Northeastern State University

College of Liberal Arts

Spring 2008 syllabus for

COMM 4993 Capstone Experience

(last updated 08.20.08)

Instructor: Amy Aldridge Sanford, PhD         

Office:  351 SH (Tahlequah Campus)                Ext.:  3608

E-mail: aldridga@nsuok.edu (This is the best way to contact me)        

Office Hours:  See Contact Info on webpage.

Facebook:  Amy Aldridge Sanford

Required Text:

Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (APA). (5th ed.)(2001). American Psychological Association. ISBN:  1557987912.

Catalogue Description of Course:

The student will design and complete a major project related to his/her option.  Required of all majors. 

Pre-requisites:

Completion of 90 hours, including at least 30 in the major and approval of the faculty committee.

Schedule:

If I agree to be your capstone adviser, you will be required to meet with me weekly until further notice.  Additionally, this is the progress I will expect you to achieve in order to finish the research project within the semester: 

Week	Progress
1	Meet with Amy.  Discuss what you would like to do for a research project with her.  You need to propose original research.  It can be either qualitative or quantitative.
2	Read journal articles about your idea(s).  Know specifically what you want to do when you see Amy this week.
3	Send in your IRB paperwork (It will need to include your research instrument, your research questions, and Amy will need to sign the paperwork); start writing your literature review (LR)
4	Begin the research once you have the OK from Amy and the IRB (Keep notes about how you conduct the research—You will need it for the methodology section of the paper)
5	Continue writing the LR and doing the research (Amy suggests giving yourself at least 4 weeks to gather data)
6	Continue writing the LR and doing the research
7	Continue writing the LR and doing the research
8	Continue writing the LR and doing the research
9	Write up your methodology, research results, discussion, limitation, and conclusion/future research
10	Write up your methodology, research results, discussion, limitation, and conclusion/future research
11	Have other people edit your paper, especially for grammar and mechanics.  We do have a writing lab in Seminary Hall.
12	If you have completed everything, go ahead and get your paper to Amy early.  If not, work to have it to her by next week.
13	Final paper is due to Amy.  The paper can be submitted electronically to Amy’s email address.  The sooner you give the paper to Amy the more time you have to correct edits.

Suggested structure for the final paper:

Cover Page

Introduction

Literature Review (This will probably be the longest part of your paper)

Methodology

Research Results

Discussion

Limitations

Conclusion/Future Research

References

Grading:

You will earn an “A” if the literature review is incredibly thorough, includes multiple journal sources and the research appears to make a nice contribution to the existing scholarly community.  The RQ(s) need to be mature, well thought out, and related to the discipline of communication.  An “A” paper will not include any grammar or mechanical errors and will follow APA style thoroughly.  Students who make an “A” will be at all of their weekly appointments with Amy.

A “B” paper is similar to an “A” paper but has a less thorough LR, which may include less credible sources than journal articles.  The RQ(s) should be related to communication but are less mature than that of an “A” paper.  “B” papers will have grammar and mechanical errors and may miss on APA style.  The methodology, research results, and discussion will not be as well developed as an “A” paper.  Students who make a “B” may miss an appointment or two with Amy.

A “C” paper is very average work and may be missing some of the final paper components outlined above.  However, they will have a developed LR and RQ(s).  Their papers have multiple grammar, mechanical, and stylistic errors.  These “C” students may have missed appointments with Amy.

A student making a “D” has done less than “C” or average work.

Students who have done no work at all will earn an “F.”

In some cases an “I” or “Incomplete” can be given to a student when they have begun their capstone project but have not been able to complete it satisfactorily within the span of a semester’s time.  This is left to the discretion of the professor.

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