RUSS 4990R

Faculty-supervised independent or collaborative inquiry into fundamental and applied problems within a discipline that requires students to gather, analyze, and synthesize and interpret data. Students will write or produce a thesis or other professional capstone product, such as a report or portfolio that describes their systematic and in-depth inquiry.
This is a capstone course under the direct supervision of a faculty member. This course may be the culmination of the 4960R- 4980R sequence. Students will write a thesis or other professional capstone product, such as a report or portfolio, that describes their systematic and in-depth inquiry into an unknown, fundamental, or applied problem. The thesis or capstone product is written in close collaboration with the faculty member and must be approved by that faculty member and/or the department. The student will apply understanding of the discipline to identify or shape the research question and apply skills and techniques learned to complete the research project. The student will have gathered data, synthesized relevant literature and materials, analyzed, and interpreted data. The student will demonstrate in writing the contribution of their work to the discovery and interpretation of knowledge significant to their field of study. The student will have presented results in the form of a properly formatted, professionally rigorous thesis document or other appropriate professional capstone product and through the formal presentation of the thesis or product to faculty and peers during an approved event. The student will receive feedback from the faculty member on the overall execution of their thesis project, the written thesis, and their presentation.