Lesson Report:
**Title: Navigating Research Questions and Supervisor Roles in Political Science**
**Synopsis:**
In this session, the class focused on developing specific and impactful research questions related to political science topics, particularly those involving democracy in Iraq and tribal dynamics in Afghanistan. Students shared their research questions, engaged in discussions with the instructor regarding the specificity and applicability of their topics, and were encouraged on how to narrow down their focus to offer novel contributions rather than summarizing existing literature. In the latter part of the session, the students were guided on how to effectively communicate and collaborate with their assigned supervisors and initiate their literature review processes. The objectives were to refine research questions, establish supervisor-student expectations, and begin the practical application of theory to research projects.
**Attendance:**
– Two students, Farkhunda and Sana, were mentioned as participating in the online class portion after initial absences.
**Topics Covered:**
1. **Discussion of Research Questions:**
– Sana shared a research question about youth intervention in Iraq’s democracy, with feedback advising a narrower focus on specific democratic aspects and theoretical applications.
– Farkhunda presented a topic on tribal dynamics in Afghanistan, with a reminder on the need to address novelty and data acquisition challenges.
2. **Supervisor Interaction and Expectations:**
– Emphasized the importance of establishing a solid research question during initial supervisor meetings.
– Discussion on the creation and submission of a supervision agreement form outlining roles, responsibilities, and timelines (due by September 20th).
– Guidance on agreeing upon frequency and formats of meetings with supervisors, ensuring all logistical aspects are covered.
3. **Research and Literature Review Techniques:**
– Students were encouraged to begin extensive literature searches to form the basis of their research projects.
– Emphasis on summarizing one article per week to build a strong foundation of literature understanding.
– Instruction to create a Google Drive for document sharing with supervisors.
4. **Application of Theory:**
– Brief review of theoretical frameworks, highlighting inductive versus deductive reasoning.
– Encouraged students to find literature that features applicable theoretical frameworks to their topics.
– Discussed the importance of developing hypotheses and aligning them with existing theories.
**Actionable Items:**
– **Research Question Refinement:**
– All students should refine their research questions to ensure specificity and feasibility.
– **Supervisor Coordination (Immediate):**
– Contact supervisors and schedule initial meetings by next week.
– Finalize and email the supervision agreement form by September 20th.
– **Literature Search (Ongoing):**
– Begin literature review immediately; find at least one relevant source this week.
– Summarize and retain summaries in the respective Google Drive folder.
– **Supervisor Agreement Form (Urgent):**
– Complete and submit the supervisor agreement form by the end of next week.
– **Topic Specific Guidance:**
– Tuba and Hamdam to submit potential articles by Sunday for instructor review ahead of advisory meetings.
This report captures the essence and progression of the class, while laying out steps for students to solidify their research foundations in upcoming weeks.
Homework Instructions:
NO HOMEWORK
The transcript involves discussions on research topics and guidance on meeting with supervisors, but it does not mention the assignment of any specific homework. The instructor provides advice and insights about refining research questions and engaging with supervisors but does not instruct students to carry out any tasks that would constitute homework.