There will be no exams in this course; the course grade will be based on your successful completion of the various components of your pilot project (listed in the syllabus as “assignment(s) due” on various dates). The weighting of these assignments will be as follows:
- (20%) — Homework assignments other than proposal drafts; there are 7 of these, each of which will be worth approximately 3% of your grade. Each assignment alone is not worth much, but taken together, they are extremely important.
- (10%) — First draft of your introduction.
- (15%) — Second draft, including a revised introduction and a methods section.
- (25%) — Final research proposal, including introduction, methods, results, and discussion sections.
- (15%) — Oral PowerPoint presentation.
- (15%) — Class attendance and participation. Please attend all classes; this will allow everyone to benefit from the input of everyone else in the class.
ABOUT PROPOSAL DRAFTS:
Copies of your first 2 drafts and of your final research proposal should be submitted to me as well as to your first thesis reader(s); you should receive feedback on each of these documents from both of us. During the semester, you should work closely with your reader(s) to develop the design of your project.
ABOUT MID-YEAR PRESENTATIONS:
During finals week this semester, we will have a mini-conference, at which you will each be expected to present your research proposals along with your pilot data (in the form of a PowerPoint presentation) to the psychology faculty as a whole. These presentations should emphasize the outcome of your pilot study and your plans for further data collection. Each of you will be given 10 minutes for your presentation (7 minutes for the actual presentation and 3 minutes for Q & A).
LATE ASSIGNMENT POLICY:
Homework must be handed in on the date due to receive full credit. All homework and proposal assignments are due at 2:45 pm on the dates noted in the syllabus. Assignments turned in from 2:46 pm that day until 2:45 pm the next day will be assigned a grade that is a half-letter grade below what the assignment would have received if the assignment had been turned in on time. Assignments turned in from 2:46 pm on that day until 2:45 pm the next day will be assigned a grade that is one full letter grade below what the assignment would have received if it had been turned in on time. And so on. There will be no extensions, because meeting the due dates noted in the syllabus is absolutely critical for success in this class (and in the honor’s thesis endeavor more broadly). Medical and other emergencies will be handled on an individual basis.