Syllabus (F'14)

DIGM 680: Thesis Development

Fall Term 2014-2015

Meeting Time: Wednesdays 12:00 pm – 02:50 pm, URBN Center 202

Instructors: Prof. Paul Diefenbach & Prof. Stefan Rank [stefan.rank (AT) drexel.edu]

Office Hours: by appointment

Course Description

The distinguishing mark of graduate research is an original contribution to knowledge. The thesis is a formal document whose sole purpose is to prove that you have made an original contribution to knowledge. To this end, your thesis must show two important things:

• • You have identified a worthwhile problem or question which has not been previously answered,

  • You have solved the problem or answered the question.

The main purpose of this course is to guide you through the master thesis development process. A significant part of the class will focus on gaining a general understanding of reasoning and how the scientific and/or creative process is properly applied to research related to the DIGM program as well as the Drexel co-op approach to higher education.

Learning Objectives

• • You will explore fundamental approaches to scientific reasoning and relate them to your own as well as your colleagues’ Master's Thesis work.

  • You will analyze the different types of research questions in the DIGM field.

  • You will progress in the development of your Master's Thesis and complete your thesis proposal.

Format

Regular classroom sessions will consist of two parts:

• • Discussion of a reading assignment OR Presentation of a thesis analysis (30 minutes):

  • For four sessions you will have to read a section from the course textbooks.

  • In three sessions, a group of students will present an analysis of a completed thesis in Digital Media with subsequent discussion (15 minutes presentation + 15 minutes discussion); the presentation is expected to cover the type of the thesis and its structure, a very brief overview of the content and, most importantly, a founded critique of why and how the thesis adequately fulfills its purpose, or why it doesn't.

  • Individual Master Thesis progress reports and discussions (120 minutes):

  • In each session, you are required to present your progress to the class and provide feedback to your peer's work. At one point during the term, every student will have an opportunity for a dry-run of their proposal presentation.

Texts:

• [Chalmers 1999] A.F.Chalmers: “What is this thing called science?”, Hackett Publishing Company, 3rd edition, 1999.

• [Booth et al. 2008] W.C. Booth, G.G. Colomb, J.M. Williams: "The Craft of Research", University of Chicago Press, 3rd edition, 2008.

Thesis Analysis Suggestions:

• • Review #1: Balakrishnan, Girish, "Virtual Cinematography: Beyond Big Studio Production" Drexel Univ., 2013. (M.S. in Digital Media)

  • Review #2: Winters, Glenn, "Developing Visual Narrative: Designing Structural Composition Principles to Guide Player’s Attention in Adventure Games" Drexel Univ., 2013. (M.S. in Digital Media)

  • Review #3: Hicks, Cinque, "City of atoms: en-racinating media art and public space in Atlanta" Georgia Tech, 2010. (M.S. in Digital Media)

  • Review #4: Newman, Daniel Joel, "Animating Ancient Ontogeny: Using integrated interpretive visualization to make fossils and the science surrounding them more accessible" Drexel Univ., 2014. (M.S. in Digital Media)

Requirements and Grading Policy

Active attendance of the classroom sessions is required and will count towards your grade. This includes participation in discussions and providing feedback to classmates.

You are expected to attend all classes. Class participation is an important part of your grade. Missing 3 classes may result in automatic failure. If a student must miss class, it is the student's responsibility to contact the instructors the day prior to the missed class. Students will also be responsible for getting missed notes from the other students.

Presentation of a thorough thesis analysis represents another requirement for this class.

The progress towards your thesis is the final element of the grade as evidenced by the selection of topic, advisor and committee, as well as by your proposal itself and the successful proposal presentation.

Grading System

• • Class Participation 25 points

• Thesis Analysis 25 points

  • Thesis Progress 50 points

A+: 100-97, A: 94-96, A-: 90-93, B+: 87-89, B: 84-86, B-: 80-83,

C+: 77-79, C: 74-76, C-: 70-73, D+: 67-69, D: 60-66, F: 0-59

Schedule (may be updated during the term)

Drexel University Code of Conduct

Academic Integrity, Plagiarism, and Cheating Policy

http://drexel.edu/provost/policies/academic_dishonesty.asp

Drexel University Student Handbook

http://drexel.edu/studentaffairs/community_standards/studentHandbook/

Students with Disability Statement

http://drexel.edu/ods/student_reg.html

Course Drop Policy

http://drexel.edu/provost/policies/course_drop.asp

Course Change Policy

The instructor reserves the right to change the course during the term at his or her discretion. These changes will be communicated to students via the syllabus, website announcement, or email.