This course combines material learned in other courses (theory/philosophy, methods, and a student’s substantive area of interest) and familiarizes students with the skills necessary to conduct research and critically review and understand evaluation reports.
In Spring 2025, this course will serve as the Masters Project preparation course. This seminar-based course will provide guidance to master’s students as they begin work on their MP proposals. Students will be exposed to a variety of University resources, learn how to design and write independent research, and receive feedback on their ideas and project proposals. The course will combine visits from guest speakers, lectures, and breakout sessions. Some of the specific topics that will be discussed include: (i) navigating the IRB process; (ii) how to use Odum Institute resources; (iii) writing style for planning research; (iv) project scoping and time management; (v) research methods. Students will have the opportunity to work through potential research ideas as they craft and produce a draft MP proposal. Students should sign up for 1.5 credits.