Course Objectives

To reacquaint students with the standards of academic research and writing and provide them with a solid basis for identifying an area of study and designing an inter- or transdisciplinary research plan for the MLS program. Thus, at the end of the semester, students should be able to:

• Identify and apply interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary methods to contemporary social questions.

• Demonstrate a command of the conventions of research and academic writing.

• Engage in analysis of scholarly texts and contexts.

• Define an individual research project.

Expectations

In order to accomplish this objective, students must read the selected materials and discuss their ideas in classroom and online environments. Active student participation in our small seminar discussions will be crucial to the outcomes of this class.

This semester will require six on-site class meetings in Humanities 490 and eight online class meetings via Google Hangouts. Ownership of a computer and the ability to use applications such as e-mail, a web browser and various browser-based applications such as Google Hangouts and Moodle 2.4 will be crucial to full participation in this course. Students will receive grades based on an in-class presentation, an annotated bibliography, a working draft and a final draft of a research paper that represents an initial foray into an area of inter- or transdisciplinary research.

In addition, there will be frequent informal writing assignments and a peer-editing exercise.

Grade Breakdown

Your grade will depend primarily on your written work and the understanding of the material that you convey through that work. A command of standard written English and the ability to present an argument will also contribute to the determination of your grade.

Late assignments will receive a deduction of 1/3 of a letter grade for each business day that they are late. Students who miss exams may not make them up without a valid excuse for the absence. Valid excuses include health emergencies and family crises. If students anticipate missing an exam or a paper deadline for a valid reason and consult with me in advance, I can consider exceptions on a case-by-case basis.

From http://jolt.merlot.org/vol6no1/mintu-wimsatt_0310.htm

Outlined below are some of the commonly utilized Netiquette rules. Included in Appendix A is a sub-section of a syllabus that includes Netiquette guidelines for a graduate-level course.

• Do not dominate any discussion. Give other students the opportunity to join in the discussion.
• Do not use offensive language. Present ideas appropriately.
• Be cautious in using Internet language. For example, do not capitalize all letters since this suggests shouting.
• Popular emoticons such as ☺ or ☼ can be helpful to convey your tone but do not overdo or overuse them.
• Avoid using vernacular and/or slang language. This could possibly lead to misinterpretation.
• Never make fun of someone's ability to read or write.
• Share tips with other students.
• Keep an "open-mind" and be willing to express even your minority opinion. Minority opinions have to be respected.
• Think and edit before you push the "Send" button.
• Do not hesitate to ask for feedback.
• Using humor is acceptable but be careful that it is not misinterpreted. For example, are you being humorous or sarcastic?

Academic dishonesty tarnishes the reputation of the University of Minnesota Duluth and discredits the accomplishments of its students. Because the university is committed to providing students every possible opportunity to grow in mind and spirit, it must insist on an environment of trust, honesty, and fairness. Consequently, all members of the academic community must regard any act of academic dishonesty as a serious offense. In keeping with this ideal, this course will adhere to UMD's Student Academic Integrity Policy, which is available online at "http://www.d.umn.edu/conduct/integrity/". This policy sanctions students engaging in academic dishonesty with penalties up to and including expulsion from the university for repeat offenders.

Individuals who have any disability, either permanent or temporary, which might influence their capacity to perform in this class, should inform me at the start of the semester. I can make special adaptations of teaching methods, assignments, materials, or testing as required to provide for equitable participation in the course. The Office of Disability Resources is also available to assist students with disabilities. It is located in 258 Kirby Student Center and on the web at "http://www.d.umn.edu/access/".

Required Texts

Adelson, Glenn, et. al., eds. Environment: Interdisciplinary Anthology. New Haven, CT: Yale U. P., 2008. Print.

Foucault, Michel. Discipline and Punish: The Birth of the Prison. Trans. Alan Sheridan. New York: Knopf Doubleday, 1995. Print.

Gaddis, John Lewis. The Landscape of History: How Historians Map the Past. New York: Oxford U. P., 2004. Print.

Ishiguro, Kazuo. Never Let Me Go. New York: Random House, 2005. Print.

Leavy, Patricia. Essentials of Transdisciplinary Research: Using Problem-Centered Methodologies. Walnut Creek, CA: Left Coast P., 2011. Print.

Swales, John and Christine Feak. Academic Writing for Graduate Students. Second Edition. Ann Arbor, MI: U. of Michigan P., 2004. Print.

Additional Readings

Many of these books will soon be on reserve in the library and may be helpful as you pursue topics pertaining to this course.

Foucault, Michel. The Archaeology of Knowledge. Trans. Alan Sheridan. New York: Routledge, 2002. Print.

Klein, Julie Thompson. Humanities, Culture, and Interdisciplinarity. Albany, NY: State U. of New York P., 2005. Print.

Kuhn, Thomas. The Structure of Scientific Revolutions. Fourth Edition. Chicago: U. of Chicago P., 2012.

Rachels, James. The Elements of Moral Philosophy. Philadelphia: Temple U. P., 1986. Print.

Repko, Allen F., William H. Newell and Rick Szostak. Case Studies in Interdisciplinary Research. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage, 2012. Print.

Wilson, Norman J. History in Crisis?: Recent Directions in Historiography. New York: Prentice Hall, 1999. Print.