Course:VANT148/Activities
Activities
In VANT 148, you will have the opportunity not only to learn about research, but you will also have the opportunity to do research. In this course you will be provided the opportunity to engage in your own investigations, to explore various approaches in research, to work closely with a faculty mentor, and to communicate the outcomes of your investigations to your peers. It will also help prepare you for VANT 149, your capstone project course.
The information below provides a top-level overview of the sorts of topics you will encounter, depending on whether you are in the Arts or Science stream.
For further information on the specifics or your assignments, please check your Connect shell and/or talk to your faculty mentor.
NOTE: The topics may be covered in a different order than represented here.
Arts Term 1
| Week | Arts theme | Lecture focus | Mentorship activities | Assessment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Where are we? A focus on Canada and B.C. | Guest lecture by UBC Geography faculty member, Dr Matthew Evenden | ||
| 2 | No lecture | Group formation and introduction. Discussion, re: 'Where are we?' | ||
| 3 | What is Social Science? | Vantage College Arts Faculty lecture on how methods reflect social scientific thinking. | Journal hand-in | |
| 4 | No lecture | Mini project #1 presentations and discussion. Discussion re: 'What is Social Science?' | Mini-project #1 due | |
| 5 | Doing Social Science in the 'real' world | Vantage College Arts Faculty lecture on what you can do with a social science degree. | ||
| 6 | No lecture | Discussion re: 'Plans for after UBC and various options.' | ||
| 7 | Geography/Political Science/Psychology fieldtrip | |||
| 8 | First Nations History and Current Focus | Guest lecture. | Journal hand-in | |
| 9 | No lecture | Discussion re: 'First Nations' | ||
| 10 | ‘Raincity’ coping strategies: Understanding the effects of, and dealing with, the lower light levels in Vancouver in the winter. | Vantage College Arts Faculty lecture | ||
| 11 | Geography/Political Science fieldtrip | |||
| 12 | No lecture | Mini project #2 presentations and discussion | Mini project #2 due | |
| 13 | No lecture | Wrap up session | Journal hand-in |
Science Term 1
| Week | Science theme | Lecture focus | Mentorship activities | Assessment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | No lecture | No Meeting | ||
| 2 | Georg Rieger (Physics) | Introductions: What is Research? Assignment #1 | Note taking assignment starts | |
| 3 | No lecture | Keeping a journal or logbook | 'Measure Something' due | |
| 4 | Meghan Allen (Computer Science) | Developing a Research Question and identifying the Relevance of Research Project | ||
| 5 | No lecture | Designing a Procedure and Collecting Data and Observations | ||
| 6 | Fok-Shuen Leung (Mathematics) | Finding Literature to Support Your Research and Theorizing your Research | ||
| 7 | No lecture | Identifying limitations of a research project. | ||
| 8 | Joss Ives (Physics) | Judging your results: are they statistically meaningful? | ||
| 9 | No lecture | Illustrating your results | ||
| 10 | Anka Lekhi (Chemistry) | Peer Review Process: Giving and Receiving Feedback. | Draft of Final Project DUE | |
| 11 | No lecture | Project feedback exchange | ||
| 12 | Brett Gilley (Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences) | Presentation skills | FINAL Project DUE | |
| 13 | No lecture | Presentations (you will be required to attend on Wednesday and Friday this week regardless of your usual weekly meeting time) |
Arts Term 2
| Week | Arts theme | Lecture focus | Mentorship activities | Assessment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Disciplinary Perspectives on ‘Globalization’: Culture | VC Arts Faculty Lecture | ||
| 2 | No lecture | What is a global culture - defining it. Case Study running through 3 weeks e.g. FIFA world cup | ||
| 3 | Disciplinary Perspectives on ‘Globalization’:Political Economy | VC Arts Faculty Lecture | ||
| 4 | No lecture | Case Study running through 3 weeks e.g. FIFA world cup | ||
| 5 | Disciplinary Perspectives on ‘Globalization’:Sustainability | VC Arts Faculty Lecture | ||
| 6 | No lecture | Case Study running through 3 weeks e.g. FIFA world cup | Mini project #3 due | |
| 7 | Reading week | Geography/Psychology fieldtrip | ||
| 8 | Disciplinary Perspectives on ‘Globalization’:Language and Identity | VC Arts Faculty Lecture: Dr Sandra Zappa | Journal hand in | |
| 9 | No lecture | Mini project #4 due | ||
| 10 | Doing Social Science: Local Civil Societies | Guest speaker | ||
| 11 | Fieldtrip | No lecture | ||
| 12 | ||||
| 13 | Doing Social Science:Academic Settings | Guest speaker | ||
| 14 | Wrap up session | Research proposal due |