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Questions about the Human
Introduction:
The USS is designed to facilitate a process of intellectual inquiry leading students to identify and pursue good and feasible research directions, the end result of which is the formulation of an individual research proposal. Specifically, it aims to help students (1) identify potential questions, (2) turn potential questions into research questions, and (3) turn research questions into research proposals. In other words, it reinforces skills learnt in Writing and Critical Thinking, further developing them by getting students to apply them in an independent-learning environment.
To achieve this, USS is structured as a year long series of talks revolving around a broad theme. This means that the module runs from Semester 2 AY2011-12 through to the end of Semester 1 AY2012-13.
The module is organized in four sections:
Section One: Substantive Talks (semester one: 5 weeks)
Researchers from a variety of disciplines present the substance of their research and how it might speak to the theme. This can be a breakthrough they have made, or hope they are about to make, a topic they are intrigued by, a puzzle they are struggling with, etc. The aim of the talk is to excite students with the possibility of discovery and to stir ideas in them.
Section Two: Reflections on Research Experience (semester one: 5 weeks)
Researchers from a variety of disciplines speak about their own experience of research. Although this might touch upon the long haul of arriving at an answer and preparing it for publication, the main focus is the discovery of a puzzle and the formulation of a question from that. The aims of the talk are to enable students to understand how research questions emerge and to give them some inkling of the nature of research work.
Section Three: Methodology (semester two: five weeks)
The emphasis of this section is on the application of a methodology that is appropriate to the specific question at hand. The five talks cover: elements of a research proposal, literature searches, textual evidence, surveys, and experiments.
Section Four: Consultations (semester two: five weeks)
Students will two individual consultations with their instructors to discuss and refine their research proposals.
Schedule:
The module begins in Semester 2 AY2011-12 with a series of 10 talks starting from Week 3 (Wed, 25th Jan). Seminars will be held every Wednesday, 7-9pm, Town Plaza, Global Learning Room.
Semester 1 AY2012-13 will consist of a total of 5 talks with the rest of the semester devoted to student-tutor consultations.
Students are required to attend ALL talks as well has BOTH their individual consultations
Assessment:
The module must be taken S/U. There are three elements of assessment:
Attendance and Participation
Students are required to attend ALL talks as well has BOTH their individual consultations. Any absence must be properly explained.
Learning Diary
In the first semester of the module, students keep a learning diary. This has a minimum of seven entries, each between 300 and 400 words. Five or six of the entries must respond to USS talks, and one or two respond to something from the student's own independent reading. Each entry (1) summarizes its subject in one or two sentences, (2) critically considers strengths and weaknesses of its subject's scope, approach or argument, and (3) briefly suggests possibilities for further work. Where appropriate, later entries should cross-reference their reflections to those of earlier entries. The diary is to be submitted at the end of the Semester 2 AY2010-11.
Research Proposal
The research proposal is a modified version of the NUS Research Grant Fund application form used by NUS faculty to apply for grants for their research projects. The proposal must include a research problem/question; an explanation of the significance of question and of the likely answer; an account of the current state of knowledge in the field; a description and justification of methodology; and an estimate of time, equipment, manpower and costs. It should also show an appropriate sense of audience. This is due at the end of Semester 1 AY2011-2012
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