International Commerce and Policy Program
Capstone
Project
|
|
|
|
ITRN
795 |
Prof.
Tom Blau |
Revised October 10, 2002
|
Capstone
schedules for: |
Spring
2002 |
Summer
2002 |
Fall
2002 |
Fall
2003 |
Spring
2004 |
|
|
Capstone
papers for: |
Spring
2003 |
Fall
2003 |
Spring
2004 |
The Capstone
project is a way of putting much of what you have learned together in a
satisfying final project or thesis. The Capstone project is also is a path
to explore something of particular interest to you. The Capstone project also
can be a launching platform to new responsibilities in your current job. And it also can be a way of developing new
expertise that you use to help in jumping to something new. Capstone projects are an investment in
your own human capital and a way to showcase your hard-won knowledge and
skills.
Capstone papers can
be done for zero, one, two or three credits, depending on your situation.
If you have any questions about this, please the Student Service office.
Much of our
coordination and administration can be done electronically. I am, however, happy to meet, if you wish.
Please don’t hesitate to contact me. E-mail is easiest (mailto:), but you can also phone me at (202)
685-2261.
Please note that
the more demanding you are of yourself early in this process, the easier will
be the really hard work at the end. We
have two broad goals: First, for you to
produce a product that will make you proud and will advance your career by
offering tangible proof of your ability to carve out a slice of intellectual
turf and make it your own. Second, for
you to work no harder on this project than is necessary. Therefore, the sooner we focus and the more
we write simply and clearly, the closer we will come to achieving these
goals.
Guidelines
The formal ICP
guidelines for the paper are located at http://icp.gmu.edu/academic.d.html
. Please look at them carefully. I have a few comments about the
requirements which may help you.
Proposal outline format
Project outlines must have all the following
elements:
I. Topic, subject, or research question
II. Connection to ICP
program
III. Contact information
IV. Expected source
materials to be used: initial bibliography or sources that you will start
from
§
Survey and
broadly describe the literature. This
question is related to the question of originality, above
Relevance
to ICP program
"The project should draw on insights gained, skills developed, and
knowledge acquired in the program."
This important requirement
keeps our attention within the teaching and research domain of the ICP
program. You need to think intently,
creatively and aggressively about what you have studied in the ICP program, and
how to apply those studies to your project.
You need to explain which of your courses were relevant to your topic,
and how.
Type of project
"It may be a research paper, a review article, a business plan, an
electronic product or any other agreed-upon deliverable. It must be original.
It must also be rigorously conducted and professionally produced, and meet high
academic and/or business standards."
Capstone projects can be flexible. Traditional
papers are the best vehicles to demonstrate your capacity to address important
scientific and governmental issues and integrate them into something new. It also might be possible for you to submit
a non-traditional project such as a review article, a business plan, or
something of equivalent weight. For example, given the importance of
the Web, it might be an interesting and useful exercise to delve into Web
design. The university has resources that can help with new electronic
forms of communication, for example the WebSTAR office on the Fairfax
campus. The challenge to you, however,
still remains – to show that what you’re doing is filling a gap in our
understanding of a policy issue. So, I
repeat: Traditional papers generally are the easiest for you to do and the most
effective in displaying your expertise in the future.
Most importantly, this is a work of analysis. You must be cool, dispassionate, and in
control of your subject, meaning that you have read and understood everything
relevant. Try to make the best argument
on all sides of your issue.
The Capstone should minimize description. You also should provide a review of the
literature insofar as it is relevant to your question, and no more. You should not re-write other’s work or history. Your readers will be unhappy that you have
told them what they already know or can find out themselves. They will not give you credit for more than
typing, at best. Avoid, for example,
writing a history of China’s development or of multilateral trade negotiations
since the late 1940s UNLESS YOU HAVE NEW MATERIAL TO ADD TO OUR UNDERSTANDING
OF THESE SUBJECTS, perhaps based on new sources you have found. Otherwise, pull out from the sources what is
immediately relevant and use it, and footnote the rest for the interested
reader to pursue without you.
You can, however, use the sources more if your paper
explicitly addresses the sources, that is, if it is a review of the literature
on some question.
As a work of analysis, the paper should be able to
identify THEORY and theoretical issues that are relevant, and then test them
according to you CASE. As you study
something like how the response to AIDS in a particular country, or regional
competition in space, or whatever: WHAT
IS THIS A CASE OF? What larger, broader
issues does this case suggest, both politically and analytically? And here we come full circle again with the
question of what is the relevant literature and what is original in this paper.
Quality standards
The main thing is that the substance be solid, and
that the quality be high. A new cover sheet on an old term paper is
not acceptable.
SPP expects you to use the most appropriate, high
quality materials available to support your work. This means significant
reliance on the published literature, including established journals and
scholarly literature, much of which is accessible through specialized indexes
through the University Library (http://library.gmu.edu
). To get you started on using these resources, go to: http://mason.gmu.edu/%7Etlaporte/firstnudge.html
You can use on the press (meaning better newspapers
like the Washington Post, New York Times, Wall Street Journal (and its regional
offshoots), Far Eastern Economic Review, Financial Times, The Economist, Le
Monde, Figaro, Die Welt, Die Zeit, and others for good records of events,
explanations that will help understand your subject, and some documents. You can use the popular press (lesser
newspapers, Time, Newsweek, Business Week, etc.) as barometers of popular
thinking (wrong or right). You need the
established journals and scholarly literature to find out what is the state of
analytic thinking on your subject, what are the theoretical arguments. Remember to ask yourself, what is my topic a
case of? What larger, more
general issue or analytic problem does it fit into?
Subject matter
"Students will select the topic and medium of their project in
consultation with the capstone coordinator."
Choose a topic that will
stretch your capabilities, but that also is manageable. Please prepare a
project proposal in as much detail as you can. Specificity and
concreteness is good. Carve out some
intellectual turf for yourself.
Grandiose topics, about which there are a billion opinions and very
little verifiable knowledge, are bad.
An outline such as the
Proposed outline format below, is a good way to help get your thoughts
organized, initially (and is required).
Please include it as a table in 10-page and 20page drafts. Unless you have something better, please use
the following:
|
I. INTRO /
OUTLINE |
II.
ANALYSIS (heart of the paper) |
III.
CONCLUSION |
|
A) “The question that this paper asks is, ___________.” The answer is, yes (or no). |
A) Break down the Question into more manageable,
component sub-questions |
A) Re-cap
the Question |
|
B)
Justification (why this work was worth my time and now, yours); for
example, what is this subject a case of? |
B)
Identify and explain theoretical background and issue |
B) Re-cap
data analysis |
|
C)
Described approach / method |
C)
Characterize and identify key indicators out of the data sources: How
do I tell something is or is not the case? |
C)
Summarize results (data analysis seen in light of Question) |
|
D) Characterize sources, in terms of the relevant
theoretical question: What is the state of the debate in the expert
literature, to which I will contribute? |
D) Record
and analyze data |
D)
Conclusion (answering Question) |
|
D) Preview
conclusion |
E) Compare
data to theory |
E)
Recommendations --For science / scholarship --For policy |
Project
originality and relevance to ICP program, reemphasized
"Students should attest to the projects originality and
manageability, and cite its relationship to specific courses taken in the
program."
Project proposals should be
something unique, which reflects a gap in the field. You should find stimulation in your interests, ambitions and
experience. Nevertheless, that’s your business. All readers assume that researchers have personal motives for
working in a field. But unless the
reader is you mother, they don’t care.
What they care is how you are satisfying their interests,
ambitions and experience. Therefore,
you must think hard about justifying this work to your readers. Remember that practically no reader knows as
much about your subject as you do; therefore, assume reader ignorance. Remember also that you are competing for the
reader’s attention.
Please remember that it very
difficult to be original unless you have read what already is out there. If you want to be original, read other people’s
work, first.
Work developed for other
purposes and that is only marginally related to ICP issues will not work.
Also, in developing your proposals, be sure to connect your topic or approach
to the ICP program and courses. This is a capstone project, after all.
Supervision and advisors
"Students will receive general supervision from a faculty member
with related research interests."
You should find someone on
the School of Public Policy faculty ( http://policy.gmu.edu/fac/f-bio.htm
) to advise you specifically on the substance of your paper.
Use the Capstone as an opportunity to network into
organizations or agencies that can help provide both information, research
assistance, and contacts for employment and the like. Also, an outside advisor can help both with the paper, and as
you figure out where you are heading after graduation. If you aim to use the
paper to jumpstart a new career path, then you should take advantage of their
expertise in helping you put together the best paper you can. The final
product can then serve as an example of your work, ideally tailored to the
situation you are shooting for.
Style (“format”)
"The format (style) of the finished product will depend on the nature
of the project itself. For instance, research papers should not exceed forty
double-spaced pages (including notes and bibliography). Specific guidelines for
each project will be developed in consultation with the faculty supervisor and
capstone coordinator."
The format or style of a
research paper can be in any consistent and logical system, of which there are
many. You must chose one style system. Diane Hacker's A Writer's Reference, is a popular,
concise guide to writing papers that includes the three principal styles, MLA,
Chicago and APA. The Arlington Campus bookstore keeps it, and you may
find it at any good bookstore. The University Writing Center's
"Online Style Guides" (http://writingcenter.gmu.edu/resources/onlinestyleguides.html
) is also a good starting place to learn about these.
A paper must be double-spaced on regular white
paper, 1 inch margins, 12 point type. There must be a title page, an
abstract or summary, footnotes, and a bibliography.
For those who are interested in producing a
Web-based project , the main concern is that the level of effort be about
equivalent to a 40-page paper. Links to helpful sources to get you
started are given here: http://mason.gmu.edu/~tlaporte/webhelp02.html
On every page, at least until the final version,
please insert a footer that includes your name, a short version of the draft
title, a date and a page number.
Please identify yourself on every e-mail. Please try to use an e-mail address with
your last name on it; otherwise the faculty has to go hunting for
identification.
Assessment
"The faculty supervisor and capstone coordinator will assess the
projects on a fail/pass/distinction basis."
Capstone projects have in
the past typically been rush jobs at the end of the semester. That grades
are "pass/fail" suggests to some that this is not an important part
of the program. That’s wrong.
This is an opportunity for significant human capital
investment – in you. Because this is the most substantial piece of work
many students will do in the program, it can pull you forward intellectually
and professionally. Doing an excellent job on the capstone will go very
far to securing the attention and approval of your mentors and professors here
in the program, and will impress employers, investors, graduate admissions
committees--maybe even your children, one day.
Then, again, maybe not your children; too tough an audience.
Plagiarism
All work, including rough drafts, must be your own.
Where the work of others is used, even in paraphrased form, it must
appropriately referenced, including (especially!) material taken from on-line
sources. When in doubt, cite! Plagiarism is an Honor Code
violation: http://www.gmu.edu/facstaff/handbook/aD.html
If you have any questions about proper referencing
practice, read the information at: http://www.indiana.edu/~wts/wts/plagiarism.html
, or contact your faculty advisor. See also the Plagiarism Statement
and Resources at http://mason.gmu.edu/~tlaporte/plagiarism.html
You will go on-line to check your paper. See turnitin.com. Details to follow.
Writing
practices
Papers must be well written. Failures of logic, structure, spelling,
punctuation grammer, and syntax invite your reader to not take you
seriously. They count in your grade,
and if there are many, it may not be possible to read your paper until
corrected. The University Writing Center's "Online Grammar
Guides" (http://writingcenter.gmu.edu/esl/gram_punct.html
) can help with the mechanics of paper composition and many other writing
skills.
Please follow the following practices:
a) Write simply and clearly, and your writing
will come out better. Structure your arguments simply and carefully.
Poor logic and organization will make a paper unacceptable. Do not use
the passive voice or adjectives. Avoid
pronouns; it’s better to repeat a name than confuse your reader about to whom
you refer. Learn the difference between
who and whom. Learn the
difference between it’s and its.
b) Know your field: Know the sources.
This will make your argument much stronger and believeable. It also
signals to others that you know the terrain.
Do not put yourself in a position where someone can surprise you with
some knowledge or source basic to your field that you missed. Think how you’d feel if your auto mechanic
spent time trying to put water into an air-cooled engine, or your physician in
treating your sore neck forgot about your circulatory system.
c) Limit descriptions and use of descriptive
work. Emphasize analysis and analytic
sources, unless you are describing something for the first time, based on
your observations.
d) Limit use of material taken from the Internet.
The Net has lots of interesting and pertinent information, but is also
notorious for being inaccurate and incomplete. High quality work is
nearly always also published in peer-reviewed journal or published by reputable
publishers. Total reliance on the Net will make you miss masses of
relevant material.
e) Use the Library resources to help you with
your research. The scholarly and public policy literature is the best
place to begin your effort. If you need help using the Library,
contact one of the friendly librarians. You should also check this link
to see some of your options: http://mason.gmu.edu/%7Etlaporte/firstnudge.html
If you would like help with the writing process,
please contact the University Writing Center ( http://writingcenter.gmu.edu) , and
your faculty advisor.
Examples of Capstone papers
All capstone papers will be posted on the Capstone
website, http://mason.gmu.edu/%7Etlaporte/papersS02.html
. This is to provide students with a vehicle to communicate with their
colleagues, peers and friends. They may help give an idea of what level
of effort, and what type of work has been successful in the past.
Schedule
The schedule below is important;
violating it makes it very difficult for you to complete the Capstone during
the semester. It also puts you at the
back of the line for support. It is a
very long line. Professors are happiest
when you help them do their job of helping you; at least don't put obstacles in
their way.
January 22: introduction and research
issues.
February 1: submit supervisor name,
contact information, and approved one-page project proposal to capstone
coordinator
February 7: submit working
bibliography, references, list of interviewees, or other research
materials. You can revise all this as
your work proceeds.
March 14: submit 10 pages of rough draft version of project to coordinator
(can be revised, of course). This
draft must be approved BY YOUR SUPERVISOR.
Please ask your supervisor to forward it to the coordinator by e-mail. All work must be your own--take care not to
plagiarize!
April 4: submit 20 pages of rough
draft version of project to both supervisor and coordinator. This draft must be
approved BY YOUR SUPERVISOR. Please ask
your supervisor to forward it to the coordinator by e-mail.
May 2: submit final product to
capstone to both supervisor and coordinator, in paper and electronic
formats
Students should do as much as
they can as soon as they can; avoid the rush at the end.