1. General Purpose / Objectives. The DAS 425 research paper offers you
the opportunity to demonstrate your ability to research a topic of your choice
within the general academic guidelines. You have taken courses in different
disciplines, so you are now ready to draw from that experience by applying possibly
different perspectives in the selection, presentation, and analysis of a particular
international problem, theme or topic.
2. Open Topic: you may choose your own topic for your paper. It should
be of interest to you and a theme that you will want to research. Some students
anticipate graduate studies by doing a project that will help them define a
problem, research an issue, or explore a general concept or theme. Your topic must
be approved by me. Don't do the paper, hoping that I will approve the
topic when you are done.
3. Length. Oh yes, length! Always the question of the day. I
do not require that the paper have a minimum number of pages. That being
said, I do want the
paper to be an example of serious research by the student. The average
length may vary according to the topic chosen. Consider 25-40 pages as
a rough guide. Anything less must be justified by being concise and obviously
complete in its treatment of the selected topic. More than 40 pages is
too much for me.
4. Documentation. Follow the standard bibliographic form that
is used in the discipline that you have chosen. Social sciences often follow
guidelines established by the American Psychological Association [3rd
edition]. Students in the humanities, especially literature, commonly use
the rules of documentation of the Modern Language Association (now in its
5th edition). There are other style manuals, such as University
of Chicago, and Turabian. Whichever one you use, be consistent by following
its recommendations. I will only quarrel with you if your paper is not
consistent in its documentation style.
5. Evaluation / Grading. We may agree that I will be the sole
evaluator of your project. As an alternative, you may choose to work with
a mentor of your own choosing. That person could be designated as the one
who provides the grade for your work. Another option is to have that person recommend
a grade to me, leaving me the ultimate authority and responsibility for
the grade. I am happy to follow your wishes. If you choose a mentor, particularly
one who has responsibility for grading your paper, it is important for
that person to know the general objectives of this project. This is not
a Master's thesis, nor is it a simple term paper. You are not attending
class and doing a paper as part of the course requirements. Your paper
IS the course requirement. Therefore, it should be serious work, but again,
NOT a thesis. Sometimes mentors must be advised of this distinction.
Students have sometimes told me in advance, "If this paper doesn't receive
an A or a B, please let me rewrite it. I don't want anything less than
a B." If your paper is submitted in a timely fashion, I am happy to comply
with this wish. When the paper is turned in late, however, there is no
time to make changes. In the past I have recorded an "Incomplete" for a
paper that is not acceptable. I will no longer do this. If the paper merits
a D, it will receive a D, unless improvements are made in time for me to
validate its improved status.
6. Staying on Track. It is easy, ever so easy, when doing an
"independent" study project to procrastinate. This is not a paper that
can be written in a weekend. Not even two! You need to be working throughout
the semester in order to finish on time with a product of which you can
be proud. Below you will find some suggested dates. Note: these
dates are not designed to correspond to any particular calendar year. If
a date falls on a weekend, please just move it to the following Monday.
| Spring | Summer | Fall | |
| Selection of Topic: | January 31 | June 5 | August 31 |
| Initial Bibliography: | February 25 | June 25 | September 20 |
| First Draft: | March 30 | July 10 | October 31 |
| Final Paper: | April 30 | July 25 | November 30 |
This time line allows me to help you along the way. If the final paper
is unacceptable, there is time for you to make corrections before the grades
are due. When you slip the paper under my door on the last day of finals,
you give me little time to read your masterpiece, and no time to suggest
changes that will improve the grade. (Besides, my generally good mood and
cheerfulness turn to one of anxiousness and despair when I don't have sufficient
time to read your work!)
7. Meetings / Communication. I am happy to meet with you to discuss
your paper. You are responsible, however, for following the general guidelines,
including the suggested time line. I won't "nag" you to get things done.
I am happy to communicate with you via e-mail. In fact, it is a good way
to reach me. We can make appointments to meet in my office as well, or
perhaps over a cup of coffee in the K-State Union. I will try to send out
general notices to students, reminding them not to forget about their papers.
Ultimately, and appropriately, the responsibility for getting your work
done is yours, not mine. Let me know how I can help. If I can't answer
your question, I may know someone who can.
8. Time to get to work! Enjoy your project. Choose one that is
fun and meaningful to you. Or at least practical. Good luck!
For more information, contact Bradley
Shaw, Director, International and Area Studies, College of Arts and
Sciences
