What is a Sophomore Research Seminar? (SRS)

The goal of the Sophomore Research Seminars—small courses, capped at 20, in the sophomore year—is to help students learn research and writing skills. Like the First-Year Preceptorial courses, this will be done through content-rich courses designed by instructors from throughout the college.

• No prerequisites can be required for any SRS.

• An SRS cannot be double counted to fulfill any other Gen Ed requirement.

• An SRS may be taught in the fall, winter, and spring.

• An SRS may NOT count toward a major (policy revised May, 2007)

The sophomore research seminar is intended to be a course focusing on learning research methods, as well as a WAC foundational course following the Preceptorial. As a result, faculty teaching the seminars will need to integrate the teaching of content with instruction and guidance in research and writing. The Gen Ed Board (or a subcommittee) plans to provide resources to sophomore seminar instructors as they design and teach courses integrating skills with content.

Each sophomore seminar will require students to write a research paper of 12-18 pages. Other shorter writing assignments may be assigned as well. Instructors must provide instruction and guidance in planning and writing the research paper. Students in the Seminars should learn basic research skills, including, but not limited to, how to frame a research question, construct an argument, create a thesis, identify and analyze secondary and (depending on the discipline) primary sources, use online and other resources in the library, and draw conclusions. A librarian will collaborate with the instructor to provide advice and support throughout the course in helping students locate and evaluate primary and secondary resources relevant to the topic of the Seminar.  This will include formal as well as informal group and individual instruction. 

Proposal: The Gen Ed Board will review seminar proposals to see how you plan to integrate key research and writing skills within the topics covered in your course. Ideally, the proposal will indicate the following:

• A brief description of the content of the course

• Specific research and writing skills to be discussed;

• Plans for integrating skills with content (e.g., timing, books or handouts, etc)

The writing component should include

• A sequence of at least 3 written assignments for the research paper with intervening instructor (or instructor-guided) review and student revision. This sequence could include, but is not limited to, a proposal, a statement of the thesis or research question, an outline, an annotated bibliography, an introductory chapter or literature review, or a rough draft before the final version.