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DATE
9AM -12 Noon |
SUBJECT |
READINGS
(All readings must be completed before class)
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ASSIGNMENTS |
| September 20 |
Introduction and Overview |
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September 27
LOCATION:
University of Ottawa
Morriset Library
Room 308
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RESEARCH TOOLS SESSION
Resources for Starting Graduate-Level Study of Religion and Theology Session led by Jennifer Dekker (Research Librarian, University of Ottawa) |
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Students should be prepared to consider how they will use information provided in Ms. Dekker's presentation of
- available resources
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bibliographical management software,
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how to take notes for electronic production of texts, and
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how to avoid plagiarism when using electronic resources. Please note also the Library Workshops that are taking place in the SPU Library.
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| October 4 |
SECTION I: RESEARCH TOPIC
Research Topic (Hour I)
EXERCISES: RESEARCH TOPIC I (Hour II) |
Booth et al. Chapters 1-6 (pages xi - 101)
or/ou
Mace - Pétry (approximately pages 9-40 et 89-102)
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EXERCISES: RESEARCH TOPIC I:
On the basis of Booth Chapter 1 or Mace - Pétry equivalent,
- Identify possible research problems that you are interested in pursuing for your MA research paper.
- Attempt to discuss the possible research problems with one or more potential research directors for your project. What does s/he have to say about your proposed problem?
On the basis of Booth Chapter 4 or Mace - Pétry equivalent
- Assessing the various problems that you may want to and be able to address, which ones stand out for you as significant? Why?
- Which possible problems will you likely discard? Why?
On the basis of Booth et al. chapter 3 or Mace - Pétry equivalent
- Narrow down your likely research problem and identify it as a research topic using 3 Boolean operators.
- Further refine your research topic into a phrase using action words.
- Convert your research topic into a claim. This will be your draft working hypothesis for your research proposal.
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| October 11 |
EXERCISES: RESEARCH TOPIC II (Hour I)
The claims and method for your research topic (Hour II) |
As for October 4
Additional Reading:
Lincoln Mullen, "An audience of (n)one", The Chronicle of Higher Education, Monday, October 3, 2011, Section Profhacker |
EXERCISES: RESEARCH TOPIC II:
On the basis of Booth Chapter 5-6 or Mace - Pétry equivalent
- Determine from the questions posed to your claim which library and/or electronic resources are going to be the most valuable to you as you begin to explore your project.
- Determine from Dissertation Abstracts whether anyone else has done MA or PhD work on your research project. How did it differ from yours? (See also question 3 * below)
On the basis of Booth Chapter 2 and Chapter 3.4 or Mace - Pétry equivalent
- Who is your audience for your research? Why?
- Pose the question in terms of "I am studying ____ because I am trying to find out how _____ in order to help my reader understand how ____."
- If you answered yes in question 2 above (*), how will the audience for your research project differ from the one that you identified in 2 * above? What difference will that make to how you do your paper?
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| October 18 |
SECTION II: RESEARCH ARGUMENT
EXERCISES: RESEARCH ARGUMENT I (Hour I)
Dealing with objections (Hour II)
EXERCISES RESEARCH ARGUMENT II (Hour II cont.) |
Booth et al. Chapters 7 - 11 (pages 103-170)
or/ou
Mace - Pétry (pages 41-87)
SUGGESTED READINGS: Begin to get familiar with the Style Sheet that you will use (e.g., The SBL Handbook of Style for Ancient Near Eastern, Biblical, and Early Christian Studies (eds. P. H. Alexander and et al.; Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 1999)). See above.
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NB: By the start of class today, you must submit the following
- the name of the research director who has agreed to work with you in the area of your research project,
- a clearly identified and articulated research topic in draft form (and one that the research director will be comfortable working with you on),
- a short-list of bibliographical resources that you will use to research the topic,
- the name of the electronic means of keeping track of your bibliography and research notes, and
- the particular style-sheet (accepted by the University) that you will use to write your paper.
EXERCISES: RESEARCH ARGUMENT I:
NB: All material for this and all remaining assignments assumes that you have completed the RESEARCH OUTLINE by today, and most importantly that you have a research hypothesis (research claim) that your director has agreed is worth pursuing. This outline will be refined over the next weeks, but this will be your draft basis for any further refining.
On the basis of Booth Chapters 7 - 9 or Mace - Pétry equivalent:
- Be able to identify how and why readers in your field of specialization (concentration) will think your research claim to be significant.
- Start by specifying why your research director thinks that your research claim is significant.
- Identify some of the major reasons that you will use to support your claim.
- Be able to express it in the form: CLAIM: "I claim THAT _____" REASON: "...BECAUSE ____"
- Identify what will constitute evidence in support of your research claim.
- Be able to state whether you know that the research community agrees with you that this constitutes evidence.
EXERCISES: RESEARCH ARGUMENT II:
On the basis of Booth Chapter 10-11 or Mace - Pétry equivalent
- Attempt to identify and set forth some of the main warrants in your chosen research field that will undergird the particular claim(s) that you make in your research paper.
- Are these warrants completely unique to your field or are they common to one or more other research fields?
- What further claims / reasons / evidence will enable you to "thicken the core"?
- Be prepared to show how you are beginning to "thicken the core" by engaging the the main arguments against your claim / reasons / evidence, and possibly even against your warrants.
- How have you begun to address those arguments?
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| October 25 |
No class: SPU / U of O Study Break |
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FRIDAY NOVEMBER 4
GUI 1130
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SECTION III: RESEARCH METHODS
Methods used in the concentrations of the Faculty of Theology
Conjoint session with the PhD Seminar, Faculty of Theology
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| November 8 |
Methods used in the Social Sciences
Session led by Prof. Manal Guirguis-Younger, Faculty of Human Sciences
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Following Prof. Guirguis-Younger's presentation, there will be opportunity for discussion, questions, and answers.
Students should be prepared to ask concrete questions to elicit possible ways that social science methods may (or may not) be important for their research work (specifically, if there is an empirical component to the research).
Also, students should be prepared to understand and explore the possible general value of social science methods in relation to more traditional methods in Theology. |
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November 15 |
Research methods for getting at your topic and using the results
Discussion
EXERCISES: RESEARCH METHOD
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EXERCISES: RESEARCH METHOD:
- What method will you use to identify your evidence, that is, the information among the data that you will examine? Why?
- What methods have you chosen NOT to use? Why?
- Be prepared to explain the state of methodological discussions in your area of study, with particular attention to your topic.
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| November 22 |
No class:Annual meetings of the AAR / SBL (San Francisco) |
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| November 29 |
SECTION IV: RESEARCH PAPER
Drafting your research proposal
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Booth et al. chapters 12-17 (pages 171-269)
Suggested readings:
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You should have a preliminary draft research proposal done by today. A completed draft research proposal must be submitted in electronic form (.PDF, .DOC, or .RTF) BEFORE Wednesday, November 30, 2011, 5 PM EST. These draft research proposals will then be circulated to all members of the class and research directors BEFORE Thursday, December 1, 2011, 8 AM EST. |
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December 6 |
Presentations of research projects (problem, method, and tools)
- Marguerite-Marie Galipeau (Prof. C. Clifford)
- Fr. Anthony Mary Ibeazor (Prof. C. Clifford)
- David Wilson (Prof. P. Galadza)
- Ryan Ellis (Prof. A. Spatafora)
- Ashley Moggy (Prof. K. Melchin
Students' directors are strongly encouraged to be present. Other Faculty professors may attend but should inform me before doing so. |
All students will be expected to have read all research proposals to be presented and to have asked of each proposal the research questions posed throughout the course.
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Students will submit the final version of their Research Project Proposal (taking into consideration comments made at their presentation by students and professors) BEFORE 12 Noon (EST) on Monday, December 12, 2011.
The grade (40% of the final mark) for the proposal will be one overall grade that takes into consideration
- the quality of the draft version of the proposal,
- the presentation of the draft version of the proposal,
- the engagement by the student in the discussion at the presentation,
- the ability to engage with questions and criticism, and
- the final version of the proposal.
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| tbd |
FINAL EXAM (oral) |
The grade (20% of the final mark) for the FINAL EXAM will take into consideration:
- the ability to discuss the stages leading to the Research Project Proposal,
- the ability to assess the different theological methods that were used and that could have been used and were not used,
- reflection on the proposal in light of the course materials.
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THO 6399 Theological Methodologies (2011)
