SOAN 453B: SENIOR SEMINAR:
Senior Seminar:  Issues in Contemporary Sociology:
Social Problems in Global-Historical Perspective
WED 2:45-5:15 AL 432
Colgate University
Fall 2004 Professor Thomas Hall
Office:  408 Alumni, x7083, email:  tdhall@mail.colgate.edu
OFFICE HOURS:  Tu 2:45-4; W 1:30-2:30 & 5:20-6, Th 12-1, & by appt
Presenting Your Thesis
Last Updated 9-29-04

Approximate Schedule
Here is how the presentation phase of the term will work:

• Through November prepare draft of your thesis, and if possible tentative conclusions and solutions.
• Submit those to me as soon as possible, no later than the Monday, twelve days after your presentation.  Remember, at this stage it is MORE IMPORTANT to have a very rough draft in on time than to have a more polished one late:
• PRESENTATION                            DRAFT DUE 
  Wednesday November 3                   Friday November 12
  Wednesday November 10                 Friday November 19
  Wednesday November 17                 Friday December 1
   
• Schedule an appointment with me to discuss your draft. Everyone MUST do this once. If you need to, we can meet more than once.
• Schedule an appointment to do follow up on your presentation after you present. Feel free to bring questions and problems to this meeting.  The goal is to help you produce the best possible thesis, NOT to test or "grill" you.
• Use the conference(s), critiques, and your own ideas to revise thesis in final form.

PRESENTATION NIGHT
If we pursue the following procedure everyone's thesis will be improved and we will have a real seminar.

PRESENTATIONS
You may take up to 35 minutes to present your material. I would suggest no more than 5 to10 minutes summarizing your description of the problem, and about 10 minutes elaborating on your thesis:

• What are the causes of this problem?
• How is connected [or not] to global & historical processes?
• How might the problem be "cured," "fixed," or at least ameliorated?
• How do global and/or historical processes curtail or limit ANY local attempts at remedy?
  e.g., the drug trade is composed of a demand problem in the U.S. and a supply problem in the third world. Solving the "drug problem" must necessarily entail addressing both.
• What does the study of your specific social problem contribute to the general understanding of social problems?
• Finish with questions or problems YOU have in writing the thesis. Use the seminar discussion to help you.

Past experience shows me that if everyone works at this, then everyone's thesis gets much better.

Why Present Early?
Almost everyone wants to present later.  They usually say so they can have more time to do a good job, but in reality it is often just procrastination.  However, presenting early has some advantages.  First, you will have more time to make revisions.  Second, the presentation is NOT of a finished product, but midstream, to try it out.  Third, the process of cutting down your material to fit in the allotted time will force you to sharpen your argument, or show you where there problems. Fourth, this is a chance to ask questions, struggle with problems, expose unresolved issues, etc. when it cannot affect your grade.

Because the presentation is "midstream," if is perfectly permissible to say, "I'm stuck on this," or "I need help with this idea," etc.  That is, USE your presentation to help you work on the thesis.

So go early, get a jump on your final draft!

Send comments or questions to tdhall@mail.colgate.edu
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