Syllabus for SFAI's MA Thesis Workshop: Spring 2014

Dale Carrico: dcarrico@sfai.edu; ndaleca@gmail.com
Blog:  http://thesespieces.blogspot.com

                January

January 21                           Spring semester classes begin

January 23                            Timeline to Completion; Cocktail Party Abstracts

January 30                            Individual Meetings

                February

February 6                            Individual Meetings

February 13                          Workshopping

February 14, 2014              2nd Draft of Thesis, including supporting visual materials and bibliography, distributed to all three members of Thesis Committee for review.

February 20                          Workshopping

February 27                          Workshopping

                March

March 6                                 Individual Meetings

March 7, 2014                     Deadline for convening Thesis Committee for the MA Final Review.

March 13                              Individual Meetings

March 17– 21                      Spring Break

March 27                              Workshopping the Symposium Presentation

                April

April 3                                    Workshopping the Symposium Presentation

April 4, 2014                        Deadline for submission of the final draft of the thesis to the Thesis Chair, reflecting any revisions/edits resulting from the Final Review. This draft includes properly formatted and cited illustrations/supporting visual materials and bibliography.

April 10                                  Workshopping the Symposium Presentation

April 14–18                          MFA Reviews

April 18, 2014                      Deadline for filing a properly formatted copy of the MA thesis, including a complete signature page, in the School of Interdisciplinary Studies Office. [see Master’s Thesis Preparation and Submission Guidelines for details]

April 24                                  Writing Day

April 21–25                          MA Collaborative Projects

                May

May 1                                    Workshopping the Symposium Presentation

May 8                                    Workshopping the Symposium Presentation

May 9                                     Spring semester classes end

Sometime between May 9 and 11, Dress rehearsal for Symposium

May 12–13                           MA Symposium

May 16                                 Vernissage: MFA Exhibition Opening; Undergraduate Spring Show Opening

May 17                                 Commencement Ceremony

May 19                                 Final Grades available to students

Sign Up Sheet for October 1-on-1 Meetings

Thursday, October 3

1.00-1.25 Jessica Montgomery

1.25-1.50

1.50-2.15 Clea Massiana

2.15-2.40 Noemi Szyller

2.40-3.05 Ling Meng

3.05-3.30 Geoffrey Traxler

Thursday, October 10

1.00-1.25 Emily Reynolds

1.25-1.50 Louis Vargas

1.50-2.15 Jennifer Moreno

2.15-2.40 Soyi Kim

2.40-3.05 Elana Bernnard

3.05-3.30 Rhonda Pagnozzi

Sign Up Sheet for Individual Meetings

Thursday, September 5

1.00-1.25 Geoff Traxler

1.25-1.50 Elana Bernnard

1.50-2.15 Ling Meng

2.15-2.40 Soyi Kim

2.40-3.05 Jessica Montgomery

3.05-3.30 

Thursday, September 12

1.00-1.25 Jennifer Moreno

1.25-1.50 Clea Massiani

1.50-2.15 Louis Vargas

2.15-2.40 Noemi Szyller

2.40-3.05 Rhonda Pagnozzi

3.05-3.30 Emily Reynolds

Our Syllabus

Thesis I: Independent Investigations

EMS-590-02 / HTCA-590-02 / US-590-02; Thursdays, 1-3.45; Third Street Lecture Hall

Instructor: Dale Carrico; Contact: dcarrico@sfai.edu; ndaleca@gmail.com; Blog: http://thesespieces.blogspot.com

Course Description:

This course marks the next stage in the fulfillment of the degree requirements for an MA in Exhibition and Museum Studies, History and Theory of Contemporary Art, and Urban Studies at the San Francisco Art Institute. Students will participate in a host of writing and peer review workshops as well as intensive consultations with the instructor. We will explore methodologies for academic research and writing together as well as work our way through the administrative, conceptual, analytic, political, and existential turmoil that inevitably gurgles up over the course of extended academic writing projects. The various assignments and their due dates are designed to shepherd you through the optimal timeline for completion of the sequence of requirements for your degree this term.

Provisional Schedule of Meetings

Week One -- August 29 Introductions
Contact your Committee, begin the process of setting a date for Convening your Committee. Submit your Draft Abstract, Preliminary Work Plan/Outline, Annotated Bibliography to me by the Monday immediately preceding your Individual Meeting with me in Weeks 2-3.

Week Two -- September 5
Individual Meetings (Committees, Abstracts, Bibliographies)

Week Three -- September 12
Individual Meetings Continued

Week Four -- September 19
Roundtable discussion of ongoing and upcoming MA Reviews, other issues.
This is the deadline for submitting your MA Thesis Committee Form to the Graduate Office. Everybody should have scheduled their MA Review by now, and by next week all of these reviews should have taken place.

Week Five -- September 26
Peer Review Workshop (10-15pp. Excerpts)

Week Six -- October 3
Peer Review Workshop Continued.
Everybody should have undergone their MA Reviews at this point.

Week Seven -- October 10
Individual Meetings (Taking stock, moving on)

Week Eight -- October 17 Individual Meetings Continued. Everybody should have conclusively passed their MA Reviews at this point.

Week Nine -- October 24
Writing, Editing

Week Ten -- October 31
Title Brainstorming, Abstract Peer Review Workshop

Week Eleven -- November 7
Peer Review Workshop (10-15pp. Excerpts)

Week Twelve -- November 14
Peer Review Workshop Continued.
Deadline for submitting revised post-review title, abstract, draft, and annotated bibliography.

Week Thirteen -- November 21 Peer Review Workshop (30-35pp. Drafts)

Week Fourteen -- November 28
Off for the Thanksgiving Holiday

Week Fifteen -- December 5
Peer Review Workshop Continued.

Course Objectives:

One. The development and refinement of an abstract, a preliminary work plan/outline and annotated bibliography by the fourth week of the term.
Two. The convening of Thesis Committees by the fifth week of the term and completion of the MA Review for all students in the cohort no later than the eighth week of the term.
Three. The submission of a working title and abstract for the thesis by the twelfth week of the term.
Four. The completion and submission to Committee Chairs of a thirty-five page draft by the fifteenth week of the term.

And Now We Turn To the Symposium

I've spoken with many of you already about strategizing for your symposium talks. For the next couple of weeks we'll be previewing initial forays into the translation from page to stage. Cull nine likely pages from your pile, practice it a couple of times to see how long it takes to read, and we'll discuss the results. Also, general tips for public speaking will be shared. People, no pressure on this, it should actually be fun -- at first! Those of you who are swamped with final draft edits should postpone to the second week, those whose process is comparatively smoother, jump right in the water's fine.

Friday, April 12

1.00-1.25

1.25-1.50 Ariel

1.50-2.15 Saher

2.15-2.40 Manuela

2.40-3.05 Aimee

3.05-3.30 Christina

Friday, April 26

1.00-1.25 Stephanie

1.25-1.50 Amy

1.50-2.15 Angelica

2.15-2.40 Orlando

2.40-3.05 Regina

3.05-3.30
3.30-3.55

Compulsory Individual Meetings for the Next Two Weeks

Processing final reviews, strategizing final edits, turning to reworking theses for Symposium talk. Hope your "breaks" are productive, please e-mail with news of Reviews and problems you are working on. Swak!d

Friday, March 29

1.00-1.25 Orlando

1.25-1.50 Manuela

1.50-2.15 Amy

2.15-2.40Aimee

2.40-3.05 Ariel

3.05-3.30 Saher

3.30-3.55Joel

Friday, April 5

1.00-1.25 Regina

1.25-1.50 Stephanie

1.50-2.15 Christina

2.15-2.40 Zach

2.40-3.05 Angelica

3.05-3.30

3.30-3.55 Malic

Next Two Weeks' Workshopping

Friday, March 1

1.00-1.25 Malic

1.25-1.50 Ariel

1.50-2.15 Manuela

2.15-2.25 Break

2.25-2.50 Joel 

2.50-3.15 Angelica

3.15-3.40 Saher

Friday, March 8

1.00-1.20 Aimee

  

1.20-1.40 Regina

1.40-2.00 Orlando 

2.00-2.10 Break

2.20-2.40 Stephanie 

2.40-3.00 Zach

3.00-3.20 Amy 

3.20-3.40 Zoe

3.40-4.00 Christine