Introduction to Social Sciences, 03.100
Workshop Information Sheet
As set out in the course outline, workshops
accompany the lectures for most
weeks of the course (exceptions include the first week of classes, Thanksgiving,
and the last week of each term when there are no workshops). The purpose of
these workshops is to provide you with an opportunity to work in small groups
with concepts and data related to the curriculum covered in the lectures.
Our workshops focus on learning by doing. In the end, we anticipate that the
workshops will help you to develop critical thinking, writing and research
skills necessary for scholarship in the Social Sciences.
There are a variety of activities planned across the two terms including
analyzing data about Carleton University, working with the Social Science
computer network facilities, designing an ideal community, preparing
interdisciplinary-research web sites, as well as participating in a workshop
conducted entirely in the virtual space of our electronic discussion group.
I am sure you will find our discussions and activities interesting and
challenging.
As we will be spending 38 hours together in the workshops, the workshop
activities constitute 50% of your final grade. Each of your marks is based
on the assignments outlined below.
Assignments and Evaluation
Critical Reading Summary (5%)
As a community of scholars is also a community of writers (you are now a
member of this community - you are scholars!), you will write often.
We want you to see writing not just as a way of communicating what you know,
but also as a way of coming to know; writing to learn, not just learning to
write. So, we will begin our term with a short writing assignment. The
first assignment is a written summary of the reading from your course reader -
Fruits, Fruit Salads and Smoothies: A working definition of
interdisciplinarity - by Moti Nissani. We will be discussing the
writing of summaries in the second workshop (Week 3), and you will find
more information about how to write a summary in Chapter Three of your book
A Short Guide to Writing About Social Science by Lee Cuba.
The first draft of this summary is due Week 4 at your scheduled workshop.
The final draft of the summary is due Week 5 IN CLASS LECTURE (October
6).
Library Archives Assignment (5%)
In order to help you develop the research skills you will need in the social
sciences, Shelagh and I have been working closely with library faculty.
As you will see throughout the year, our librarians will provide you with
library-research training. The first part of this training in the third
workshop involves using the documents found in the archives of our library
to learn more about Carleton (librarian assistance will be provided).
You will be required to write up the results of your research on a
personal web site (which will be developed as part of our workshops in
October).
The details of this assignment will be provided in your
workshop session. Assignment due October 27, 1997 via email.
Computer Assignment (5%)
The fourth workshop in the course (Week 5, October 6) will introduce you
to the Social Science Computer Network and the CHAT system at Carleton
University. You will learn how to access the computer system, how to use
electronic mail to communicate on campus and throughout the world,
and how to set up your own course web site. Your assignments for this
workshop will include a number of tasks that will demonstrate your skills
in using this new technology. A detailed
outline of the assignment will be provided at the workshop.
The assignment is due November 10, 1997 on your
personal web site. Following this workshop, we will be actively using a
CHAT course discussion group as part of our course activities.
All of this will be explained during the third workshop,
Introduction to Electronic Communities - CHAT.
Research Paper (15%)
At the end of the first term, we will begin work on a research paper.
Based on lectures and workshops, you will be required to write a
1500-word essay on some aspect of community. This paper will be based
on one disciplinary perspective (i.e., it will not be interdisciplinary).
The details of topic choice and research strategies will be explained in
the workshops. An outline of the paper is due for Week 1 of the
Winter Term. The first draft of the paper is due Week 3, Winter Term, and
the final paper is due Week 5 - Monday, February 2, 1997 IN CLASS
LECTURE.
We will provide time in the workshops for writing conferencing early in the
winter term. Details of paper format, style, etc., will be presented at
the workshops.
Interdisciplinary Project and Presentation (20%)
One of the hallmarks of a scholarly community is that scholars
communicate their research with one another. They do this through journal
publications, books and conferences. At conferences, various scholars
present papers and posters. A poster is a visual presentation of research
results which is discussed with interested participants at scheduled times
throughout the conference (it's a bit like a "science fair").
More recently, researchers have also been using the world wide web to
present research results in both text and graphic format.
We will be communicating the results of our research in a similar
fashion using the world wide web.
Working in groups of three or four, you will be required to integrate your
individual papers discussed above into a web site. How you will do this
will be presented in the workshop sessions. It will suffice for now to
know that you will plan your papers together on the same social-scientific
topic to facilitate their interdisciplinary integration as a web site.
The web-site presentations will be held in the workshops during Week 8 of
the winter term (week of March 2nd). The evaluation for the web sites and
presentations will be based both on the joint effort of the partners as well
as individual contributions. Details of group work will be presented during
workshops.
Well, that's it as an overview for the workshops.
The course outline distributed in class
contains the weekly schedule for workshops.
Please, if you have any questions, contact me during office hours (Tuesday
1330-1430), by phone (613-520-2600 ext 1403), or by email at
tpychyl@ccs.carleton.ca
Professor Tim Pychyl
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