Fall 2016 Presidential Honors Scholars Sophomore Seminar (SCHOL-UA 20-001) College of Arts and Sciences, New York University Wednesdays, 6:20-7:35, Silver 907 Professor S.J. Pearce Department of Spanish and Portuguese 13-19 University Place, rm. 425
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CAS Advisors: Academic Resource Center 18 Washington Pl.
Tess Rankin (Graduate Assistant) Department of Spanish and Portuguese
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Devon Pryor
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Tyrell Davis
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Seminar Description. Students will learn interdisciplinary research skills through careful reading and discussion of literary and historical texts that present and represent themes of religious conflict and coexistence between Jews, Christians and Muslims in Spain, from the Middle Ages through the modern day. In this context, students will explore and analyze the diversity of religious and cultural expressions that helped to create unity and diversity within Spanish society. This seminar is particularly well suited for students who are interested in the ways in which members of different religious groups negotiate and transgress social and cultural boundaries between them. During the fall semester, you will consider your past and future as a researcher, identify a mentor who shares your research interests, gain practice in challenging the received wisdom of earlier generations of scholars, and prepare to travel to Spain by learning about the ways in with Jews, Christians, and Muslims have interacted there over time. During the spring you will work on developing a research proposal in consultation with your faculty mentor. The end goal of the seminar is for each student to apply for either a DURF or FAST grant; if your application is successful you will receive funding from the College of Arts and Sciences that will enable you to pursue your research project or academic training course.
Goals and Requirements. Over the course of the seminar, students will: • Write an intellectual autobiography (Fall) • Identify a mentor for their research projects and future honors theses (Fall) • Develop skills in assessing and reviewing primary and secondary source materials (Fall and Spring) • Craft a research proposal and apply for funding (Spring) • Apply seminar or research themes in practice through participation in community service (Fall and Spring) • Learn about the multi-confessional history of Spain to enrich the travel experience and to develop skills for critical analysis (Fall and Spring) Nota bene: The research proposal, community service, scholars’ lectures, and regular attendance at and active participation in the bi-weekly scholars’ seminar are the basic requirements of the program. Failure to complete any of these may result in a failing grade. Required Books Umberto Eco. How to Write a Thesis. Cambridge: The MIT Press, 2015 reprint. Miguel Cervantes. Don Quixote, trans. Edith Grossman. Marvine Howe. Al-Andalus Rediscovered: Iberia’s New Muslims. New York: Columbia UP, 2012. María Rosa Menocal. The Ornament of the World. One book of your choice from the “further reading” list Very Strongly Suggested Optional Book María Rosa Menocal. The Arts of Intimacy: Christians, Jews, and Muslims in the Making of Castilian Culture. New Haven: Yale UP, 2009. Further Reading Matthew Carr. Blood and Faith. New York: The New Press, 2009. Robert Irwin. The Alhambra. Cambridge: Harvard UP, 2011. Cullen Murphy. God’s Jury. New York: Mariner Books, 2013. F.E. Peters. The Voice, the Word, the Books. Princeton: UP, 2007. Natalie Zemon Davis. Trickster Travels. New York: FSG, 2007.
Fall Semester Schedule of Meetings, Readings, and Assignments Meeting 1 (9/21): Introduction. Basic expectations. Jews, Christians, and Muslims in Medieval Spain. Mandatory cultural activity (10/1): Spanish breakfast and a visit to the Cloisters. à Meet at 284 Mulberry St. at 10am. Before our visit to the Cloisters, you should follow the link below and watch the video you will find there; it explains how a church from Spain came to be located in a park in New York City and the home of a museum of medieval art: http://www .metmuseum.org/metmedia/video/collections/med/fuentiduena-apse Meeting 2 (10/5): Research Expectations. The Medieval University and the Modern University. Guest lecture: Dean Georgina Dopico To read before class: The Ornament of the World, pp. 253-265 required; 1-100 optional. Don Quixote, Part I prologue, chapters 1-9 required; Part II chapters 54-63 optional, chapters 72-74 required. Meeting 3 (10/19): Intellectual Autobiography. Academic mentors. To read before class: Judah ibn Tibbon’s letter to his son (PDF). The Ornament of the World, pp. 112-129, 158-173. How to write a Thesis, pp. 9-44. Meeting 4 (11/2): Movie screening and discussion, details TBA. To read before class: How To Write a Thesis, pp. 45-62. To turn in: Intellectual autobiography. ààThis class session will run slightly longer than our normal meeting time. Students are expected to attend and to remain for the entire screening. A Spanish supper will be served. Optional cultural activity (11/11): A visit to the Metropolitan Museum. Meeting 5 (11/16): Working with Secondary Sources. Writing Book Reviews. Questioning Authority. Presentation: Dean Joel Ward and the Student Research Ambassadors To read before class: Al-Andalus Rediscovered. How to Write a Thesis, ch. 3. To turn in: Mentor meeting report Meeting 6 (11/30): Preparing to Travel. To read before class: Your free-choice from the suggested readings list To turn in: Review of your free-choice book Suggested reading before travel: The Arts of Intimacy Additional important dates and activities: TBA: Mandatory pre-travel plenary meeting 12/15: Lecture write-ups and community service reports due 1/8-1/15: Trip to Madrid
Spring Semester Schedule of Readings and Assignments Meeting 1 (2/1): Travel Debriefing. Introduction to Research Proposal Project. Working with Secondary Sources. Meeting 2 (2/15): Cultural Activity: Carmen. For more information on the opera we will be seeing, the Metropolitan Opera web site is a good resource: http://www.metopera.org/Discover/Synopses/Carmen/ à We will meet at 6:45 in front of Lincoln Center. (ACBD to Columbus Circle/59th St. or 1 to Lincoln Center/66th St.) Your attendance at this activity for its duration is required; it will run longer than our normal seminar time. Failure to attend the whole performance will count as an absence and will result in being required to reimburse the scholars’ program for the cost of your ticket. Meeting 3 (3/1): Working With Primary Sources. To read before class: TBA To turn in: Annotated bibliography. Meeting 4 (3/22): Peer Critique. Letters of Recommendation/Support. To read before class: TBA To turn in: Two copies of your research proposal. à In order to be able to participate in the peer critique workshop that will be held during our seminar meeting this week, you must bring two hard copies of your draft to the seminar meeting. à Don’t forget to submit your DURF or FAST proposal at http://www.nyu.edu/cas/DURF by 3/31. Meeting 5 (4/5): Presentations in a Round Robin. To turn in: Final draft of your research proposal. Meeting 6 (4/19): Presentations in a Mini-Plenary. Additional important dates: 3/31: DURF and FAST grant deadlines 5/2: Lecture write-ups and community service reports due 5/2: CAS Sophomore Scholars’ plenary session.
Research Proposal Project Overview and Schedule Sophomore Scholars Madrid Cohort, Spring 2017
The Dean’s Undergraduate Research Fund makes many types of grants to support undergraduate research. Applying for a DURF grant at some point during your college career is a requirement of the sophomore scholars program, and you may apply more than once. Over the course of the spring semester, you will build upon the research skills that we began developing in the fall to write a proposal for a grant that will fund your research project or research training. You will apply for either a DURF individual grant or a FAST grant. A DURF Individual Grant is designed for any student who has a specific research project in mind. A FAST grant is specifically designed for freshmen and sophomores to learn fundamental research skills ahead of pursuing their own specific research project. In consultation with your research mentor you should decide which type of DURF grant is best suited to your research goals and needs. You should share your work with your research mentor at each step of the way. He or she will be able to give you field-specific advice and feedback. This assignment sheet explains the requirements and deadlines for writing your grant proposal.
Annotated Bibliography. Due 3/1. An annotated bibliography is, for the most part, like a regular bibliography: A list of sources that you will use in developing, supporting, and writing about your research. The one main difference is that an annotated bibliography also includes a paragraph that describes the contents of the source, analyzes it, and explains its relevance for the project at hand. The questions that guided your book review assignment in the fall are also good guidelines for what should be addressed in your annotation: What is the overall purpose of the book? What is the author’s thesis? With what general problems or concepts does the work engage? What kinds of evidence does the author use? Are you convinced by the author’s argument? If so, why? If not, why not? Who do you think might benefit from reading this book? What are your own reactions to and considered opinions about the book? And, most importantly: How does this source relate specifically to your research project? You may also wish to consult the guides compiled by the Cornell University Library on how to write an annotated bibliography (http://guides.library.cornell.edu/annotatedbibliography) and how to analyze a source (http://guides.library.cornell.edu/criticallyanalyzing). In your bibliography, you should include 10 sources, with 4 of them annotated.
At this phase of the research proposal, you might wish to speak with your mentor about narrowing down the topic of your research. You could also ask him or her for one or two bibliography suggestions to get you started as well as about the appropriate balance of primary and secondary sources for your field.
Proposal First Draft. Two copies due 3/22. If you are applying for a DURF individual grant, you will need respond to the following questions/prompts in your proposal: • •
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Clearly articulate the specific goals of the project. (250 words) Provide sufficient background to contextualize your question or problem. An educated, non-expert reader should be able to understand your topic. Be sure to explain and describe the significance of this research: How is it unique? Why is it important? What will it contribute to the field? Include references to other work in the field. (600 words) Describe the methodological approach you will employ to carry out your proposed research. (600 words) Describe your timeline for completing this research, including the projects start and end dates and the estimated number of hours per week dedicated to the work. (150 words) How is your project relevant to your academic interests and goals? (150 words) Describe your relationship with your project mentor. How did you identify your project mentor? In what capacity did you work with your mentor in developing your training project? How will you work with your faculty mentor on this project? How often will you meet? (200 words) Itemize each anticipated expense associated with your project. Indicate specific costs and provide explanations and rationale. (600 words)
If you are applying for a FAST grant, you will need to respond to the following questions/prompts in your proposal: • • •
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Clearly articulate the specific training goals of the project. (150 words) Describe how you will carry out your proposed training project. (250 words) Describe your timeline for completing this training, including the projects start and end dates and the estimated number of hours per week dedicated to the work. (250 words) Describe the significance of this training. What will it contribute to your understanding of your field? How is it relevant to your academic interests and goals? (250 words) Describe your relationship with your project mentor. How did you identify your project mentor? In what capacity did you work with your mentor in developing your
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training project? How will you work with your faculty mentor on this project? How often will you meet? (200 words) Itemize each anticipated expense associated with your project. Indicate specific costs and provide explanations and rationale. (200 words)
The best proposals will seek to answer specific questions rather than discussing broad topics. Before you write your proposal draft, you should consult with your research mentor about identifying a broad topic and narrowing down a specific research question within that topic.
Proposal Second Draft. You will not hand in a second draft in our seminar; however, after you have edited your proposal based on the feedback that you will have received from your peers in the peer critique workshop, you should submit a draft to your research mentor and ask politely if he or she would read and critique your revised draft. Your DURF or FAST proposal requires a letter of support from your research mentor; a letter of support is like a letter of recommendation for a research project. Sharing your proposal with that member of faculty will allow her or him to write a detailed and supportive letter that will help the DURF committee. This should not be the first time that you discuss your research project with your mentor. He or she should be familiar with your research process and progress. This will help you to write a good proposal and your mentor to write a complete and accurate letter of support.
Proposal Final Draft. Due in by email to Professor Pearce AND via the DURF portal (http://www.nyu.edu/cas/DURF) on 3/31. After revising your proposal based on the feedback you will have received from your peers and faculty mentor, submit one copy of your final proposal in seminar and upload it to the DURF portal for evaluation by the DURF committee in your discipline.
Round Robin Presentations. 4/5. During the round robin presentations, we will break into small groups based on broad discipline (humanities, social sciences, hard sciences) for five-minute presentations of each student’s research. Using scoring cards similar to those that will be used by the judges in the CAS plenary session in may, each small group will elect a winner to present to the whole seminar.
Mini-Plenary Presentations. 4/19. During our final regular seminar meeting, the author of the winning presentation chosen by each group will have the opportunity to present his or her research to the whole group during a festive mini-plenary that will feature a surprise snack. The second round presentations will be a bit longer, 10 minutes each, and should feature a handout or powerpoint presentation. Using the same score cards, the staff will elect the winning presentation, which will then be presented at the CAS-wide plenary for recognition, more feedback on your work, and a chance to win a gift card.
