RES 602 S00.A Thesisresearch and Writing

RES 602 S00.A Thesisresearch and Writing

Thesis Seminar / Spring 2016 / p.1

RES 602 S00.A ThesisResearch and Writing

Spring2016

Phillip Nott, M.Div., Th.M., M.L.S.Office: Library Director’s Office

Director of Library Services

Phone: 214-818-1327(Library: 214-818-1348)Email:

Office hours: Generally, Mon - Fri. 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m., but to verify availability, appointments are encouraged.

  1. COURSE DESCRIPTION:

This course is a study of strategies and resources for research and technical writing for the preparation of a thesis proposal according to the standards of Criswell College.

  1. COURSE OBJECTIVES: Upon completion of the course you should be able to:
  1. Define a legitimate topic for research and writing within the context of biblical and theological studies;
  2. Construct a thesis statement that forms the basis of a thesis paper;
  3. Discover and access relevant and sufficient materials in a theological library to support a thesis;
  4. Develop a method and structure for a research project that best presents the argument of the thesis in a logical fashion;
  5. Implement the appropriate discipline form and style guidelines for the thesis proposal.
  6. Prepare a thesis proposal to submit to the thesis committee based on the guidelines set forth by Criswell College.
  1. COURSE TEXTBOOKS:

Turabian, Kate L. A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and Dissertations. 8th ed. Revised by Wayne G. Booth, Gregory G. Colomb, Joseph M. Williams and University of Chicago Press Staff. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2013. (ISBN: 978-0226816388)

  1. COURSE REQUIREMENTS:
  1. Assignments—20 points, or 20% of your final grade

Four assignments (5 points each) will be required throughout the semester that will incorporate the skills learned in the course and will be useful in preparing the thesis. Due dates will set at the beginning of the course. Late assignments will be docked one point per day late including weekends.

  1. Thesis Proposal—80 points

A thesis proposalof at least 12 pages, including bibliography, will be submitted by the student at the end of the course as evidence of mastery of the methods and principles discussed in the course and outlined in the objectives above. The proposal must meet the guidelines set forth by Criswell College. Late submissions will not be accepted.

These papers can be emailed but must be received by midnight of the due date and transfer with correct formatting and spacing. If this cannot be guaranteed it is advised to turn in your paper at the library circulation desk.

  1. ATTENDANCE POLICIES

Absences: Students are expected to meet during the times the professor has selected. More than two absences will result in failure of the course. Students are responsible for all absences due to illness or any otherreason. Granting of excused absences is permitted at the discretion of the professor.

Tardiness: Missing more than fifteen (15) minutes at the beginning of a scheduled meeting with the professor isconsidered one absence. Three instances of tardiness of fifteen minutes or less equals oneabsence.

  1. GRADING SCALE

The significance of letter grades is as follows:

A97-1004.0 grade points per semester hour

A-93-963.7 grade points per semester hour

B+91-923.3 grade points per semester hour

B 88-903.0 grade points per semester hour

B-86-872.7 grade points per semester hour

C+83-852.3 grade points per semester hour

C 80-822.0 grade points per semester hour

C-78-791.7 grade points per semester hour

D+75-771.3 grade points per semester hour

D 72-741.0 grade point per semester hour

D-70-710.7 grade points per semester hour

F 0-690.0 grade points per semester hour

  1. INSTITUTIONAL POLICIES

Academic Honesty:

Absolute truth is an essential belief and basis of behavior for those who believe in a God who cannot lie and forbids falsehood. Academic honesty is the application of the principle of truth in the classroom setting. Academic honesty includes the basic premise that all work submitted by students must be their own and any ideas derived or copied from elsewhere must be carefully documented.

Academic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to:

• cheating of any kind,

• submitting, without proper approval, work originally prepared by the student for another course,

• plagiarism, which is the submitting of work prepared by someone else as if it were his own, and

• failing to credit sources properly in written work.

Learning Disabilities:

In order to ensure full class participation, any student with a disabling condition requiring special accommodations (e.g., tape recorders, special adaptive equipment, special note-taking or test-taking needs) is strongly encouraged to contact the instructor at the beginning of the course or if a student has a learning disability, please inform the professor so assistance can be provided.

  1. COURSE CALENDAR-dates and assignments may be changed during the semester

DateSubjectsTextbook Reading DueAssignment Due

To be determined by student(s) and professor.

  1. RECOMMENDED BIBLIOGRAPHY

* denotes available in Wallace Library; all others available through interlibrary loan

Barber, Cyril J., and Robert M. Krauss Jr. An Introduction to Theological Research: A Guide for College and Seminary Students. 2d ed. Lanham, MD: University Press of America, 2000.

*Bolker, Joan. Writing Your Dissertation in Fifteen Minutes a Day: A Guide to Starting, Revising, and Finishing Your Doctoral Thesis. New York: H. Holt, 1998.

*Booth, Wayne C., Gregory G. Colomb, and Joseph M. Williams. The Craft of Research. 2d ed. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2003.

*Bradley, James E., and Richard A. Muller. Church History: An Introduction to Research, Reference Works, and Methods. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1995.

Clark, Irene L.Writing the Successful Thesis and Dissertation Entering the Conversation. Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Prentice Hall, 2006.

Creswell, John W. Research Design: Qualitative, Quantitative, and Mixed Method Approaches. 2d ed. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, 2003.

*Harris, Robert A. Using Sources Effectively: Strengthening Your Writing and Avoiding Plagiarism. Los Angeles, CA: Pyrczak Pub, 2005.

Howard, V. A., and J. H. Barton. Thinking on Paper. New York: Quill/William Morrow, 1986.

*Kepple, Robert J., and Muether, John R. Reference Works for Theological Research: An Annotated Selective Bibliographical Guide. 3d ed. Lanham, MD: University Press of America, 1992.

Mann, Thomas. The Oxford Guide to Library Research. 3d ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2005.

Mauch, James E., and Jack W. Birch. Guide to Successful Thesis and Dissertation: A Handbook for Students and Faculty. 4th ed. New York: Marcel Dekker, 1998.

Slade, Carole, William Giles Campbell, and Stephen Vaughan Ballou. Form and Style: Research Papers, Reports, Theses. 9th ed. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1994.

Stewart, David R. The Literature of Theology: A Guide for Students and Pastors. Rev. ed. Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 2003.

Storey, William Kelleher. Writing History: A Guide for Students. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1999.

*Strunk, William, Jr. The Elements of Style. 4th ed. With Revisions, an Introduction, and a Chapter on Writing by E. B. White. Boston: Allyn and Bacon, 1999.

Teitelbaum, Harry. How to Write a Thesis. 5th ed. Lawrenceville, NJ: Thomson/Arco, 2003.

*Williams, Joseph M. Style: Toward Clarity and Grace. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1990.

Assignment #1

Topic and Questions

By now you should have a general idea of your topic, at least in the broadest sense. The purpose of this assignment is to narrow your topic and begin to ask questions in order to lead you to a series of problems, all of which could be pursued for your thesis.

FOR STUDY:

  1. Think through the subcategories that are possible for your broad topic. You might even draw out a flow chart or other visual device that shows how the parts are related to the whole. This is only for your purposes and will not be handed in.

FOR WRITING:

  1. Write a page (double spaced) or two that introduces the broad topic and then narrows that topic through the various subcategories into the specific topic you plan to pursue for your research. Where possible, show the interrelationships between the categories and subcategories. You do not need to address the significance of the topic just yet.
  1. Write out at least five questions to ask your specific topic. These should be questions that are interesting to you and would be worth researching. You do not need to answer the questions, but be sure they are questions that can be answered with an appropriate amount of study and research.

Assignment #2

Clarifying the Research Problem

After narrowing down to a specific topic, it is necessary to isolate a specific problem you wish to examine for your thesis. The purpose of this assignment is to identify that problem, the purpose of your research, and its significance.

FOR STUDY:

  1. Think through the questions you asked your topic from the last assignment. Which of them (or combination of them) do you find especially interesting?
  1. Isolate one or two questions and do a bit of preliminary investigation in written sources (books, articles, etc). Is there a question that both interests you and is a viable problem to use as the subject of a thesis?

FOR WRITING:

  1. Write a page that introduces the specific questions you are examining. It does not need to be long, but it should include enough information to acquaint the reader with various aspects of the questions that will be considered in the course of your research.
  1. Write a page describing the significance of the research. What difference does it make in the field (i.e., the academic or church community)? Do the answers to these questions affect any specific area of life or ministry?

Assignment #3

Annotation of Sources

The purpose of this assignment is to spend some time accumulating the most useful material found in the sources that are to be used for the thesis prospectus. This information will be summarized and presented in an annotated bibliography.

Search Wallace Library for sources and read selected portions to obtain sufficient information so that you are able to identify the basic argument or information that each work provides. Focus on each source’s relevance for your own study.

Submit annotations for 30 sources (a minimum of 15 monographs and 10 articles). The annotations should summarize the content of the source as it relates to your thesis. Be specific as to how this resource will be helpful (e.g. “This source will help support my position by….”or “This source will helpful in explaining” or “comparing” or defining”). Include the bibliographic reference with the annotation.

Assignment #4

Method and Structure

This assignment will assist in the development of the method and structure for your thesis. The result of this work will be incorporated into the thesis prospectus and will serve as a bridge to the structure and outline of the project. This assignment will help you to think about exactly what you need to address in your paper and how to support your claims with evidence.

FOR STUDY:

  1. Think through the information you have examined so far in your research. Is there a sufficient amount of it for a thesis? If not, how would you increase the quantity without changing your main argument? Is there too much for the thesis? If so, how would you limit it without changing your main argument?
  1. Think about the argument you are trying to make with the data. Does the information itself lead to that argument? How would someone who disagrees with your thesis challenge your argument? What are the limitations of your proposed method of argumentation? (i.e., what can you say and what can you not say with regard to your information?)
  1. From your work so far, try to develop a tentative outline of your argument. It only needs to include the main points of your argument but it should represent the basic structure (including the proper order) of that argument.

FOR WRITING:

  1. Write your tentative thesis title.
  1. Write a page that identifies the parameters of your information. It should include the type of information (primary, secondary, biblical, non-biblical, etc.), the method you will use to examine that data (exegetical, philosophical, theological, historiographical, etc.), and the reason(s) for the use of this particular information and method in making your argument.
  1. Write a page that identifies the limitations of your thesis. What can and cannot be said in light of your information and argument? All theses have some limitations and you must be able to articulate them before the writing process begins.
  1. Write an outline of your argument. Only the main points are sufficient at this point. At the top put your main claim (your thesis) in one sentence. Below list the major claims in your argument in a logical progression and in sentence form. It may help if you imagine that you are explaining your entire argument to someone in about two minutes. You would only hit the high points.

Assignment #5

Thesis Prospectus

The prospectus is generally divided into three major sections:

  • Problem Statement
  • Methodology
  • Supporting Literature
  1. The Problem Statement section should include a full and detailed discussion of the problem under investigation. The following elements should be included:

(a)The setting, or the background, from which the investigation springs; i.e., the context in which the problem is found;

(b)The Problem per se section which spells out as clearly and fully as possible exactly what is to be investigated;

(c)The significance or relevance of the expected results from this particular investigation, and

(d)The hypothesis (i.e., Thesis statement); what, at this preliminary stage of the investigation, is the investigator’s “best guess” as to what will be the conclusion to the investigation.

  1. The Methodology - or Research Design - section should include, most importantly, a discussion of the means by which the problem is to be investigated or resolved. For example is a biblical text problem to be explored exegetically or theologically? To make sense of the problem, what has to be explored or analyzed?

Assumptions, limitations, a proposed outline and the thesis title should also be included in this section.

  1. The Bibliography is the third big section of a proposal covers a discussion of the body of literature relevant to the investigation. This “review” of the relevant literature can take either of the two forms:
  • An annotated bibliography, or
  • A critical - pro and con - textual discussion, in essay form, of monographs as well as essay literature identified as contributing something to the topics, or issues, covered in the investigation.
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