Course Syllabus

Course Schedule:

Tuesdays, January 26, 2016 - May 10, 2016, 7:40pm-9:40pm
Friday, February 12, 2016, 5:00pm-8:00pm, Location to be determined
Saturday, February 13, 2016, 9:00am-5:00pm, Location to be determined
Sunday, February 14, 2016, 9:00am-1:00pm, Location to be determined
Online with a required on-campus weekend February 12, 13 and 14.

The on-campus weekend is mandatory!
Students will not receive credit for the course if they miss any part of
the required weekend.

This course meets each Tuesday from January 26, 2016 to May 10, 2016
except for Tuesday, March 15, 2016.

The Course:

This course provides students with the preparation for, and the opportunity to complete, a capstone project related to their professional interests in Museum Studies. Capstone projects could include an analysis of a museum studies issue in areas ranging from collections management, to education and interpretation, to administration, or creation of a museum studies curriculum or media product.

Some students may choose to do a capstone project that is a continuation of the work they performed during their internship. In these instances, a student may wish to have their internship supervisor continue to work with them as their capstone reader.  

Readers:

Each capstone student has an independent (i.e., non-faculty) reader who works with the student throughout the semester to help direct and develop the student’s project.  The reader is a content/subject expert for the capstone project.  Generally, a reader will read a student’s proposal at the beginning of the term, their work-to-date at mid-term, and the student’s final product.  The reader will offer suggestions for further research, people in the field who may be resources for the student, and offer his or her other expertise on the project topic.  The reader will discuss final grades for students with the course instructor.

NOTE:  You should discuss potential readers with Kathy Burton Jones when you discuss your project topic.  This discussion should take place at least two months before the proposal is due.

On campus weekend:

The Capstone Projects class includes a mandatory on-campus three-day intensive weekend session. During this on-campus weekend the class will explore Harvard resources that may be helpful for researching and writing capstone papers and projects.  During these on-campus sessions, time will be spent on discussing, drafting, editing, and reviewing students' course work. Please see the course schedule for more details.

Each student will give a short presentation on his or her topic followed by a brief discussion.

REQUIRED TEXTS:

MLA Style Manual and Guide to Scholarly Publishing, 3rd ed. New York: MLA, 2008.

Sylvan Barnett, A Short Guide to Writing About Art, 11th ed. Boston: Pearson, 2015. (or earlier printing of 11th ed.)

Wayne C. Booth, et als. The Craft of Research, 3rd. ed. Chicago: U of Chicago P, 2011. (or earlier printing of 3rd ed.)

Standards for Written Work:

All written work submitted for the class shall be typed, double-spaced, in 12 point Times New Roman font, with 1 inch margins all the way around.

Please put your full name, course name and number, instructor name and the date of submission at the top left of the first page of each assignment. Paginate your work and include your name at the top right of each page after the first page – this helps instructors keep printed copies of student work in proper order and minimizes potential confusion when marking and grading student work. For the final submission of student's Capstone Project, page numbers are located at bottom center.

Otherwise, all written course work should, in general, use MLA (Modern Language Association) style and conventions. MLA style and conventions for academic work are presented by the Purdue University Online Writing Lab (OWL) at: https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/01/ This is a great resource, however, be aware and be careful because the OWL also includes sections for APA (American Psychological Association) style and formatting. Use MLA, not APA, style and formatting!

MLA style and conventions are also presented in detail in the MLA Style Manual and Guide to Scholarly Writing, 3^rd ed. (See list of required texts above.) This volume, and other MLA materials, are available in most, if not all, public and Harvard University libraries.

Also, please see:  the Harvard Guide to Using Sources and Using Sources, Five Scenarios and Using Sources, Five Examples.  

Harvard’s policy on Academic Integrity (http://www.extension.harvard.edu/exams-grades-policies/student-responsibilities) will be strictly adhered to in this class. Please take particular note of the sections on plagiarism and submitting duplicate assignments. The Career and Academic Resource Center has an excellent guide on the proper use of sources including two short online tutorials.  See: http://www.extension.harvard.edu/resources/career-academic-resource-center/plagiarism-proper-use-sources. 

The Harvard Guide to Using Sources (http://usingsources.fas.harvard.edu/icb/icb.do) is also an excellent resource. All violations of academic integrity will mean a failing grade on that assignment and may be reported to University authorities.

THIS SYLLABUS IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE.