Assignment for 11/29: Below
is a list of thesis, dissertation and fellowship proposals done by
Geography graduate students. Read one or several
of these. Focus on the structure and organization of
the proposal, and the kinds of information about the project that
is included.
Master's thesis proposals:
Jeff Peters on bank retreat in Cottonwood Creek, Utah
Tom Minckley on modern pollen rain in the Pacific Northwest
Jeff Baldwin on tourist landscapes in Antigua
Doctoral fellowship proposals:
Suzanne Fouty on stream response to grazing and beavers in the
Intermountain West
Becky Mansfield on global economic integration in fisheries
Nancy Leeper on NGOs and democratization in Macedonia
Sarah Shafer on potential vegetation change in response to global
warming
Eve Vogel on Watershed-based conservation planning in the Columbia
River basin
If you have time, look at one or both of the following
readings. Locke and others is aimed primarily at social
scientists, and Friedland and Folt is aimed primarily at natural
scientists, but both are worth reading. If you don't get to
these this week, be sure to read them early next term as you begin
to write your proposal.
Locke, Lawrence F., and others, 1993. Proposals That
Work, a Guide for Planning Dissertations and Grant Proposals,
3rd ed., Ch. 1 "The Function of the Proposal," p. 1-24.
Knight Ref Q180.55 .P7 L63 1993. Ch. 5 "Preparation of
Proposals for Qualitative Research: Different Assumptions" is
also useful reading for those of you planning to take primarily a
qualitative approach.
Friedland, Andrew J., and Folt, Carol L., 2000. Writing
Successful Science Proposals. New Haven: Yale University
Press. Sci Ref Q180.55 .P7 F75 2000. Read
Ch. 3 and 4, p. 29-52 to start. This is a short book, so you may
be able to read the whole book.
Class meeting: We will discuss the form of a
thesis/dissertation proposal, and the hallmarks of a good
proposal. |
