Proseminar

What - Goals of the Proseminar

• Introduce and develop expertise in some basic research skills. These are necessary for successful completion of any large research project such as the capstone. The skills include selecting and focusing a topic, defining an appropriately scoped research question, appreciating the role and importance of a thesis, locating and using relevant and reliable sources, supporting claims with reasons and evidence, receiving and providing constructive feedback, effectively presenting your ideas, recognizing a research project as an on-going conversation with an audience and, most important, developing an appreciation of academic writing as an continuing process rather than a one-time event.
• Produce a capstone proposal that provides a solid starting point for the capstone project. The specific elements of the proposal are described below. In brief, a good capstone proposal must do two things: 1) explain to your reader what you intend to accomplish with your capstone and how you intend to accomplish it and 2) convince your reader that you are in a good position to successfully carry this off.

Why - Reason for the Proseminar

The capstone project is unique in many ways. It is a substantial semester-long research project undertaken on your own in close collaboration with a faculty mentor. A successful capstone demonstrates originality, independence, appropriate scope, an orderly and object inquiry process and an intellectual stretch - it takes you further and deeper into an area than you probably thought possible. In order to do this successfully within the allocated time, you need both a set of skills and a starting point. The Proseminar was developed to satisfy these needs. Obviously different students will come to the Proseminar with different strengths. The Proseminar is therefore designed to allow students to learn from one another and build upon the strengths and interests of everyone in the seminar. It is a collaborative learning experience. The Proseminar provides a structure in which students provide on-going constructive feedback that can be incorporated into the developing proposals.

When - When to take the Proseminar

Under normal circumstances you should take the Proseminar one or two semesters prior to your enrollment in the Capstone Project (ISCP 4991). Most students elect to take the Proseminar in the semester immediately preceding the capstone project. If you have a clear sense of your research area and would like some additional time to pursue relevant readings between the end of the Proseminar and the beginning of your capstone project, a semester hiatus may be useful.

In general we don't recommend taking the Proseminar more than two semesters in advance of your capstone. There are several reasons for this. More experience in the program gives you a wider variety of areas to consider in selecting a capstone topic. Also, much of your Proseminar work carries over directly to your capstone project. The longer the gap the more likely you are to lose momentum and perhaps even shift focus.

Remember that the Proseminar will be offered in the fall and summer of each academic year. It is not usually offered in the spring. Optimally, students should take no more than one other course in addition to the Proseminar or the Capstone in the same semester.

How - Preparing for the Proseminar

The Capstone is an opportunity to explore in some depth a topic of your choice. Most students elect to work within their concentration. This is not a requirement, but you are strongly encouraged to choose a topic in which you have some competence based on your academic work or professional interest.

Prerequisites for the Proseminar:

·         You must have completed two 3000- level and one 4000-level Liberal Studies Seminars, each with a grade of C or better;

·         You do not have any other outstanding academic requirement besides remaining BIS course work. You are not carrying any “Incomplete” grades;

·         You are not on academic warning;

·         You must have attended a Proseminar/Capstone information session;

·         You must have identified a broad topic;

·         You must have filed the Intent to Take the Proseminar form (two months prior to the start of class);

·         With the assistance of the Proseminar instructor, you must have identified a Capstone Project mentor.