GauchoSpace
EndnoteWeb handout

Course Description and Requirements

INT 100RS is a 2-unit class that focuses on advanced research techniques in the fields of Religious Studies and Middle East Studies. When the resources for both fields overlap, the students will meet together. For some classes, Meryle Gaston will meet with the Middle East Studies students separately to discuss specific resources and methodologies for that area.

This class will be beneficial to new graduate students, to those who want to learn in-depth research skills, and to students concurrently enrolled in courses requiring significant research. The course emphasizes a systematic approach to a single research topic, and is designed primarily for students who are writing a senior honors thesis, a Master’s thesis or a PhD dissertation. Concurrent enrollment in a course with a research requirement is encouraged.

The course meets on Wednesday afternoons during the weeks when the Religious Studies Department does not have its colloquia. Typically there are 2 colloquia scheduled for fall quarter so this course will meet the other 8 weeks.

This course covers a variety of electronic and print resources in the humanities and social sciences. Students are expected to complete the written assignments and to come to class prepared to discuss assigned readings.

Those interested in taking INT 100RS should have some proficiency in basic library skills, such as using an online library catalog and searching article databases.  Undergraduate students who do not possess these basic skills are strongly encouraged to first take INT 1 (Introduction to Library Research).

Course Objectives

• To learn how to locate research materials for Religious Studies
• To gain an understanding of general research techniques and sources within different disciplines, and to apply this understanding to research in Religious Studies
• To learn research strategies for finding materials from and about the Middle East (for the Middle East Studies students)
• To explore specialized collections and libraries at UCSB
• To develop and utilize a strategy for organizing information resources as one finds them
• To experiment with using technology to create a research support group
• To learn to evaluate critically various types of information on related topics
• To understand the politics governing information

Grading Guide:

Assignments: 5 @ 5% each = 25%
Resource Presentation: 20%
Research journal: 10%
Collections Assessment: 20%
Attendance and Participation: 25%

Requirements:

The five assignments must be turned in on the dates shown on the syllabus. This course progressively develops skills and therefore it is important to complete the assignments sequentially and on time. Often there will be time in class to research.

Resource Presentation
Each student will give one resource presentation. This entails:

• becoming familiar with assigned library resources
• creating a guide (either in print or as a webpage) describing the aspects and functionalities of the resource
• giving a 15 minute demostration of the resource to the class

Research Journal
Successful research is a reflective and iterative process. As you explore new resources, it is helpful to write down exactly what you searched, how you searched, and what the results were. Then you can see patterns and make adjustments for greater success. Taking the time to record this now will make you a more effective researcher later. We each bring different strengths and backgrounds to this class. Giving each other feedback on research strategies provides us all with opportunities for improving our research skills. The class will use space on GauchoSpace (the course management software supported by UCSB) for research journals. This way we can review each other's journals and comment on them in the online environment.

Collections Assessment
This project will require you to use several library catalogs to determine both what UCSB has for you to use and what is missing. It is designed to make you intimately familiar with our holdings and to give you the opportunity to make recommendations for purchase. Much of the work done for the Collections Assessment will also be used in the Final Project.

Attendance and Participation
The Craft of Research, 3rd edition will be placed on reserve in Davidson Library. I do recommend you get your own copy at some point, but I didn't order any for the bookstore so you can just use the one on reserve if you would like. On the syllabus there will be occasional readings from this text as well as other articles that will either be distributed in class or available on e-reserves. We will discuss these both in class and online in Moodle. Attendance and active participation both in-class and online is expected in this course.

No other text is used and several classes incorporate guest speakers or trips to local collections, so attendance at each class is required. One unexcused absence is allowed, after which the student’s grade will be dropped one letter per unexcused absence. It is important to be on time to accommodate presentations by fellow students and guest speakers or me.

During many weeks, the last 20-25 minutes of class will be devoted to research time. Students should be prepared to take advantage of this time to do research with help from the instructors and from each other.

A word about Moodle
Course Management Systems. Some people love them. Some people hate them. Regardless of how we personally feel about them they are part of the future of education. Since you, the students in this class, are going to be educators at some point in your lives, we are going to experiment with Moodle in order to increase your familiarity and comfort level with this technology.