The informal statement can be very straightforward. It's a simple statement of . . .
"Here's what I'm interested in doing. . . .
Here's why I'm interested in that. . . .
Here's what I think will be useful for that project. . . .
This means that you should include three or four references to materials and activities (such as interviewing someone . . .) that you think would be helpful to your in working on your project. (No, you do not have to do an interview, that's just one possibility.)
If you include a reference to a source on the web, be sure to give its full reference (not just the URL). For a web page your full reference should look something like this (include as much of this material as is available for the site[s] you are looking at):
For this assignment you may turn in the sources information any way you like -- except that if you are using a web site include the name of the web site (and author, if it has an author) in addition to the URL. (That is, do not just cite the URL.)
"I'm thinking about doing a project on X or Y, but can't make up my mind.
Here's what I'm interested in, and why. . . .
Here are some things that look like they might be useful for the project. . . .
This means that you should include three or four references to materials and activities (such as interviewing someone . . .) that you think would be helpful to your in working on your project. (No, you do not have to do an interview, that's just one possibility.)
If you include a reference to a source on the web, be sure to give its full reference (not just the URL). For a web page your full reference should look something like this (include as much of this material as is available for the site[s] you are looking at):
A more formal statement (a "Promissory Abstract") of what you eventually decide upon isn't due for another two weeks.
s2019 The MA Case Study is due no later than the end of Week 13, Saturday, 20 April 2019
AVISO: Late Case Study papers will not be accepted unless (1) arrangements for an alternate date have been arranged in advance, or (2) medical emergencies or similar extraordinary unexpected circumstances make it unfeasible to turn in the assignment by the announced due date.
Your task is to describe and analyze one or more individuals related to Ancient Middle American Studies. Note that the "Unit of Analysis" is the individual. For more information see the Units of Analysis materials of Week 1 (slides: .pptx).
For suggestions of individuals, see list below. You may instead choose your own person(s). If you choose two or more persons, you should compare and contrast them. See details below.
This particular proposal can be fairly simple, including . . .
a basic statement of the person or persons you are interested in writing about
include a statement about why you are interested in the topic(s)
three or four sources (or more) that you think might be helpful in researching the person(s)
It may be more elaborate if you wish.
More details are below . . .
Problem Statement / Proposal,"UMD Sociology-Anthropology Writing Guide"
The informal statement can be very straightforward. It's a simple statement of . . .
"Here's what I'm interested in doing. . . .
Here's why I'm interested in that. . . .
Here's what I think will be useful for that project. . . .
This means that you should include three or four references to materials and activities (such as interviewing someone . . .) that you think would be helpful to your in working on your project. (No, you do not have to do an interview, that's just one possibility.)
If you include a reference to a source on the web, be sure to give its full reference (not just the URL). For a web page your full reference should look something like this (include as much of this material as is available for the site[s] you are looking at):
For this assignment you may turn in the sources information any way you like -- except that if you are using a web site include the name of the web site (and author, if it has an author) in addition to the URL. (That is, do not just cite the URL.)
"I'm thinking about doing a project on X or Y, but can't make up my mind.
Here's what I'm interested in, and why. . . .
Here are some things that look like they might be useful for the project. . . .
This means that you should include three or four references to materials and activities (such as interviewing someone . . .) that you think would be helpful to your in working on your project. (No, you do not have to do an interview, that's just one possibility.)
If you include a reference to a source on the web, be sure to give its full reference (not just the URL). For a web page your full reference should look something like this (include as much of this material as is available for the site[s] you are looking at):
The informal statement can be very straightforward. It's a simple statement of . . .
"Here's what I'm interested in doing. . . .
Here's why I'm interested in that. . . .
Here's what I think will be useful for that project. . . .
This means that you should include three or four references to materials and activities (such as interviewing someone . . .) that you think would be helpful to your in working on your project. (No, you do not have to do an interview, that's just one possibility.)
If you include a reference to a source on the web, be sure to give its full reference (not just the URL). For a web page your full reference should look something like this (include as much of this material as is available for the site[s] you are looking at):
For this assignment you may turn in the sources information any way you like -- except that if you are using a web site include the name of the web site (and author, if it has an author) in addition to the URL. (That is, do not just cite the URL.)
"I'm thinking about doing a project on X or Y, but can't make up my mind.
Here's what I'm interested in, and why. . . .
Here are some things that look like they might be useful for the project. . . .
This means that you should include three or four references to materials and activities (such as interviewing someone . . .) that you think would be helpful to your in working on your project. (No, you do not have to do an interview, that's just one possibility.)
If you include a reference to a source on the web, be sure to give its full reference (not just the URL). For a web page your full reference should look something like this (include as much of this material as is available for the site[s] you are looking at):
A more formal statement (a "Promissory Abstract") of what you eventually decide upon isn't due for another two weeks.
NOTE: Try to work an analytical section into your paper.
Audience: Classmates
Purpose: To get started thinking about . . .
the person(s) you might want to look at for your Ancient Middle American Case Study
how you might want to go about doing that
what sources you might use
Style:
for both the Proposal Statement, informal
for the Term Paper, academic
Format: This proposal statement can be in informal format, but if you use a formal format, use any standard format and citation convention (APA, MLA, Turabian-Chicago . . . ). Don't make up one of your own. and citation convention (APA, MLA, Turabian-Chicago . . . )
doublespaced
with one-inch margins all around
with body type font 11 or 12
illustrations, tables, figures, diagrams . . . may be included, but must be properly placed and cited
The Writers' Workshop offers free one-to-one writing support to all members of UMD's campus community. Sessions are held synchronously online or in-person with a graduate student or faculty consultant. Feel free to bring any writing project at any stage in the writing process. To make an appointment, visit d.umn.edu/writwork or stop by the Workshop’s front desk located on the second floor of Martin Library and visit with Jill Jenson and her staff.
Students in this class have permission to see a Writers’ Workshop consultant for assistance on exams, and all written projects.
Tutoring Center
The Tutoring Center on the second floor of Martin Library offers free tutoring sessions for this course. Your tutor will be a high-achieving student trained to assist you. To learn more about the Tutoring Center, find the tutor(s) qualified for this subject area, or reserve a time with a tutor, please visit the Tutoring Center website. The tutors look forward to working with you!
Research Help is a service where librarians provide guidance, support, and instruction on how to find and use information. You can meet with a librarian when you’re not sure how to get started with a research project, when you’ve hit a wall in your research, or your usual process isn’t working. You can chat with a librarian 24/7, schedule an appointment with a subject librarian, email, or drop-in during the day.
The informal statement can be very straightforward. It's a simple statement of . . .
"Here's what I'm interested in doing. . . .
Here's why I'm interested in that. . . .
Here's what I think will be useful for that project. . . .
This means that you should include three or four references to materials and activities (such as interviewing someone . . .) that you think would be helpful to your in working on your project. (No, you do not have to do an interview, that's just one possibility.)
If you include a reference to a source on the web, be sure to give its full reference (not just the URL). For a web page your full reference should look something like this (include as much of this material as is available for the site[s] you are looking at):
For this assignment you may turn in the sources information any way you like -- except that if you are using a web site include the name of the web site (and author, if it has an author) in addition to the URL. (That is, do not just cite the URL.)
"I'm thinking about doing a project on X or Y, but can't make up my mind.
Here's what I'm interested in, and why. . . .
Here are some things that look like they might be useful for the project. . . .
This means that you should include three or four references to materials and activities (such as interviewing someone . . .) that you think would be helpful to your in working on your project. (No, you do not have to do an interview, that's just one possibility.)
If you include a reference to a source on the web, be sure to give its full reference (not just the URL). For a web page your full reference should look something like this (include as much of this material as is available for the site[s] you are looking at):
Format: This proposal statement can be in informal format, but if you use a formal format, use any standard format and citation convention (APA, MLA, Turabian-Chicago . . . ). Don't make up one of your own. and citation convention (APA, MLA, Turabian-Chicago . . . )
doublespaced
with one-inch margins all around
with body type font 11 or 12
illustrations, tables, figures, diagrams . . . may be included, but must be properly placed and cited
Ancient Cultures of Middle America
Case Study Paper on a "Middle American Personality" [100 points = 8.3 % of the final grade
s2019 The MA Case Study is due no later than the end of Week 13, Saturday, 20 April 2019
AVISO: Late Case Study papers will not be accepted unless (1) arrangements for an alternate date have been arranged in advance, or (2) medical emergencies or similar extraordinary unexpected circumstances make it unfeasible to turn in the assignment by the announced due date.
AVISO: Late Case Study papers will not be accepted unless (1) arrangements for an alternate date have been arranged in advance, or (2) medical emergencies or similar extraordinary unexpected circumstances make it unfeasible to turn in the assignment by the announced due date.
name your paper something likeYourUMDid_MA_case_study
Papers must follow a college writing handbook such as Andrea Lunsford’s The St. Martin's Handbook, 6th Ed., (NY: St. Martin’s, 2008), or the on-line site (the Purdue Online Writing Lab), or the Paradigm Online Writing Assistant.
For your footnotes, "bibliography" ("Works Cited" or "References"), and other matters like that, use either the APA (American Psychological Association) citation style, the MLA (Modern Language Association) style, the CMS (Chicago) style, or the CBE (Council of Biology Editors) style. Don't make up your own.
Below is a list of suggested individuals. You may select a person (or persons) not on this list. Or you may compare someone on the list with someone not on the list.
Your task is to describe and analyze one or more individuals related to Ancient Middle American Studies. Note that the "Unit of Analysis" is the individual. For more information see the Units of Analysis materials of Week 1 (slides: .pptx).
You may instead choose your own person(s). If you choose two or more persons, you should compare and contrast them.
or . . .
If you select two of the following individuals, compare /contrast them
that is describe how they are alike, and how they are different
(If you want something with more of an archaeological theme, try "The Texepan Man" -- who was actually a 20-30 year-old woman)
Diego Rivera, and his mural depictions of Ancient Mesoamerica and The Conquest
A contemporary person (late 20th century-early 21st century) having a close connection with Ancient Middle American or Ancient Mesoamerican Studies . . .
It is fine for you to begin a project by consulting with Wikipedia (and similar on-line sources of encyclopaedic-type information) but you should be aware that the Wikipedia entries are open-source and are not checked and verified in the same manner as other reference materials.
And sometimes the entries are confusing (have a look at "Macedonia," for example).
And Wikipedia, should you use it, should only be a starting point.
For a college research paper you should also have a look at other references, either traditional materials from the library, or on-line materials from sources like UMD E-Journal Locator, JSTOR, etc., or books and manuscripts On-Line. That is to say Wikipedia and the other reference-type sources listed should not be your only source of information. And you must add your own evaluations, comparisons, development, criticisms, critiques, and the like to any reference materials used. Simply cutting and pasting information from sources is not sufficient to satisfy the requirements of either a required or extra-credit research paper.
Your paper should reflect a synthesis and evaluation of materials researched.
Hint: When you do a search on an item that has more than one word, like "Aztec calendar," use the "Advanced Search" option
use the "phrase" option on the search engine -- otherwise it will search out everything with "Aztec" and everything with "calendar," and the list of "hits" could get quite large
For this Case Study -- and all of the Case Studies -- you may also use traditional library materials, and, where appropriate, interviews and videotapes
Use theMAforum to discuss your paper with others in the class
Use of AI-content generators for assignments in this class
When I taught Advanced Writing for the Social Sciences here at UMD, for over twenty-five years, my rule of thumb advice to students was to plan to spend 60% or more of their time and effort revising drafts (for academic type writing).
In 2001 Wikipedia appeared on the scene and very quickly became a useful tool asa starting point for many academic projects even though as an open-source resource the Wikipedia entries are not checked and verified in the same manner as other traditional reference materials.
Spelling and grammar checkers arrived on the general scene and helped with spelling and grammar checking, but, as you no doubt have discovered, they continue to require human editing.
And, of course, before that we had a selection of excellent Encyclopedia offering good starting points for many projects, the most popular being The Encyclopedia Brittanica.
And long before that there were libraries--since at least the days of Alexandria in Egypt, in the third century B.C.
The bottom line . . .
Today the evolution of research resources and aids continues with the relatively rapid appearance of ChatGPT and other automated content generators.
As many folks have already found out, they can be very useful as starting points, much like their predecessors. But, from the academic point of view, they are still only starting points.
Professors nationwide are for the most part advised, and even encouraged, to experiment with the potentials of ChatGPT and similar apps.
In this class it is fine to experiment, with the caveat that all of your written academic work demonstrates that your personal efforts—including content development and revision—reflect your personal originality, exploration, analysis, explanation, integrating and synthesizing of ideas, organizational skills, evaluation, and overall learning and critical thinking efforts.
That is to say you may experiment with the AI tool to do tasks such as e.g, brainstorming, narrowing topics, writing first drafts, editing text, and the like. AI-generated works should in no case be more than that.
In the end you need to become familiar enough with the various subjects, peoples, and places discussed in this class to research a topic and problem-solve on your own, and carry on an intelligent conversation about them in modern-day society . . . a conversation that goes byond your voicing an unsupported opinion.
For the record, what follows is the official UMD Academic Integrity Policy. Note that "unless otherwise noted by the faculty
member" this is the default policy.
"UMD’s Academic Integrity policy covers any work done by automated content generators such as ChatGPT or other generative artificial intelligence tools unless otherwise noted by the faculty
member. These tools present new challenges and opportunities."
"Within the confines of this
class The use of AI-content generators is strictly prohibited for any stage of homework/assignment
(e.g., draft or final product). The primary purposes of college are developing your thinking skills,
being creative with ideas, and expanding your understanding on a wide variety of topics. Using
these content generating AI tools thwarts the goal of homework/assignments to provide
students opportunities to achieve these purposes. Please make the most of this time that you
have committed to a college education and learn these skills now, so that you can employ them
throughout your life." -- Jennifer Mencl, UMD Associate Vice Chancellor, Academic Affairs, 10 May 2023
. "Academic dishonesty
tarnishes UMD's reputation and discredits the accomplishments of
students. UMD is committed to providing students every possible
opportunity to grow in mind and spirit. This pledge can only be
redeemed in an environment of trust, honesty, and fairness. As a
result, academic dishonesty is regarded as a serious offense by all
members of the academic community. In keeping with this ideal, this
course will adhere to UMD's Student Academic Integrity Policy, which
can be found at [http://www.d.umn.edu/conduct/integrity/Academic_Integrity_Policy.htm].
This policy sanctions students engaging in academic dishonesty with
penalties up to and including expulsion from the university for repeat
offenders."
— UMD Educational Policy Committee, Jill Jensen, Chair
(08/16/2007)
The instructor will enforce and students are expected to follow the University's Student Conduct Code [http://www1.umn.edu/regents/policies/academic/Student_Conduct_Code.html].
Appropriate classroom conduct promotes an environment of academic
achievement and integrity. Disruptive classroom behavior that
substantially or repeatedly interrupts either the instructor's ability
to teach, or student learning, is prohibited. Disruptive behavior
includes inappropriate use of technology in the classroom. Examples
include ringing cell phones, text-messaging, watching videos, playing
computer games, doing email, or surfing the Internet on your computer
instead of note-taking or other instructor-sanctioned activities."
— UMD Educational Policy Committee, Jill Jensen, Chair
(08/16/2007)
Failure to comply with the above
codes and standards when submitting an Extra Credit paper will result in
a penalty commensurate with the lapse, up to and including an F final grade for the course, and, at a minimum, a reduction in total
points no fewer than the points available for the Extra Credit project.
The penalty will not simply be a zero for the project, and the
incident will be reported to the UMD Academic Integrity Officer in the
Office of Student and Community Standards.
A Note on "Cutting and Pasting" without the Use of Quotation Marks (EVEN IF you have a citation to the source somewhere in your paper)
If you use others' words and/or works you MUST so indicate that with the use of quotation marks. Failure to use quotation marks to indicate that the materials are not of your authorship constitutes plagiarism—even if you have a citation to the source elsewhere in your paper/work.
Patterned failure to so indicate that the materials are not of your own authorship will result in an F grade for the course.
Other instances of improper attribution will result in a 0 (zero) for the assignment (or a reduction in points equal to the value of an Extra Credit paper), and a reduction of one grade in the final grade of the course.
All incidents will be reported to the UMD Academic Integrity Officer in the
Office of Student and Community Standards as is required by University Policy.
Home Page
for information on how to cite
items from the web 
