INSTRUCTORS
COURSE DESCRIPTION
During the mandatory Prospectus Development seminar, students begin to work on planning the project that they will submit at the end of their second year in the HIPS MA program. Since the final project can be a research-based MA Thesis or a Capstone Project, this seminar will introduce students to the requirements necessary to develop a Final Prospectus, due at the end of the first year.
This final project, which will derive from one of the two themes of the HIPS program that the student has chosen in the fall term, will also help students determine the location for the first term of their second year of study, either the University of Florence or NOVA University in Lisbon. This choice will depend not only on the themes being offered by each university but also on the skills training available.
During the seminar students clearly identify the topic of their final project, the methods they will employ, the theoretical and disciplinary framing, and the data and evidence they will employ. The resulting Prospectus words will be reviewed by potential supervisors for the project from one of the participating universities.
LIST OF CLASSES
Class 1: Introduction
The form, goals and expectations of the project prospectus will be explained. The ethics of research, from data collection to work with Human Subjects, will also be discussed. Finally, how the project proposed, including topics and methods, will affect the choices in the second year of study will be discussed, as will the formal requirements for a supervisor and second reader to be finalized at the end of the first academic year.
Classes 2-4: Student Presentations
Students give a concise 15-minute presentation of their planned research and the source materials they intend to use.
Classes 5-6: Draft Prospectuses discussed in groups.
Draft versions of the Draft Prospectus will be discussed in smaller groups of students based on the type of project being proposed. Final critiques will be offered prior to submission of the Draft Prospectus.