€¦ · Web viewNew Course Proposal SOC 140, Senior Research Seminar. At the October 31, 2013...

TO: Beth Dobkin, Provost

FROM: Keith Ogawa, ChairAcademic Senate

DATE: November 1, 2013

RE: Senate Action S-13/14-9CANew Course Proposal SOC 140, Senior Research Seminar

At the October 31, 2013 meeting of the Academic Senate, the attached New Course Proposal for Sociology 140, Senior Research Seminar was approved on the Consent Agenda.

The item was approved by the Undergraduate Educational Policies Committee by a vote of 8-0 and forwarded to the Senate's Consent Agenda. This action was assigned Senate Action#S-13/14-9CA.

Attachment

Cc: President James Donahue Vice Provost Richard Carp Dean Steve Woolpert

Application for approval of a new course in Sociology: Senior Research Seminar

1. School of Liberal Arts, Department of Sociology, Sociology 140: Senior Research Seminar

This is an upper division course because it has several pre-requisites (Sociology 101 and 132), it requires an in-depth study of a subject rather than a survey, and it requires focused research and rigorous writing capable only of the mature student.

2. Justification for the course:

As an artifact of our days as a combined department with anthropology, the "capstone" experience for our majors has been the theory and methods classes. However, these courses have not functioned as traditional capstones. That is, theory taught theory and methods taught methods, but students had very little opportunity to engage in an original research project that integrated their knowledge of sociological theory, sociological methods, and their knowledge of a content area from one of their upper division electives.

On the heels of our most recent department review (2011) we decided to rectify this problem by changing the scaffolding of our courses and by offering a new course in the senior year – one that would give students the option of taking an authentic capstone seminar (with the potential to become a required part of our curriculum down the line). This strategy is recommended both by best practices in higher education and by the outside reviewer of our department review. After an intensive department retreat all members of the Sociology Department are in agreement to pursue this new strategy.

The strategy is that all of our courses will offer something that is required in subsequent courses and that we require these courses at key moments in their college career as they develop an increasingly sophisticated handle on our department learning outcomes. For instance, in the freshman year they take introduction to sociology and are exposed to the theories of sociology, its methods, and some of the content areas. The students again encounter these ideas at an intermediate level in their sophomore year when they take sociology 101. In their junior year they develop an advanced understanding of theory in the fall and methods in the spring while they continue to take upper division electives in a variety of content areas.

Finally, in their senior year, students will have the opportunity to take all that they have learned and weave it into an original research project of their own choosing in the Senior Research Seminar. Students will begin work on a research project that they began proposing at the end of their methods class. Using what they have learned of sociological methods they will design and conduct an original research project. They will analyze

the data and use sociological theory to explain it. They will also conduct an extensive literature review in their chosen content area and integrate all of this in their final 20-30 page paper. The final paper will be written in the format of a sociological journal article. It will be an artifact that the students could either revise for publication, present at a conference, present to employers as a sample of written work, or include in a graduate school application

3. Student Population

All graduating sociology majors will be encouraged to take the course. It will also be open to some minors who opt to take the course. We imagine that in the short term we will have 10-20 students taking the course each year, possibly more as our new scaffolding structure (methods in the junior year) becomes the norm. If and when it becomes a required part of our curriculum we expect an average of 30 students taking it each year. Given the intensive nature of the course and the degree of supervision required we intend to cap the course at 15 students.

4. Relationship to present College Curriculum

As discussed in section 2 above, this course would be the pinnacle of a carefully constructed scaffold that begins with Sociology 2: Introduction to Sociology, continues in Sociology 101: The Sociological Imagination, and progresses further with Sociology 130 and 132, Theory and Methods. The chart on the following page shows our Department learning outcomes and how the various points of the curriculum are mapped onto those outcomes. The Senior Research Seminar is below referred to as the “capstone.” Until it is made a requirement for the major, we will encourage students who opt not to take the seminar to have some other sort of capstone experience – such as an independent study, senior thesis, or internship.

Sociology Curriculum Map: Revised Curriculum and Learning Outcomes, August 2011

Learning Outcomes:Upon completing the Sociology major, students will…. Introductory

levelIntermediate level

Advanced level

1.Understand sociological theory and be able to apply theoretical explanations to empirical examples.

Soc 002 Soc 101 Soc 130Capstone

2. Understand sociological methods and be able to apply the appropriate method to a sociological research question.

Soc 002Soc 006: Statistics (to be added)

Soc 101 Soc 132Capstone

3. Research and analyze a sociological topic using the appropriate library resources.

Soc 002 Soc 101 Capstone

4. Write research papers with a clear thesis statement, sufficient support for that thesis, and in accordance with the standards of the American Sociological Association.

Soc 002 Soc 101 Soc 132Capstone

5. Exercise their sociological imagination in order to reflect upon questions of personal and social responsibility in a complex and changing society.

Soc 004 Soc 101

6. Apply sociological knowledge as they engage with the community beyond the academy.

Soc 004

7. Employ critical reading, thinking, and writing skills as they research, analyze, and report on a social issue in a way that incorporates what they have learned on a topic of their own choosing.

Capstone

5. Extraordinary implementation Costs

The only thing worth noting in this regard was mentioned above – that we hope to cap the course at 15 students. Given the popularity of our major this may eventually require up to two sections of this course per year. In order not to sacrifice course offerings from elsewhere in our curriculum we hope to have one additional course allotment per year made in order to accommodate our majors in this capstone course.

6. Library Resources

See attached report from Patty Wade

7. Course Credit and Grading Options

The credit for this course will be 1 (one) full credit. Students must pass the class with a grade of at least C- to receive credit in the major.

8. Prerequisites

Prerequisites include Sociology 101: The Sociological Imagination and Sociology 132: Sociological Methods

9. Course Description for Catalog

“In this course you will take all that they have learned in sociology and weave it into an original research project of your own choosing. Using what you have learned of sociological methods you will design and conduct a research project. You will analyze the data and use sociological theory to explain it. You will also conduct a literature review in the relevant content area and integrate all of this in the final paper. The final paper will be written in the format of a sociological journal article.”

10. Course Content (the following is the entire syllabus)

Sociology 140: Senior Research Seminar Fall, 2013Professor Robert C. Bulman, Ph.D., Saint Mary's College

TTH: 9:45-11:20Office hours: MWF 11:30 – 12:30, and by appointmentGaraventa 311 Office extension: [email protected] (e-mail is the best way to reach me)

Overview of the course

This course will be an adventure! You each will pursue your own unique research project from inception to completion over the course of the next 15 weeks. In this course you will take all that they have learned in sociology and weave it into an original research project of your own choosing. The final product will be similar to a first draft of a senior thesis. Using what you have learned of sociological methods you will design and conduct a research project. You will analyze the data and use sociological theory to explain it. You will also conduct a literature review in the relevant content area and integrate all of this in the final paper. The final paper will be written in the format of a sociological journal article. It will be an artifact that you can either revise for publication, present at a conference, present to employers as a sample of written work, or include in a graduate school application. The class will be structured to support you as you develop a research question, design the research study, gain Institutional Review Board approval, collect your data, analyze your data, conduct a literature review, and write up the final product. While there will be much in-class support, much of your work in this class will require independent discipline and organization.

A note about the syllabus: Because each of you have a unique project you may each progress at different rates, depending upon the difficulty of getting IRB approval, access to your data, the nature of your method, etc. Therefore, sometimes the due dates and expectations as reflected in the syllabus will be accurate for your situation and sometimes they will seem out of sync. Do turn in required assignments on time (although your work may necessarily be at a different stage than another student’s), make presentations in class when required to (again, keeping in mind that what you present may be of a different stage of the project than others) and keep in close communication with me about the details of your project.

Also, you are all a resource for each other. An important part of this class is sharing your work with others – your struggles as well as your accomplishments. You will be expected to share your written work and to make presentations in front of the class regularly. You are also expected to give meaningful and substantive feedback to other students. You are not competing with each other for scarce resources. This is a cooperative learning community. We will divide the class into two groups and the members of each group will write a brief summary of their progress and make a presentation to the class each week.

Learning Outcomes

1. Employ critical reading, thinking, and writing skills as they research, analyze, and report on a social issue in a way that incorporates what they have learned on a topic of their own choosing.2. Identify the appropriate sociological methods to use for a particular research question and successfully design and implement a research project that collects original data.3. Utilize library resources in order to find academic literature to provide the appropriate empirical and theoretical context for the research project. 4. Write research papers with a clear thesis statement, sufficient support for that thesis, and in accordance with the ethical and professional standards of the American Sociological Association.5. Successfully provide a unified theoretical interpretation of empirical data.

Final grades will be determined by the following assignments:

Quality of Participation: In addition to regular attendance, this class requires active participation – participation in class discussion, leading class on certain days, helping your fellow students, and providing regular progress reports. Each week students must circulate to the class a 500 word progress report and make a brief presentation to the class semi-regularly. Also, students may show their engagement with course material by attending office hours and corresponding via email. 15% of your grade.

Updated research proposal due September 10. Please turn in a revision of the research proposal in class September 10. Be sure to include the latest version of your question, if it’s exploratory or explanatory, what the hypothesis is, identify the variables, discuss what method(s) you will use, how you will conceptualize and operationalize each variable and concept, what your population is, how you will sample, how you will gain access to your sample, what literature you’ve found to date, and what ethical challenges you face. (5% of grade)

Annotated bibliography due October 1: Turn in an annotated bibliography of at least 8 peer-reviewed journal articles or books you have found so far in your literature review. For each source, complete a one page worksheet that explains 1) the primary research question(s) the author(s) are asking. That is, what do they want to learn? 2) The methods they use to collect data. That is, what steps do they take to collect information to answer the question? Do they use interviews, surveys, participant observation, etc? 3) What do their data reveal? That is, what is the empirical answer to the research question(s) they pose? What is their argument? 4) What theory do they use to frame the issue? That is, do they use a particular theoretical perspective to interpret their data? 5) List the full and correct citation in ASA format. 10% of your grade.

4-5 page literature review paper due October 29. Summarize and critique the literature that directly or indirectly address your research question. Cite at least 8-10 sources. Write an “integrated” literature review rather than writing about each article in turn. Explain how your review of the literature has influenced your thinking about your research. 10% of your grade.

Oral Presentation of your research the last week of class and the final exam period: Present to the class the findings of your research. Present it in a 10-15 minute presentation that gives us an overview of the question, methods, lit review, and your findings. It should be a polished and formal presentation. 10% of your grade.

The final research paper: The final research paper will be approximately 25 pages long. See the end of the syllabus for detailed information about expectations. It is due December 12th. 50% of your grade.

Important Details: Please read carefully!

* It should go without saying, but academic dishonesty will be dealt with quite seriously. If anyone has trouble keeping up with the course work I urge you to speak with me about such difficulties. You are responsible for being aware of the honor code.

* Violations of the academic honor code are serious: “The standard sanction upon a student who commits a violation of the Academic Honor Code is the assignment of an “XF” grade in the course…The “XF” grade indicates failure in the course, and that the course failure was the result of a violation of the Academic Honor Code.”

* In addition to dishonest work on papers and exams, you should know that it is a violation of the honor code if you sign a roll sheet for an absent student or ask someone to sign a roll sheet in your absence.

* Department Grade Change Policy:. If a student is dissatisfied with her or his grade on an exam, paper or other graded work; he or she needs to write a one to two page argument for why he or she believes a better grade is called for. The student should back up the argument for a better grade with class material that supports his or her argument that the grade does not reflect the quality of the work. The argument should only address how the answer (for an exam) or essay (for a paper) did address the topic and showed an understanding of the material that was not reflected in the grade (that is, the grade change argument can only be based on what was handed in and not on “this is what I meant”). This policy is not meant in any way to discourage a student who feels that her or his work was misunderstood, misread or, in general, under-valued from seeking clarification or a grade change. It is meant to encourage the students to clarify their arguments for a grade change and for the professor to respond, in writing, on what basis the grade was made and why or why not the grade was changed.

* Department “Incomplete” Grade Policy: Before a student will be considered for an “Incomplete” grade, she/he needs to fulfill the following requirements–

They must have completed over half the course’s assigned work with a passing grade.

They must have regularly attended class. At least one week before the final or the last course assignment is due, the

student must submit a written request for an “incomplete” grade that explains the reasons for the incomplete.

The student must complete the work needed to take care of the incomplete by the designated date set by the registrar (seventh week of the following term).

* Attendance: Attendance is required for all courses in the department. Missing more than 3 class meetings will adversely affect your grade.

* Turnitin.com: All written assignments must be uploaded to Turnitin via our course

Moodle site. Papers will not be graded until the assignment has been posted on Turnitin.

* In order to receive credit toward the major or minor you must receive a grade of C- or higher in this course.

* Reasonable and appropriate accommodations, that take into account the context of the course and its essential elements, for individuals with qualifying disabilities, are extended through the office of Student Disability Services. Students with disabilities are encouraged to contact the Student Disability Services Coordinator at (925) 631-4164 to set up a confidential appointment to discuss accommodation guidelines and available services.

* Be sure to regularly back-up copies of your work in this course. Computer problems are not an excuse for turning work in late. Also, save all work for at least one semester after the course is over.

* There is a Moodle account for this course. We will use it from time to time. You must be able to log-in.

* You also MUST check your Saint Mary’s email on a regular basis!

* Papers must conform to the following specifications: 1) one inch margins on all sides. 2) Times New Roman 12 point font. 3) double-spaced. 4) page numbers on all pages. 5) stapled.

* Late assignments will be marked down as follows: 1-2 days late: 1/3 of a letter grade. 3-5 days late: 2/3 of a letter grade. 6-7 days late: 1 letter grade. No assignments will be accepted over one week late, except under extreme circumstances. Weekends count as “days.”

* Technology policy: You are permitted to use personal electronic devices in class only for the purpose of taking notes or for looking up information when prompted by the professor. All other non-course related use of technology will be penalized by a mark of absence of the day of the violation.

* With the exception of the number of assignments and their proportion of the final grade, this syllabus is subject to minor changes.

* Required book: How to Write a B.A. Thesis: A Practical Guide from Your First Ideas to Your Finished Paper. By Charles Lipson

I recommend you also have a writing reference book to consult throughout the semester. If you have the Hubbuch text from English 5 that will work. If you still have the Guide to Writing Sociology Papers from sociology 101 that will work as well. There are also books on how to write a B.A. thesis that can work. See me if you want a recommendation.

Week 1 : Introductions and Getting Started! Tuesday, September 3

Introductions to the research projects

Thursday, September 5

IRB issues

Coping with anxiety

Reading: Lipson: Chapter 2, “Useful Nuts and Bolts”

You should begin the process now of gaining access to the sample you will need to collect the data for the project. (i.e. contacting authorities, asking permission, locating resources, etc.)

Week 2: Finding Relevant Literature

September 10:

Library Research Session with Patty Wade

Updated research proposals are due in class today

September 12

Literature review discussion: What’s an annotated bibliography? How do I write an “integrated” literature review? Why do I have to do this work?

Reading: Lipson, Chapter 3, “Taking Effective Notes and Avoiding Plagiarism”

If you need to submit an independent IRB application it should be ready by today.

Once you have IRB approval and approval from me you may begin collecting data

Week 3: The Literature, continuedSeptember 17

In-class workshop dissecting a peer-reviewed sociological journal article

Reading: Lipson, Chapter 5, “What is Good Thesis Research?” and Chapter 7, “Every Thesis Should Have a Thesis”

September 19

Bring to class a list of at least 5 relevant pieces of literature for your research. Include the proper ASA citation and a brief paragraph summarizing the article

Week 4: Progress Reports and FeedbackSeptember 24

Group A Presentations (500 word progress report should be circulated to the class 48 hours in advance)

September 26

Group B Presentations (500 word progress report should be circulated to the class 48 hours in advance)

Week 5: Learning to write or writing to learn?October 1

How to write an “integrated” literature review

Annotated Bibliography due in class

Reading: Lipson, Chapter 9, “Writing Your Best” and Chapter 10, “Effective Openings, Smooth Transitions, and Strong Closings”

October 3

In-class writing workshop and peer editing (bring to class a 1-2 page sample of an integrated literature review)

Reading: Lipson, Chapter 11, “Good Editing Makes Good Writing”

Week 6: Progress Reports and Feedback

October 8


October 10


Week 7: Individual Meetings/Peer EditingOctober 15 Individual meeting with me by appointment in class. When not meeting with me

you should be peer editing a document of a fellow student

October 17 Individual meeting with me by appointment. When not meeting with me you should be peer editing a document of a fellow student

Week 8: Writing workshop – finishing the literature reviewOctober 22.

In-class writing workshop. Bring to class a sample of writing you want help with.

October 24

NO CLASS, midterm holiday

Week 9: Progress Reports and FeedbackOctober 29


Literature Review due in class

October 31


Week 10: Progress Reports and Feedback November 5


November 7


Week 11: Progress Reports #2, continuedNovember 12


November 14


Week 12: Individual meetings/Peer EditingNovember 19

Individual meetings with me by appointment. When not meeting with me you should be peer editing a document of a fellow student

November 21

Individual meetings with me by appointment. When not meeting with me you should be peer editing a document of a fellow student.

Week 13: Thanksgiving weekNovember 26

Problem solving

November 28: No Class. Thanksgiving.

Week 14: Student PresentationsDecember 3

In-class student presentations (a formal 10-15 minute presentation)

December 5

In-class student presentations (a formal 10-15 minute presentation)

Finals WeekThe final paper is due the day of our final exam period. We will meet December 12 for student presentations

Appendix A: Questions you must answer on the way toward completing this project

What is your research question?

Is it exploratory or explanatory?

What are the independent and dependent variables?

How do you conceptualize each variable?

What methodological technique will give you the data you need to answer the question?

Within that method, how will you measure each variable/concept (operationalization)?Describe in detail your methodological approach. Explain the mechanisms by which you will collect the data that measure each concept or variable (field notes, interview questions, content analysis, survey questions, etc.).

What is your population?

How will you sample?

What has been discovered about this research question by other scholars?

How did they collect data? What did they find? What theories do they use to explain their findings? What do you find convincing, or inadequate, or missing in existing studies?

What is your hypothesis?

Once you have the data how will you process and analyze them?

What are your findings?

How will you present and organize your findings in the paper?

How do you explain or interpret your findings? What do they mean?

What theoretical approach are you taking to an interpretation of the findings?

How does this relate to previous research you have reviewed?

Appendix B: Suggested outline of the final paper (total length will be at least 20 pages)

Abstract: one paragraph summary of the research question, methods used, data collected, and findings (your argument)

Introduction: Explain why this is an important question to ask. What was your hypothesis going into the research? How did you conduct the research? What did you learn? (1 page)

Literature Review: What related questions have other scholars asked? What methods did they use to answer the question? What did their data lead them to conclude? What theories did they use to explain the data? What will your research add to the academic discussion? (4-6 pages)

Methods: Describe the methodological techniques you decided to use to collect data to answer this question. Why those methods? How is your methodological approach similar to or different from previous approaches? How did you conceptualize and operationalize each variable or concept measured? What sort of data did you collect? What is your population? How did you sample? How did you ensure validity and reliability? How representative is your sample? Do you have confidence in your results? What are the limitations of your data? (4-6 pages)

Findings: After you have processed and organized the data you need to present it to the reader. You are describing what you learned by doing the research. You are presenting the empirical results of your research. How you present the data will depend upon what sort of method you used to collect them. Think about an effective way to present to the reader an overview of what all your data tells you about the research question. You present the data in a way that builds an argument to support a particular answer to the research question. In other words, you not only give the reader access to enough data that they can evaluate for themselves, but you also explain to the reader how you interpret the data. You should frame the presentation of the data in such a way to convince the reader that your interpretation of the data is the correct one. You should also present the data in a clear and well organized fashion. (approx. 4-7 pages)

Discussion: This is the section where you tell the reader what the answer to the research question is and why you think so, referring back to the data you presented in the findings section. It is here that you explain not just what the answer to the research question is, but why you think these things are the way the area. In other words, you provide a theoretical explanation of the data. In this section you also relate your findings to the literature that you reviewed earlier. How are the findings of your research different than previous studies? What contributions have you made to our understanding of this research question? It is also in this section that you discuss the significance and implications of this research. Again, why is it important and in what direction do you think future research should go? NOTE: Some authors combine the “findings” section with the “discussion” section. This depends in part on the type of data you have and the style of writing you prefer. (4-5 pages)

Conclusion: Wrap it all up! Give us a summary of what the question was, how it related to previous research, what methods you used, what your interpretation of the data suggests is the answer to the research question, and what the theoretical significance is. You should also add something new in the conclusion. You may want to point the direction toward future research. You may want to suggest some policy implications of your research. You may want to reflect upon the methodological or theoretical lessons. You may want to add a personal reflection, etc.

(1-2 pages)

References: List all sources here in ASA style format.

11. Review of Experimental Offering

This course was first offered in the Fall of 2012 as Sociology 135: Special Topics and is being taught again under this title in the Fall of 2013. We have learned much from the experimental offering in 2012 and have made adjustments for 2013. For instance, because so many students spent a number of weeks developing and revising their research proposal and gaining IRB approval they did not get to invest as much time in data collection or the literature review. Therefore, we now link Sociology 132: Methods much more explicitly with the Senior Research Seminar. The students enrolled in the Senior Research Seminar for the Fall of 2013 have already proposed their research projects and have conducted a preliminary literature review as part of their final paper for the Methods class of Spring, 2012. This also helps the instructor to make early contact with the IRB in order to gain approval for all of the projects as early in the fall semester as possible.

Also, in 2012 the instructor did not explicitly require that the class operate as a learning community. That is, there were no formal requirements that students share their progress with each other or that students provide formal feedback to their peers. It became clear over the course of the semester that this lack of communication between students contributed to a sense of isolation among the students and it squandered a rich resource for all. In 2013 the students will be required to share their progress with the class and each student is expected to be a resource to the other students in this class. It is hoped that this will create not only a sense of community among the members of the class but that each student will receive direct and positive feedback from not only the instructor, but from the entire community of researchers in the class.

Sociology 140: Senior Research SeminarReview of Library Resources

Patty Wade Fall 2013

The Collections:

On the whole, the library is well prepared to meet the resource needs of the proposed course. For many years the library has worked towards building a collection that will support undergraduate research in sociology. As a result, we have a collection that should address theory and methodology, as well as topics involving social issues, problems, and phenomena that will be studied by students in this course.

Books:

The library has a strong collection of books related to the field of sociology and social problems. Since these books are used by students across the curriculum the budget allocation for this area is comparatively large. A special effort is made to purchase the works of classical and contemporary sociologists and books about their work. These should support students in the work for this course.

Reference Sources:

The library has access to the following reference sources online through Blackwell Reference Online

Encyclopedia of SociologyBlackwell Companion to Major Classical Social TheoristsBlackwell Companion to Major Contemporary Social TheoristsBlackwell Companion to Sociology

The library also has access to the following reference sources through the Gale Virtual Reference Library

Encyclopedia of Sociology. Encyclopedia of Social Theory

The Sage Knowledge eBooks database also provides a number of encyclopedias and handbooks on subject areas relevant to sociology.

Another useful source for students in this class is the Annual Review of Sociology which is available online.

Periodicals:

Thanks to the library’s subscription s to large publisher packages such as Blackwell, Sage, Wiley, and Springer as well as access to a number of full-text databases, the library’s periodical holdings related to sociology extend well beyond our print subscriptions. The Periodicals List does not have one category for Sociology. However the following categories should be relevant. The numbers in parentheses indicate the number of titles in the category. There is probably a great deal of overlap between categories.

Sociology & Social History

Communities - Rural Groups (10)

Communities - Social Classes (6) Communities - Urban Groups (92) Family & Marriage (96) Social Change (309) Social Conditions (141) Societies & Clubs (8)

Social Welfare & Social Work

Child & Youth Development (130) Criminology, Penology & Juvenile Delinquency (225) Disabilities (72) Family Violence (6) Gerontology (57) Social Welfare & Social Work - General (247) Substance Abuse (64)

Databases:

The library subscribes to over 100 electronic databases, many of which contain information relevant to sociology. For this course the important databases would be:

Sociological AbstractsSocial Services Abstracts

Media:

There is no mention of media use in the course proposal. The library purchases many DVD’s for use in courses as well as a large number of videos available for streaming online. If any additional media are needed for this course they can be purchased as provided the budget can support it. Media can be expensive therefore their purchase needs to be weighed against other formats such as books.

Further information on the library’s resources in sociology is available at http://www.stmarys-ca.edu/library/subject-guides/sociology

Information Literacy:

This advanced course in sociology offers an important opportunity for students build on the skills they have learned in the intermediate level Sociology 101 course. In this course, students will be required to write an integrated literature review which should inform the original primary research study that they will conduct. This is a key skill for advanced students and something they can take on to graduate school or future employment. As mentioned in the proposal, students will be meeting with me as they begin working on their annotated bibliography which will form the basis of the sources used in the literature review for their final papers.

The project for this course will address the following information literacy objectives outlined in the Library’s “Information Literacy Learning Outcomes and Objectives” (the full document is available at http://www.stmarys-ca.edu/library/referenceinstruction)

http://www.stmarys-ca.edu/library/subject-guides/sociology

The student understands how to select and use access/finding tools important to research in his/her field of study, and to identify and locate sources of information in the Library and elsewhere.

The student understands the importance of evaluating the quality and credibility of information and has developed strategies for evaluating citations, records, full-text sources and information obtained in the library, on the Internet, or elsewhere.

The student can formulate a search strategy for a term paper, senior thesis, master's thesis, project, or dissertation that includes gaining a theoretical background, formulating a research question/statement, determining useful search terms, and identifying appropriate and useful sources of information

The student is familiar with how scholarly/professional knowledge in his/her field is communicated and documented through published and unpublished sources.

The student engaged in an original research or experimentation understands the laws, regulations, institutional policies and etiquette related to the access and use of information resources

The student builds on their discipline knowledge and prior research experience to formulate research strategies and to complete research projects within their discipline.

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