SYLLABUS
Textbook
American Psychological Association. 2001. Publication manual of the American Psychological
Association (5th ed.). Washington, DC: Author.
Class Participation
A primary learning activity in this course will occur during class sessions. Students are expected to attend all class sessions and participate in class discussions. Realizing that some class absences may be unavoidable due to sickness, family responsibilities, or professional obligations, it is suggested that students drop this course and take it another semester if they have to miss more than two class sessions. Course grades will be reduced one step if 3 class sessions are missed for any reason (example from an A to an A-, or from a B- to a C+). Course grades will be reduced two steps if 4 class sessions are missed for any reason (example from an A to a B+, or from a B- to a C). Course grades will be reduced three steps if 5 class sessions are missed for any reason (example from an A to a B, or from a B- to a C-). Students who miss 6 or more class sessions will receive a failing grade in the course.
A total of 20% of the course grade will be assigned according to students' participation in class discussions. Participation in class discussions will be evaluated based on the professors' evaluation of evidence of students' having read text and outside reading assignments, quality of student contributions to class discussions, and quantity of student contributions to class discussions.
Any student who successfully defends his/her dissertation during the summer term, will be able to discontinue attending classes.
Four Written Assignments
Directions: E-mail your written assignments to me at tremley@odu.edu no later than midnight the day the assignments are due.
Read Dissertation Proposal (2 @ 5 points)
Read a dissertation proposal (or the first three chapters of a completed dissertation) that is assigned by your dissertation chair. The purpose of his assignment is for you to see what your chair thinks a good dissertation proposal looks like. In the event your chair does not have a proposal for you to read, then read Katie Moore's proposal. I will provide you with a copy.
After you have read your assigned dissertation proposal, answer the following questions:
- What was different about the proposal your read from what you expected a dissertation proposal to look like?
- How will your dissertation study be similar to the one you read?
- List up to three ways in which your dissertation study will be different from the one you read.
- List any questions you have about writing your dissertation proposal after having read the one your were assigned to read.
Grant Funding
Go to the Office of Research website and read the information regarding grant writing and funding, particularly for PhD dissertation projects. Look specifically for funding for PhD dissertation projects. By the end of the course, you will be applying for at least one grant to help fund your dissertation study.
After reviewing the grants and funding website, answer the following questions:
- List 3 dissertation grant programs that are related to your dissertation topic.
- If you got some grant money for your decision, how would you spend it?
- Will the deadlines allow you to apply for the 3 dissertation grant programs you have identified? You need to consider when the application is due, when the award decisions are made, and when you will actually want to complete your study.
APA Manual
Obtain a copy of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association: Fifth Edition.
- Read the section "Material Other Than Journal Articles," found on pages 321-330. In addition, read in the manual the sections on writing, grammar, and bias (pages 31-76). It would be wise to scan the detailed sections on editorial style and the reference list (pages 77-282) and pay attention to any sections you are unsure about.
- Also read the latest Counseling PhD Program Handbook section on dissertations.
And read the ODU Office of Graduate Studies guidelines for dissertations found at http://www.odu.edu/ao/affairs/graduatestudies/gradtheses.htm
After reading the sections of the APA Publication Manual and two handbook sections that I assigned, answer the following questions:
- The section of the manual entitled, "Material Other Than Journal Articles," allows writers to present material in final form. Your dissertation will be a final form document. Discuss two or three of the differences between a final form document and a paper submitted to a refeered journal for publication consideration.
- Identify two things you learned from reading the manual section on writing and grammar (pages 31-76).
- List two things you learned from scanning the manual section on editorial style and the reference list (pages 77-282).
- What two new things did you learn from reading the Counseling PhD Handbook section on dissertations?
- What two new things did you learn from reading the ODU Office of Graduate Studies guidelines for dissertations?
Institutional Review Board (IRB)
Go the Office Research website and read information regarding Research Using Humans and the Institutional Review Board (IRB) process.
- The link is as follows: http://www.odu.edu/ao/research/compliance/humans.shtml
- On this page read the following:
- The page in full
- Procedures for Review of Human Subjects Research
- Human Subjects Research Decision Tree
- Application Form for Exempt Research
- Human Subject Research Review Application Form (non-exempt)
- Complete training course - Human Participant Protections Education for Research Teams (note: there's a quiz at the end)
- View PowerPoint presentation (under "Resources") - Human Subjects Research at Old Dominion University
- Review list of Frequently Asked Questions About Human Subjects Research (under "Resources)
After completing the training course, list two new things you learned from taking the training. And, after reading the Frequently Asked Questions About Human Subjects Research, list two new things you learned.
Schedule for Completing the Drafts of Your First Three Chapters
The requirement for the dissertation seminar course is for students to complete acceptable drafts of the first three chapters of their dissertations. Before the dissertation seminar begins, doctoral students are expected to have agreed upon a dissertation study question, hypotheses, and their research design. If these issues have not been settled by the time the dissertation seminar begins, students should wait until the next semester to enroll.
During the seminar, students will be expected to consult with their dissertation chair as they are completing drafts of their chapters. An acceptable draft of a chapter is one that is complete and meets the approval of the course instructor. Outlines or promises of additional information being added later will not be acceptable.
In the event a student has not completed acceptable drafts of the first three chapters by the last class of the semester, they will be assigned a Satisfactory grade (unless they have not produced even a minimum amount of writing, in which case they will be assigned a grade of Unsatisfactory) and will be required to register for the course additional semesters (and pay additional tuition) until they have successfully completed the first draft of the first three chapters assignment.
Students should complete chapters one, two, and three in the order in which their dissertation chair prefers that the chapters be completed. I ask my students to write chapter three, first; then chapter two, and finally chapter one. However, discuss this matter with your dissertation chair and complete the chapters in the order he or she prefers.
Three different time frames are provided for the class. Students will want to schedule their dissertation proposal defenses at different times in the future. In order to schedule a dissertation proposal meeting, students must have polished their three chapters and their dissertation chair must be fully satisfied with what they have written. Typically, it takes of number of drafts of a chapter between the time the first complete draft is approved and the dissertation chair agrees that the chapter is ready to defend.
Chapter drafts that have been written prior to the dissertation seminar beginning may be submitted any time after the seminar begins. If a completed chapter draft is submitted prior to the date a chapter outline is due, no chapter outline is required.
Grades
Grades for this course will be assigned by Dr. Remley.
Grades will be determined as follows:
| 15% |
Participation in Class Discussions |
| 20% |
Four Written Assignments (5% each) |
| 15% |
Grant Proposal |
| 50% |
First Drafts of First Three Chapters of Dissertation |
| ------ |
|
| 100% |
TOTAL |
Attendance
Students are expected to attend all class meetings and participate in class discussions. If you must be absent for any reason, please notify Dr. Remley prior to the class, preferably by e-mail. Students who miss 2 or more classes should drop the course.
Accommodations
In compliance with PL94-142 and more recent federal legislation affirming the rights of individuals with disabilities, provisions will be made for students with special needs on an individual basis. If you need accommodations, you must be identified as having special needs by the university and an appropriate letter must be provided. Accommodations will be made based on written guidelines from the university special needs student resource office.
Honors Pledge
You are expected to abide by the honor system of Old Dominion University, which includes the following pledge: "I pledge to support the honor system of Old Dominion University. I will refrain from any form of academic dishonesty or deception, such as cheating or plagiarism. I am aware that as a member of the academic community, it is my responsibility to turn in all suspected violators of the honor system. I will report to Honor Council hearings if summoned."
Individual Meetings with Instructor
Dr. Remley is available to meet with you by appointment. Contact him by e-mail to schedule appointments if you wish to see him.
Amendments
The instructor reserves the right to amend this document, as necessary, with adequate notice to students.
