This advanced research seminar offers students the opportunity to conduct culminating work in Society, Culture and Thought (SCT) in the form of an independent research project. For most students, this will be a one-semester project. For other students, this will be the first half of a year-long project that involves fieldwork, archival research, and/or the collection of data. For all students, however, the process in these fourteen weeks is very similar, if not exactly the same: all students must conduct a detailed review of the scholarly literature that informs their inquiry and must begin to situate themselves within that scholarly conversation as an independent voice.
We will begin the course by reflecting on the nature of SCT-related disciplines (Anthropology, Environmental Studies, History, Philosophy, Political Economy, Politics, Psychology, Social Psychology), and what it means to conduct individual research in these various disciplines. Aside from shared readings, students will be largely focused on research and readings directly related to their individual projects. Writing will take place throughout the term, and students will receive feedback from the instructor, from classmates, and from a second-reader on the SCT faculty. Individual work in progress will be discussed and workshopped in class.
Learning Outcomes:
Students will fully engage Bennington's core capacities (Inquire, Research, Create, Engage, and Communicate), by learning how to:
1. Articulate a clear research question or problem and formulate hypotheses or expected results.
2. Identify an appropriate research methodology to their question and field, and carry out the research.
3. Survey the existing body of knowledge in their field and explain how their project contributes to the existing literature.
4. Communicate their research to others in the field and to broader audiences through writing and presentations.
5. Reflect on their social position as a researcher and their status as insider/outsider in the researched topic/community.
Delivery Method: Remotely accessible
Prerequisites: Permission of instructor.
Course Level: 4000-level
Credits: 4
T 2:10PM - 5:50PM (Full-term)
Maximum Enrollment: 45
Course Frequency: Once a year
Categories: All courses , Remotely Accessible , SCT
Tags: SCT , seminar , senior work