thesis workshop: 

syllabus

description : 

A workshop for 4th term students to help them more specifically define their thesis work through a set of two projects. Projects include developing research questions, a bibliography, making, and critique.

course structure : 

There are two 5 week projects plus a requirement to create a website that tracks your progress and ideas.

Thesis website
Create a website to track your thesis progress and ideas. A blog is a perfect format, but you are welcome to create your own approach. Each week you will post and present the work you have done so far.

Project 1
Come up with a five-week project to begin your thesis research and brainstorming. Set specific goals, develop research questions, and a plan of action for the next 5 weeks. Your deliverables for this project must include a solid bibliography, examples of prior work, visual responses to your research (e.g. mappings of ideas, posters, charts, etc.), and designed artifacts that explore the terrain of your thesis area. Bring 3 potential directions to the week 02 critique.

Project 2
Develop a discrete design project that can be completed in five weeks total. You must follow through with your initial direction, and cannot change course along the way. "Make it work."

Upon completion of Thesis Workshop, the student should be able to:

• Present a clear description of the thesis project, both in long form and in a short "elevator pitch"
• Show a project plan for terms 5 & 6 including research and making projects
• Define the context and unique position for their thesis project
• Demonstrate a thorough knowledge of their thesis area, including a bibliography and relevant prior art

Media Design Graduate Program

grading : 

Grading is determined by attendance & participation (10%), and completion of all assignments - project 1(45%),project 2 (45%)

A grade and corresponding grade points are assigned after the completion of each class.
The grade points are used to determine semester and cumulative grade point averages (cum GPA).
The semester GPA indicates your academic progress for the semester. The cumulative GPA is an average of all semester GPAs and is used to determine scholarship eligibility, status and recommendation for degrees and honors. Please see the Student Handbook for additional guidelines. Faculty members use the following grading system:

ACCD Classroom Code of Conduct

Academic and Creative Honesty

Plagiarism: Plagiarism occurs when another person’s idea, language or image is borrowed or stolen in its entirety and is not properly acknowledged. When presenting written materials, the words of another must be placed within quotation marks and a reference to the source provided. We assume that artists and designers commonly draw on other artists’ work for reference or inspiration or to comment on those artists’ work. We encourage this type of exploration. However, there is a fine line between “drawing inspiration” from a piece and making a literal copy. When a student represents a literal copy of another artist’s work as his or her own, this is considered plagiarism. No student may disclose or exploit the ideas of another without that person’s express written permission.

If it is determined that a violation did take place, the department chair or the Director of Writing shall inform the student about the academic sanction for the policy violation, which can range from a warning, assignment re-do, a grade of “F” for the assignment or a grade of “F” in the course. A further sanction may be to drop the student from the course immediately and/or dismissal or suspension from the College.

Submission of same work in two courses without explicit permission to do so: Presenting all or part of work done for one course in another course requires permission of the instructors of the involved courses.

Unauthorized Collaboration: In many course activities, other than examinations, collaboration is permitted and encouraged. Course syllabi and in-class instructions will usually identify situations where collaboration is prohibited, but the student shares responsibility for ascertaining whether collaboration is permitted.

Cheating: This is a very broad category encompassing a variety of forms of misrepresentation and fraud. Cheating is defined as accepting or giving aid to another during a written exam or for a written report unless authorized by the instructor, or accepting or giving aid to another for an individual studio project unless authorized by the instructor. This includes representing another person’s work as one’s own, or buying or selling written or visual work to be turned in for a class.

Cheating includes dependence on sources other than those specifically authorized by the instructor; possession of tests or other materials before such materials have been distributed by the instructor, unless prior permission is granted; failing to abide by the instructions of the instructor with respect to test-taking procedures. Examples include sharing exam answers, presenting work done by another as one’s own, changing in any way work which may be reviewed in response to a grade reconsideration request, having a falsely identified person take an exam, or using notes, books and the like in closed-book examinations.

Policy Against Harassment

The College is committed to providing a safe environment for teaching and learning. All of us must work together to maintain an environment that is free of unlawful discrimination and/or harassment. In keeping with this commitment, the College maintains a strict policy prohibiting unlawful harassment on campus, including sexual harassment and harassment based on race, sex, gender, color, national origin, age, ancestry, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, physical or mental disability, medical condition, pregnancy, or any other characteristic protected by law. Harassment of another individual or group, by any student or employee (including faculty and staff), or by any third parties, such as vendors or visitors, is strictly prohibited.

If you have any questions about what constitutes harassing behavior, please bring such questions to the attention of Tracy Poon Tambascia (Dean of Students and Vice President of Student Affairs) or any other senior member of the administration or faculty.

Please see the Student Handbook for additional guidelines on the above.
           

Accommodations for Students with Disabilities

Students who have a documented disability must meet with the Disability Services Coordinator, Shane Hart (ext. 2323), to review the documentation and discuss required accommodations BEFORE they are implemented in the classroom. Please do not request extra time on an assignment or exam, testing in a separate environment or any other accommodation without written communication from the Disability Services Coordinator to your instructor that such accommodations are appropriate. Centralizing the accommodations approval process insures consistency and fairness for all students with documented disabilities and removes the faculty from the position of having to verify difficult and often sensitive disability issues.

The full Disability Policy can be found at http://www.artcenter.edu/accd/students/disability/disability.jsp

all materials on this web site © copyright 2009, Philip van Allen