BA Seminar: Contemporary Topics on Culture and Politics 4219-ZS036
The main goal of this course is to allow the student to continue the research process that started in the previous semester. At the end of the semester, the student is expected to present the final draft of a thesis (BA paper).
The BA paper is an academic project that the student develops independently. In that project, students explore issues, topic, events, processes from the vast field of American studies.
The development of this project follows research guidelines of academic disciplines such as sociology, political science, history, anthropology, and law. In this way, the thesis will be drafted following research methodologies.
In this course, students use data, methodologies, and conceptual frameworks to identify, investigate, analyze, and interpret facts, phenomena, and processes related to American Studies. In particular, data analysis will rely on techniques such as interviews, surveys, ethnographic observations (field work), textual analysis, documentary analysis; visual analysis, policy analysis and/or online analysis.
At the end of the semester, to be approved, a BA paper must include the following elements: a research problem, a claim, reasons for choosing the topic, a goal and scope of the thesis, basic research methods, a table of contents, and a bibliography.
Finally, the thesis must be follow an academic style of writing. The length of the thesis is about 25 pages or at least 7500 words; it should include no less than ten academic sources and the references should follow the rules of the Chicago Manual of Style.
Type of course
obligatory courses
Course coordinators
Learning outcomes
KNOWLEDGE:
Upon completing this course, the student will:
- Have an in-depth knowledge of a selected topic within the scope of the seminar, concerning the culture and politics of the United States.
- Understand key methods, terms, and theories related to research on culture and politics in the USA.
- Grasp the complexity of research on US culture, its connections with politics and social phenomena, and the interdisciplinary nature of American studies research.
- Know and comprehend basic concepts and principles related to industrial property protection and copyright law, primarily concerning plagiarism and academic ethics.
SKILLS:
Upon completing this course, the student will:
- Be able to utilize theoretical and methodological approaches to elucidate issues related to the seminar topic.
- Gather data, select information sources, interpret information, and draw conclusions.
- Prepare and deliver presentations and speeches in English, as well as written papers on the selected topic within the scope of the seminar.
- Develop research projects related to the culture and politics of the USA.
SOCIAL COMPETENCES:
Upon completing this course, the student will:
- Critically evaluate content regarding US culture and politics conveyed by media and other environments.
- Apply acquired interdisciplinary knowledge in the field of US culture and politics to formulate their own opinions.
Assessment criteria
The main requirement to pass the course is to write a BA paper no shorter than 25 pages (a minimum of 7500 words) by the end of semester. Both, the process of elaboration (research, literature review, and write-up) and the final manuscript will be assessed. Students are expected to periodically submit drafts as proofs of progress. Students will work under the supervision of the instructor throughout the semester.
Bibliography
Key Texts
Booth, Wayne C., Gregory G. Colomb, and Joseph M. Williams. 1995. The craft of research. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
Knopf, Jeffrey W. “Doing a Literature Review.” PS: Political Science & Politics 39, no. 1 (2006): 127–32. doi:10.1017/S1049096506060264.
Patil, Shridhar. 2020. Research Methodology in Social Sciences. New Delhi: NIPA
Additional Sources
Sage Research Methods. 2022. Project Planner. Research Stages. Sage Publishing. Available at: https://methods.sagepub.com/project-planner
Redman, Peter and Maples, Wendy. 2020. Good Essay Writing: A Social Science Guide. Sage Publishing. Available at: https://study.sagepub.com/redmanandmaples5/student-resources/chapter-10/referencing-dos-and-don%E2%80%99ts
Additional information
Additional information (registration calendar, class conductors, localization and schedules of classes), might be available in the USOSweb system: