most Out of Conference Participation & Effective Use of
Tables, Graphs, Maps and Visualizations in Research Communication
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|
| Topics: | Participation
in academic conferences, workshops, and symposia is one of the most
important activities of academic life. Conferences are once of
the best ways to share ideas, gain new insights and ideas, network, and
build networks among peers. Getting the most out of meetings can
often benefit from advance preparation which we will focus on this
week. We will also focus on the value of tables, graphs, maps,
and other visuals to communicate research ideas and findings. |
| Readings: |
Chapter 10 in Montello &
Sutton e-Reserve: Tufte, Edward. 2001. Graphical excellence. Chapter 1 in The visual display of quantitative information, pp. 13-51. Cheshire, CT: Graphics Press e-Reserve: Tufte, Edward. 2006. The cognitive style of PowerPoint. In Beautiful evidence, 156-185. Cheshire, CT: Graphics Press, 2009. Chapter 8 & 26 in Turabian |
| Assignment: |
Bring three complete copies of
the
first draft of your research proposal to class this week so that they
can be distributed for reading over spring break. |
March 23: Spring Break |
|
| Assignment: |
Review at least two research
proposals using the NSF review form. |
March 30: Workshop on Academic
Publishing: Selecting Journals and Preparing Manuscripts
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|
| Topics: | Discussion of reviews
of
research proposals. I have set aside two weeks to focus on the
process of research publication. Here we focus on some of the
nuts-and-bolts issues about how to select the journals to which we
submit manuscripts, how the peer-review process works, and how to work
with editors in response to reviewers' comments. |
| Readings: |
e-Reserve: Brunn, Stanley D. 2009. Academic publishing. In
Michael N. Solem, Kenneth E. Foote, and Janice J. Monk, Aspiring
Academics: A Resource Book for Graduate Students and Early Career
Faculty, pp. 179-189. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice-Hall. ISI Web of Science/Web of Knowledge available through the Chinook library catalog. The CU Libraries provide an online video tutorial on using the Web of Science at: http://ucblibraries.colorado.edu/engineering/flash/WebofScience/WebofScienceFull/WebofScience/WebofScience.html Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, s.v. "Citation Index," http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citation_index |
| Assignment: |
Bring two printed copies of each
of your reviews to seminar
so that you can give one to the authors of the proposals you read and
one copy to me. Read and complete Activities 13.1 "Choosing the right outlet for your research" and 13.2 "The ethics and politics of academic publishing" by Jan Monk in Activities for AA Chapter 13, Academic Publishing. |
April 6: Workshop on Academic Publishing: The Peer-Review and Publishing Process |
|
| Topics: | Continuation of publishing workshop. |
| Readings: |
Kitchin, Rob and Duncan Fuller, Geo-publishing.org: A Publishing Resource for Geographers, http://www.nuim.ie/nirsa/geo-pub/geo-pub.html Norlin Reserve: Chapters 3 and 6 in Kitchin, Rob and Duncan Fuller. 2005. The academic's guide to publishing. London: Sage. There is a large range of excellent books about academic writing and publishing on this list which may be of use to you in the future. |
| Assignment: |
Read and complete Activity 13.3
"Understanding the manuscript review process" by Ken Foote in Activities
for AA Chapter 13, Academic Publishing. For this activity,
you need to read and review this
manuscript by Michael Solem. A review form is included in the
file. |
April 13:
Geographical Research in the Context of Policy and Advocacy &
Long-term Issues of Career Planning and Work/Life Balance
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|
| Topics: | Often
our research is relevant to those we study, to the broader society and
public policy. Can or should we participate in public
debate on geographical issues? And, if so, what strategies are
most effective. What are the potential benefits and possible
drawbacks of such participation and advocacy? |
| Readings: | e-Reserve: O’Loughlin, John. 2005. The war
on terrorism, academic publication norms,
and replication. The Professional
Geographer 57, no. 4: 588-591. e-Reserve: Mills, T.J. and R.N. Clark. 2001. Roles of research scientists in natural resource decisionmaking. Forest Ecology and Management 153:189-198. e-Reserve: Pielke, Jr., R.A. 2006. When scientists politicize science. Regulation (Spring): 28-34. (Optional) e-Reserve: Staeheli, Lynn A. and Don Mitchell. 2005. The complex politics of relevance in geography. Annals of the Association of American Geographers 95, no. 2: 357 — 372 Union of Concerned Scientists, 2004. Scientific Integrity in Policymaking: An Investigation into the Bush Administration's Misuse of Science, http://www.ucsusa.org/scientific_integrity/interference/reports-scientific-integrity-in-policy-making.html (e-Reserve): Monk, Janice and Christine Jocoy. 2009. Career planning: Personal goals and professional contexts. In Michael N. Solem, Kenneth E. Foote, and Janice J. Monk, Aspiring Academics: A Resource Book for Graduate Students and Early Career Faculty, pp. 16-31. (e-Reserve): Schlemper, Beth and Antoinette M.G.A. WinklerPrins. 2009. Balancing personal and professional lives. In Michael N. Solem, Kenneth E. Foote, and Janice J. Monk, Aspiring Academics: A Resource Book for Graduate Students and Early Career Faculty, pp. 42-51. |
| Assignment: |
Role-playing activity based on a
U.S.
Congressional committee hearing on a research issue in your area of
interest and expertise. More details will be provided later. |
April 20: Presentation and review of
revised research proposals
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|
| Topics: | Presentation and review
of second draft of research proposals. |
| Readings: |
None. |
| Assignment: |
Review research proposals and
provide feedback to presenters. |
April 27: Presentation and review of
revised research proposals
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|
| Topics: | Presentation and review of second draft of research proposals. |
| Readings: |
None. |
| Assignment: |
Review research proposals and provide feedback to presenters. |
Final draft of proposal due by Friday, May 1st, 4:00 pm |
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