Basic Guidelines for an Independent Study/Project or
Sufficiency Work with Prof. Rivera
Department of Humanities and Arts, Spanish
Division
Phone: (508) 831-5779
E-mail: arivera@wpi.edu
Fax: (508) 831-5932
Select a topic of interest and relevance in Latin
American Culture, History, Civilization, or Culture.
(Your professor has the right to reject a proposed topic)
Devise a relevant or meaningful general question about
that topic.
By the beginning of the second week of class, you will be
required to turn in a one page proposal
(typed and double space and in a font no bigger that 12
pts.) In this proposal you will state your theme or
topic, and the relevant questions that you will attempt
to respond. Also you will present a breakup of the main
question in a subset of minor questions that will help
you address the issue in stages. In addition you will
present a plan or outline for the completion of the
project.
With this proposal you will be required to present an
additional one page bibliography of books,
articles, newspapers, journals, videos, available in the
Worcester Consortium libraries.
You will schedule weekly meetings with your advisor (for
approx. 30 mins)
In those meetings you will be required (you must) to give
a presentation (of approx. 10 minutes) of the
topic/material researched for that week. Then you will
have a 15 to 20 mins. session of questions and answers.
This mini-presentation/discussion sessions will be
graded.
You will be allowed to turn in a draft of your complete
essay for revision only once. You will be required,
through the term, to submit sections of the essay as you
progress on your research and writing. Then you will have
the opportunity to revise the essay as a whole and do the
necessary corrections according to the comments made by
your professor.
Your professor will not be your editor. He will assume
that you are able to write the essay in correct Spanish
or English. (This, of course, depending on the type of
sufficiency or IS/P).
Your grammar and spelling will affect your grade.
The final essay must be turned in by following the
guidelines presented in the Sufficiency Guidelines
material.
The final essay must be turned in with the pages
numbered, all the corrections made, front page correctly
presented (According the the "Title Page
Sheet"), with an abstract of 80 words, and bound
(spiral binding and clear plastic cover). You must also
turn in the CDR form if you are completing a sufficiency.
The essay must be binded to be accepted and properly
presented. Otherwise it will be returned to the student
and the grade will be withheld until this requirement is
met.
Please, refer to Prof.Rivera's Sufficiency and IS/P
Guide.
Failure to comply with all of the above-mentioned basic
regulations will result in a NR or low grade.