Thesis Proposal Preparation

Catalog description

This is a one-credit course that introduces students to Departmental expectations regarding the Thesis Proposal and provides rigorous training in proposal-writing. Drawing heavily from the presentation in the course textbook, Writing Science by Joshua Schimel, students will practice devising, developing, and proposing three new ideas for astronomical research over the course of the academic term. Classroom activity will consist of a mixture of short lecture-discussions and focused peer-editing sessions; homework will consist of readings and writing assignments. While the course will assist students in developing their thesis proposals, its topics are general enough to be useful for any proposal. Students taking Pre-Dissertation Research in their fifth semester are required to register for this course, while students in their fourth and fifth years who have not yet defended their thesis proposals are strongly encouraged to join them. This course should not change the total number of credits for which students are expected to register in a semester