Topics for Capstone

[jsd]

I didn't have Cody but the textbooks were absolutely useless to me. I opened one of them once and it wasn't helpful at that point and I never opened it again

[Mamasaphire]

For those who had Dr. Cody, did he require you have the two textbooks? I've been using the OWL website and reading about a dozen papers posted on here. I haven't had any trouble figuring out the structure of the paper. So many have posted they didn't even use the textbooks and unless it's required reading I probably won't either.

Also, did he require that your topic get approved first? I've got one topic I feel pretty confident about writing about, have already done a ton of research on and have started working on the paper but I don't know how far I should go since he might not approve the topic. I was thinking about putting together a back up plan too of course but just wondered how much I should stress about that.

Also, can assignments be turned in early with the online option?

I'm not sure about turning assignments in early because his comments on the prior week help guide the next one. It might be fine though.

For our class he wanted to help guide the topic, but you'll likely be able to use whatever you have already picked out.

I did all the reading assignments in Writing the Winning Thesis, and actually found some of them useful. I think it also gives a vision for what your Master's thesis will be built like. I took the advice from the forum and did not buy the other book.

[davewill]

Same with me. I read the assignments in Writing the Winning Thesis and found them helpful. I quickly learned NOT to read the parts he didn't assign, however. The rest of the book could easily knock someone off track. Never cracked the other one. He will ask you to come up with three topics as the first blogging assignment and it was a useful exercise for me. I did NOT end up using the topic I had come into the course wanting to do. The questions flowed so much better for the topic I ended up choosing.

[rlw74]

Has anyone used a 2nd edition vs the 3rd edition for the Writing a Winning Thesis book? 2nd Edition is a couple of dollars vs. the $30+ for the 3rd edition.

[DavidHume]

Has anyone used a 2nd edition vs the 3rd edition for the Writing a Winning Thesis book? 2nd Edition is a couple of dollars vs. the $30+ for the 3rd edition.

Even though there are readings listed for the class there are no assignments that require specifics from the text. The mentor I have now expects you to know and reference the concepts from the text in your discussion posts (like understanding what a primary source is, the purpose of a literature review, and the different types of methodologies), but I would assume the concepts are going to be identical in both editions. I would suspect the earlier edition will serve you just fine.

[Mamasaphire]

Has anyone used a 2nd edition vs the 3rd edition for the Writing a Winning Thesis book? 2nd Edition is a couple of dollars vs. the $30+ for the 3rd edition.

APA has changed a little, which of course may be reflected on the Owl, etc. Not sure how different the 2nd vs 3rd edition would be.

I don't know, to me the Capstone was really important, and in the big scheme of things, $30 is really very inexpensive for a text book (especially since I had taken so many CC classes and paid $150+ for required books multiple times).

I personally didn't want to take a chance in the Capstone class to save a few dollars. While I had no qualms about buying older editions for TECEPS and SL courses, for the Writing a Winning Thesis book, I made sure I bought the edition required.

But that's just me.

[rlw74]

I was kind of thinking the same thing last night. $30 isn't very much in the scheme of things. I've just heard so many people say they didn't even use the textbook. But I know you had the same mentor so I'll stick with your advice mamasaphire. It makes sense. And someday maybe I'll need the book anyway as I want to pursue a master's degree. I'll order it today.

I've been pouring over the OWL website and reviewing the MLA and APA formats. I'm hoping he lets me use the MLA format because it fits my paper better (I'm hoping to do a language studies project). But I'm not even sure how MLA fits the Module format of the course. I know other people have used it for history papers but I'm almost thinking a traditional APA format would be easier. I already have half a dozen sample APA papers. I'm still kicking around a lot of topics but am not married to any one because I don't know what he will approve.

[Mamasaphire]

I was kind of thinking the same thing last night. $30 isn't very much in the scheme of things. I've just heard so many people say they didn't even use the textbook. But I know you had the same mentor so I'll stick with your advice mamasaphire. It makes sense. And someday maybe I'll need the book anyway as I want to pursue a master's degree. I'll order it today.

I've been pouring over the OWL website and reviewing the MLA and APA formats. I'm hoping he lets me use the MLA format because it fits my paper better (I'm hoping to do a language studies project). But I'm not even sure how MLA fits the Module format of the course. I know other people have used it for history papers but I'm almost thinking a traditional APA format would be easier. I already have half a dozen sample APA papers. I'm still kicking around a lot of topics but am not married to any one because I don't know what he will approve.

I can't remember, he may have let someone use MLA during my class term. My main reservation with asking to use MLA is that if APA is the prof's *preferred* format, he may lean toward that in grading without even realizing it (not saying that would happen, just thinking out loud). And you are right, there are more samples available for APA.