Prescott College Master of Arts Program

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Prescott CollegeMaster of Arts Program
Writing a Study Plan in AE, ED, ES, HU

• Priscilla Stuckey, PhD
• Humanities

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Writing a Study Plan

• Welcome!
• We suggest you read completely through this
  slideshow one time before beginning work on your
  study plan.

3
As you prepare your study plan, here are some
things to keep in mind.
The MAP Study Plan

• You are responsible for your own educational
  path.
• The MAP study plan is your road map supporting
  your individualized program of study.
• What you write here will become the first draft
  of your study plan.
• Soon you will be matched with a Graduate
  Advisor, who will provide feedback on your plan.
• Your study plan is flexible and will be refined
  as you move forward in your program.

4
A study plan is made up of 3 components.

• Theory

Practicum
Thesis
5
Or perhaps they should be arranged like this
Thesis
Practicum

• Theory

6
2 legs, theory and practicum, supporting the
thesis.
Thesis
Practicum

• Theory

7
The study plan as a whole will add up to at least
40 credit hours
Thesis
Practicum

• Theory

40 minimum
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With these credit requirements
Thesis 12
Practicum 6-15

• Theory

9
Leaving the rest of the credits for theory.
Thesis
Practicum

• Theory 13-22

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If you bring a strong theoretical background to
your program and you need more practical
experience in your field, the balance of your
credit hours might look like this.
Thesis 12
Practicum 12-15

• Theory 13-15

40 min.
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The rest of this slideshow is based on the common
scenario of building theoretical knowledge while
completing only 6 hours of practicum.
Thesis 12
Practicum 6

• Theory 22

40 min.
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Typically a program of study begins with theory

• Theory

Practicum
Thesis
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But it may begin with practicum and theory
together.

• Theory

Thesis
Practicum
14
In any case, both theory and practicum feed into
and support the thesis
Thesis
Practicum

• Theory

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Making the thesis a central feature of the
program.
Thesis
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You may not yet know your exact thesis question
?
What do I want to find out
Thesis
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But you do know your topic and interests.
K-12 Education
Sustainable business
Thesis
Feminist theory
Water policy
Wilderness guide training
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How do you shape your interests
K-12 Education
Sustainable business
Thesis
Feminist theory
Water policy
Wilderness guide training
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Into a coherent plan of study?
Thesis
Practicum

• Theory

20
Remember, your Graduate Advisor will provide
guidance.What you are writing here is a first
draft to clarify your own thinking.
You
Study Plan
Theory
Practicum
Thesis

• Graduate Advisor

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Lets look at the components of a study plan one
by one.

• Theory 22 hrs

Practicum 6 hrs
Thesis 12 hrs
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A good study plan balances breadth and depth in a
theoretical field

• Theory 22 hrs

Breadth Depth
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Broad enough to cover the topic or field, deep
enough to say something meaningful in a thesis.
(Remember, theory is intended to prepare you to
write your thesis.)

• Theory 22 hrs

Breadth Depth
Thesis
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Within theory, 3 credit hours (min.) are devoted
to research methods in your field.

• Theory 22 hrs

3 hrs research methods
Thesis
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Also, 3 credit hours are devoted to a cohort
foundations course called Modes of Inquiry, taken
during your first semester.

• Theory 22 hrs

3 research methods
3 Modes of Inquiry cohort foundations course
Thesis
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Together they add up to 4 credits because the
Modes of Inquiry course satisfies 2 out of 3
required credits in research methods. (You will
schedule 1 more hour of research methods later in
your program.)

• Theory 22 hrs

3 Modes of Inquiry cohort foundations course
- 2 research methods
1 additional research methods
Thesis
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This leaves about 18 hours to fill with
theory-based coursework in your field.

• Theory 22 hrs

18 credits in theory coursework
Thesis
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As you think about writing your courses, two
questions might occur to you.

• Theory 22 hrs

• How do I write good courses?
• How do I assign credit hours?

Thesis
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Lets take the easy one first. For now, assign
each course 3 credit hours. (You can always
change it later.)

• Theory 22 hrs

• How do I assign credit hours?

Thesis
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A 3-credit course translates roughly into 20-25
actual hours of work per week for 3 weeks.

• Theory 22 hrs

• How do I assign credit hours?

Thesis
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To fill 18 theory credit hours (after 4 required
credits), you will want to plan about 6 theory
courses.

• Theory 22 hrs

• 1. Foundations in (3 hrs)
• 2.
• 3.
• 4.
• 5.
• 6.

Thesis
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How do you write good courses?

• Theory 22 hrs

• 1. Foundations in (3 hrs)
• 2.
• 3.
• 4.
• 5.
• 6.

Thesis
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Remember the balance of breadth and depth.

• Theory 22 hrs

Breadth Depth
Thesis
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Think about the social and ecological impacts of
your studies and your work, and build this
awareness throughout your courses.

• Theory 22 hrs

Social and ecological literacies
Thesis
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What are social and ecological literacies?
From the Prescott College mission
statement Students are encouraged to think
critically and act ethically with sensitivity to
both the human community and the biosphere. . . .
For more on social and ecological literacies, see
this page in the handbook http//www.prescott.ed
u/students/map/handbook/process/SEL.html
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To choose appropriate courses, do some online
research. Here are three ideas well look at
each.

• Theory 22 hrs

• Existing accredited programs in your field
• Google Scholar scholar.google.com
• Syllabi

Thesis
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Find existing accredited M.A. programs in your
topic or field. Note the mix of courses
recommended in their curricula.

• Theory 22 hrs

• Existing accredited programs in your field

Thesis
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Do appropriate keyword searches in Google Scholar
to locate books and articles related to your
topic. (At orientation you will gain access to
several comprehensive databases of scholarly
research. For now, use Google Scholar.)

• Theory 22 hrs

• Google Scholar scholar.google.com

Thesis
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Find relevant syllabi from standard graduate
courses in your field or topic. Notice which
texts are recommended repeatedly.

• Theory 22 hrs

• Syllabi

Thesis
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Six courses are not very many into which to build
both breadth and depth. Plan carefully.

• Theory 22 hrs

• 1. Foundations in (3 hrs)
• 2.
• 3.
• 4.
• 5.
• 6.

Thesis
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For each course, write a paragraph of course
descriptionwhat the course will cover and what
you hope to learn.

• Theory 22 hrs

• Foundations in (3 hrs)
• In this course, I will

Thesis
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Add 2 or 3 major texts you suggest using in the
course. Remember, your Graduate Advisor will give
input, and your reading list will expand. For
now, list a few you think would be appropriate.

• Theory 22 hrs

• Foundations in Feminist Thought (3 hrs)
• In this course, I will
• Texts
• Hawkesworth, M. E. Feminist Inquiry.
  Piscataway, NJ Rutgers Univ. Press, 2006.

Thesis
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List the texts in the scholarly style used in
your field (for example, Chicago Manual of Style,
MLA, APA, CSE, SAA, etc.).

• Theory 22 hrs

• Foundations in Feminist Thought (3 hrs)
• In this course, the student will
• Texts
• Hawkesworth, M. E. Feminist Inquiry.
  Piscataway, NJ Rutgers Univ. Press, 2006.

Thesis
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To find the scholarly style used in your field,
look in journals in your field.This example is
from Chicago Manual of Style, often used in
humanities.

• Theory 22 hrs

• Foundations in Feminist Thought (3 hrs)
• In this course, the student will
• Texts
• Hawkesworth, M. E. Feminist Inquiry.
  Piscataway, NJ Rutgers Univ. Press, 2006.

Thesis
45
In most fields, the majority of your texts should
be published by academic presses. (Again, your
Graduate Advisor will provide further guidance on
sources in your field.)

• Theory 22 hrs

• Foundations in Feminist Thought (3 hrs)
• In this course, the student will
• Texts
• Hawkesworth, M. E. Feminist Inquiry.
  Piscataway, NJ Rutgers Univ. Press, 2006.

Thesis
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Now that youve added all these components, lets
move on

• Theory 22 hrs

Modes of Inquiry 1 more research methods credit
hour Social ecological literacies 6 theory
content courses
Thesis
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to the practicum.The practicum is where you
put into practice the theory you are learning.
Practicum 6 hrs
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Praxis, the application of theory, also shapes
theory. Your practicum will affect how you think
about your thesis topic.
Practicum 6 hrs
Thesis
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As you think about a practicum, here are some
questions to consider.

• What kind of work would I like to do after my
  degree?
• What practicum will help prepare me for that
  work?
• What type of praxis will help me refine my
  thinking about my thesis topic?

Practicum 6 hrs
Thesis
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Write a brief paragraph proposing an idea or two
for a practicum.
I propose an internship at a nonprofit working
with
Practicum 6 hrs
Thesis
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Finally we come to the thesis.

• Theory

Practicum
Thesis 12 hrs
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Write a brief paragraph explaining your current
thinking on your thesis topic. Assume that your
ideas will develop and be refined as you move
forward in your program.

• Theory

Practicum
Thesis 12 hrs
For my thesis, I plan to
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When you have completed a draft of your study
plan, ask yourself Did I incorporate social and
ecological literacies throughout my program of
study?

• Theory

Practicum
Thesis
Social Ecological Literacies
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Now your study plan draft is ready to be shared
with your Graduate Advisor. Congratulations!

• Theory

Practicum
Thesis
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After consulting with your Graduate Advisor, you
can decide in what order to arrange your courses.
Each semester, you will prepare a study plan for
that semester. Entering students separate their
study plan into two parts.

• Study Plan for First Semester

Study Plan for Graduate Study as a Whole
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Here are some further guidelines as you consider
how to arrange your courses.

• A full-time semester is 12-15 credits.
• First-semester students may register for a
  maximum of 12 credits.
• Part-time enrollment is 6-11 credits.
• You must register for at least 6 credits each
  semester.

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For sample study plans, see this page in the MAP
handbook http//prescott.edu/students/map/handboo
k/process/StudyPlanSamples.html
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Your study plan is a work in progress.You can
expect to fine-tune it as you move forward in
your program.Enjoy!
MAP Study Plan

• Theory

Practicum
Thesis