Course Syllabus

A6790             Thesis 1                        (v. 2025.08.24)

 

Instructor:    

Paul Bentel -- plb19@columbia.edu

Instructor:               

Sarah Sher -- ses2009@columbia.edu 

Time:               Wednesdays, 9 am - 11 am

Location:        Buell 200

 

Office Hours:  By appointment for Instructors.

 

Course Description

HP Thesis 1 is the first half of the two-semester sequence dedicated to HP students’ thesis work. As a group, students will be challenged to think about their thesis topic, the principal questions they hope to answer, the resources and methods of research they intend to pursue as well as the relationship of their work to existing scholarship within the field. The course runs in parallel with the Historic Preservation Program’s overall requirements for thesis milestones, including presentations, written materials, and advisor selection. The cumulative progress and final deliverables for Thesis 1 will provide the foundation for work students are expected to pursue over winter break and through the following semester.

Class format will vary over the course of the semester as the work of the students develops. At the beginning of the semester, we will meet as a single class and collectively review the fundamentals of thesis work, from the articulation of a hypothesis on which the thesis is based to the development of writing tools such as outlines and annotated bibliographies. Toward the end of the semester, we will meet in smaller groups in a workshop format in sessions dedicated to a review of individual student progress.

While students are expected to pursue their own independent research, HP Thesis 1 depends for its success on the common resource of the entire thesis class. The class cohort will also serve as an audience and sounding board for discussions and presentations throughout the term. Each student is expected to participate in discussion and critique of their fellow students’ work, supporting and challenging their peers on questions of relevance, scope, method, and conclusions. Their individual and collective engagement with a range of “works-in-progress” – embracing not only their thesis projects, but also the field itself – will reinforce their understanding of preservation’s theoretical and practical development through active participation in the discursive process by which it unfolds. Active class participation throughout the semester is, therefore, as fundamental a requirement as individual commitment to thesis work.

Students’ thesis work will provide the core material for discussion. At the same time, assignments, readings, and class discussion will reinforce, complement, and build on the thesis process. Over the course of the semester, students will, in concert with the Instructors, also work in increasingly close coordination with students’ individual thesis advisors.

Instructors' Note: We acknowledge that there are discriminatory practices ingrained in the knowledge base, research practices, valuations and even social behaviors common to the field of Historic Preservation. We will encourage and emphasize ways of thinking and acting which are consistent with the GSAPP's Anti-Racism Action Plan.

General Requirements:

Thesis 1 requires:

• regular attendance and active participation in class
• individual meetings with the Instructor and Teaching Assistant (these meetings will take place in lieu of class time)
• a series of written assignments and the final deliverables at the end of the semester (outlined in greater detail below)
• individual presentations to program faculty (for thesis milestone reviews) and to peers (for in-class workshops, incorporating student-led Q&A/discussion sessions)
• Successful completion of the IRB Protocol Submission and Review by the University Institutional Review Board. (Written approval of Student's research plan from IRB is required).
• Attendance at a minimum of (4) HP Lecture Series lectures in the Fall Semester. 

Coordination, Collaboration, and Communication

As noted above, in addition to the requirements for this class, HP Thesis 1 students are required to fulfill HP Program requirements for thesis presentations, written materials, and advisor selection. These program requirements are independent of the course requirements for Thesis 1, but we will track their fulfillment as part of class as well.

While a masters-degree thesis is by definition an independent project, it is not a solitary one, especially in such a collaborative and multidisciplinary field as historic preservation.  Students will work closely with their classmates, the Thesis 1 course instructor and teaching assistant, and their thesis advisors throughout the semester. (Students should begin discussions with potential advisors about their theses as soon as possible. The program office will provide a list of available advisors for the current academic year.) 

Beyond class time and other officially-structured interactions over the course of the thesis year with Thesis 1 instructors, one thesis advisor, and, eventually, two thesis readers, students are also encouraged to speak more informally about their projects with other faculty members and outside experts, and to do so both early and often. In addition, students should select student partners to serve as "scribes" whenever they make presentations, the better to document feedback and discussion.

Overview: Course Content, Structure, and Assignments

Thesis 1 is designed to help students plan and carry out their thesis investigations across the many mutually-informing tasks that comprise long-form independent academic research. Through several iterations, the semester’s work will address the research process across three broad interrelated areas:

• Inquiry Framing focuses on defining a researchable topic, and formulating an appropriate conceptual and organization structure for the project. Elements include:
  • Topic statement (as a hypothesis, question, issue, or problem)
  • Topic description (what is the "object" of your study)
  • Topic background/context
  • Research rationale/statement of relevance and overall project goals
  • Organization of study and project outline
• Research Design focuses on defining specific research objectives, and devising a research methodology to meet them. Those objectives suggest certain key research questions, which in turn point toward a body of data and sources with which to answer them (whether derived from existing published and unpublished materials, or from original work in the laboratory or in the field). The methodology for identifying, acquiring, and analyzing that body of data will guide the research process as it moves forward. Additional tools for this work will include developing the following:
  • Work plan/project timeline
  • Working bibliography (including annotated versions)
  • Literature review
• Content development focuses on documentation, analysis, and synthesis of your research findings, and the development of your argument, conclusions, and potential recommendations. By the end of the semester, progress here and on framing and research design will generate some early draft content.

The semester will be divided into several phases, punctuated by presentations amid a sequence of written assignments. These assignments are configured both to structure and to advance the development of student thesis projects. They emphasize the iterative, mutually-reinforcing processes of project planning, research, analysis, writing, and design, while maximizing opportunities for constructive exchange and feedback along the way.

(See “Course Summary” further below for more information on individual classes and assignments.)

Week 1-2 -- Thesis Topic Proposal Presentation: Present thesis topic proposal to faculty

• Wednesday, September 3: Submit 1-page Topic Synopsis hand-out (See instruction from Program Office on submission requirements) 
• Friday, September 5: Topic Proposal Faculty Review. See instruction from Program Office on format, schedule, location, etc.)
• Wednesday, September 10: Come to class prepared to discuss thesis questions and areas of inquiry implicit in your thesis proposal 

Week 3-7 -- Topic Development: Framing, sources, research design, methods. During this period, meetings will vary between individual conferences with instructors and in class Workshops. Assignments include:

• Tuesday, September 16: Submit Revised Thesis Topic and Working Annotated Bibliography 
• Tuesday, September 23: Submit 1 page Thesis Description and Preliminary Research/Methodology Plan 
• Wednesday, September 24: In-class Presentation of Research Design Matrix 
• Friday, September 26: Submit list of preferred faculty adviser names to HP Office
• Tuesday, September 30: Submit one page Thesis Topic and Preliminary Literature Review
• Friday, October 3: Advisor Confirmed. (Contact Program Office for further information)
• Wednesday, October 8: Literature Review Workshop

Week 8 -- Thesis Proposal Review: Formal Thesis Presentation to HP Faculty.

• Individual conferences with instructors by appointment
• Week of 20 October: Review Thesis Presentation with your Advisor
• Monday, 20 October: Submit Thesis Stipend Budget Request to Program Office
• Wednesday, 22 October: Submit full Thesis Proposal (including revised topic, topic framing and preliminary research plan to Advisor & Thesis 1 faculty
• Thursday, 23 October: Submit Thesis Proposal Presentation Materials including Digital Presentations (See Thesis Guidelines and Schedule for more information.) 
• Submit Thesis Stipend Proposal (Check with Program Office for deadline and requirements)
• Friday, October 24: Thesis Proposal Presentations 

A reminder about your Formal Thesis Presentation: Each student is allocated 5 minutes for presentation of their topic and proposed methodology, followed by 10 minutes for faculty comment. The format is a PowerPoint PDF presentation.

Week 9 -12 -- Thesis Development, Literature Review and Research Formulation: Individual or small group workshop sessions with instructors focused on refinement of thesis goals, Literature Review, research planning and completion of IRB protocol for University Review. In Class IRB Workshop will help students navigate the IRB Research Protocol submission and review process.  Students will also meet individually with instructors. Appointments will be scheduled during and after class time. 

• Friday, October 31: Submit updated Working Thesis Outline to Thesis 1 Instructors, Advisor and Program Office
• Tuesday, 4 November: Submit revised Literature Review
• Wednesday, 5 November: Human Subject Protection and IRB Protocol in-Class Workshop
• Wednesday, 12 November: Last Day to Submit IRB Protocol to Faculty PI for approval to submit to IRB

Week 13 -- No Class

Week 14 -- Thesis Round Robin: Informal individual presentations and class discussion of thesis topics, research plans, and goals for moving forward. 

Week 15 -- Final written deliverables for HP Thesis 1 (due no later than December 12):

• Full Revised Thesis Proposal (10+ pages)
• Annotated Bibliography
• Working Outline
• Literature Review (10+ pages)
• Research/Methodology 
• Work Plan/Timeline (including Winter Break)
• Receipt from IRB indicating that the Research Protocol has been submitted and approved by the Review Board
  • N.B. STUDENTS CANNOT CONDUCT FIELD RESEARCH INVOLVING HUMAN SUBJECTS WITHOUT IRB APPROVAL. 

Assignment logistics:

Please keep these basic procedures in mind:

• Written work: All written assignments should be submitted in PDF format and are due no later than the start of class on the day due, via upload to the appropriate folder on Canvas unless otherwise noted.  Some assignments should also be sent to the Program Office and/or your thesis advisor. (See detailed course calendar below, and the separate Thesis Calendar issued by the Program Office.) Always include your last name as part of the filename.
• Thesis Milestone Presentations: Formal presentations to full program faculty include the initial Topic Proposal Review early in the semester, and the Thesis Proposal Review around mid-term. A one-page synopsis handout is required for both presentations; in addition, a slide deck (in PDF format) is required for the mid-term presentation. These must be submitted directly to the Program Office prior to the presentations for distribution, and uploaded to Canvas as well. Although these presentations and their supporting materials are program-level requirements for the year-long thesis process, they are also course requirements for Thesis 1.