DEPARTMENT OF CRIMINOLOGY HONOURS PROGRAM HANDBOOK ON PROCEDURES AND REGULATIONS
Saint Mary’s University Last Update: 2018
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I.
GETTING INTO THE HONOURS PROGRAM IN CRIMINOLOGY
Should I do an honours degree? An honours degree is about academic excellence and personal growth. It is designed for students to develop research expertise in an area of criminology that interests them. An honours thesis is a research project undertaken in the final year of a student’s program. The honours thesis requires students to focus on a research question(s) and to develop and sharpen their research skills. The thesis also provides students with important independent and critical thinking skills. Writing an honours thesis allows students to develop their skills in: -
Learning how to identify important research questions Critical thinking skills Identifying a topic, explore the research and identify a research question Learn how to select theories and methodologies in accordance to the research topic Data analysis Proposal writing and project planning (learning how to make realistic outlines and timelines) Advanced research essay writing (and scholarly writing in general)
How do I apply? The first step is to look at the course calendar to see if you (the student) have met the proper criteria to qualify. There are certain courses and GPA requirements needed in order to quality for admission into the program. This is an important task that must be completed by the student wishing to apply, not a professor, academic advisor or departmental staff. The course calendar for Saint Mary’s University can be found here (please scroll down to ‘Criminology’): http://www.smu.ca/academics/academic-calendar.html Once a student has met the criteria based on departmental standards, there is a form that every student must fill out either before they are admitted into the program or at the beginning of the program after they have received confirmation of program admittance. Every student who wishes to apply must fill out this form and submit it to the Department of Criminology’s general office located in McNally South, Room 415 http://www.smu.ca/webfiles/ApplicationforHonours-1.pdf
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Important contacts Maria Zakharova, Administrative Assistant Department of Criminology McNally South, Room 424 902-420-5871 or 902-420-5894
[email protected] Financial Services McNally Main 123 902-420-5464 Registrar's Office McNally Main 108 902-420-5582
[email protected]
The Counselling Centre 4th Floor Student Centre Phone: 902-420-5615
[email protected]
University Residences Loyola Residence 106 902-420-5597
[email protected]
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II.
GETTING THROUGH THE HONOURS PROGRAM
In order to successfully complete the honours program, each student must complete a thesis, which includes submitting a proposal of the research. In order to keep the student and supervisor on track, there are specific deadlines that must be adhered to. 1. Timeline For Honours Thesis: December 15: The date in which the supervisor must receive your completed thesis proposal. April 1: The date by which the supervisor must receive a full draft of your completed thesis. Your thesis will undergo several rounds of review and revision. As, such you need to factor in a few weeks for the thesis supervisor to provide feedback and for you to address any comments/concerns. April 21: The date by which the supervisor must receive and approve the final version of your thesis April 25: The date by which the supervisor must submit your final grade so that you can graduate in the Spring convocation *Failure to meet these dates could mean that graduating with an honours degree may not be possible. Your supervisor decides whether satisfactory progress is being made. All data gathering activities for a thesis should normally be completed by the end of January. The remainder of the academic year will be spent organizing materials and writing the thesis. 2. Ethics Reviews: Some research may require the student to apply to the Research Ethics Board (REB). All students must discuss this fully with their supervisors prior to applying. If the supervisor is in agreement that this type of research is needed then students must follow the ethics approval process as outlined by the REB at Saint Mary's and the Tri-Council Policy Statement (which defines the types of research requiring REB approval and the criteria for that approval). For information see: www.pre.ethics.gc.ca www.smu.ca/academic/reb/welcome.html Or, contact the REB office at 420-5728 or
[email protected] While you must submit details about your entire research project, the approval you get from the REB is limited to the research tools or methods (e.g., questionnaire, interview questions). Any changes you make, or any unforeseen opportunities for data collection that arise, must go back to the REB for approval.
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3. General Guidelines For Honours Proposal and Final Thesis: *All students are required to discuss with their supervisor the proper format based on the type of research they are conducting. Different types of research may require a different format for both the proposal and final thesis. The following outline should be used as a guide only in order to facilitate proper research discussions with the student’s supervisor. THE RESEARCH PROPOSAL: *Before students begin researching and writing the honours thesis, they must prepare a research proposal. This includes discussing with their supervisors the proper structure and contents of their proposal and how this will provide a foundation for a completed thesis. The structure and contents of the proposal are provided below. Please note that honours thesis supervisors have the final say in how a research proposal should be structured. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.
Introduction Background/Literature Review Thesis or Problem Statement/Research Questions Research Objectives/Aims Theoretical Framework/Orientation Research Methods/Design Work plan and timelines REB Application (where applicable)
Do not confuse research objectives with research methods: the former is what your research will address (e.g. crime problems in a particular community), while the latter is how you will collect information on these problems (survey, interviews, review of police data, observation, etc.). Do not confuse a topic with a research question: the former is the general theme of your research (e.g., solitary confinement), while the research question is the specific problem or situation you are researching (e.g., have the policies regarding solidary confinement in Canada suffered transformations in the 20th Century?)
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Tips on Drafting a Research Proposal
Each section should flow from and into one another. For example, your objectives should logically flow from your background; your research methods should flow from your objectives, etc.
The proposal should be structured with headings (and where necessary sub-headings). Your headings and subheadings can be numbered, if you like.
A proposal is a sales job; you are trying to convince someone of the necessity to conduct this research, your approach, and your ability to do the research.
Conduct some preliminary research before drafting the proposal; the more preliminary research you conduct, the better you will be able to understand and narrow your topic, the specific issue or problem you want to address, research objectives and methods, etc. Preliminary research is also essential for the background section of the proposal.
Don’t try to bite off more than you can chew; keep your topic focused!
THE FINAL HONOURS THESIS: Length, Formatting and Referencing: -
The length of the completed Honours thesis should be a minimum of 35 pages and a maximum of 70 (not including references, table of contents, abstract, or title page). All referencing styles should be discussed with supervisors. There are several different types of referencing used in the criminology department, such as APA, MLA, and Chicago. It is the responsibility of the student to ensure they are using the style preferred by their supervisor and/or acceptable for the type of thesis submitted. The student needs to make sure that all the referencing and citations are consistent throughout the entire document.
General Formatting Style for proposal: • • • • • • • • •
Page number on each page 1-inch margins Double-spaced No extra spaces between sections/subsections 12-point, Times New Roman font No coloured font Proper grammar and spelling Avoid contractions (e.g., don’t, can’t, wasn’t) Ensure proper use of abbreviations
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Suggested Structure of the Honours Thesis: 1. Title page (see below) 2. Abstract 3. Introduction Background a. Literature Review b. Problem Statement/Contribution to Knowledge c. Research Objectives and Questions d. Theoretical Framework e. Scope and limitations 4. Research Findings 5. Discussion and Analysis 6. Conclusions 7. References 8. Appendices (if applicable) TIPS FOR WRITING UP THE DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS: Throughout this section of the thesis, you will critically analyse your findings. The literature review you have done will help you contextualize your findings and will also help provide possible reasons to explain your results. The following are a few guidelines to help you analyze your results:
Look back over your literature review and all the readings you have done on the topic (including theory and methods) Compare and contrast your findings with what other people have found – do your results confirm or contrast their results, and why might this be? This is a very crucial part of the analysis. Use previous studies to provide evidence to help explain your findings Tie everything together (Research Question – Theory – Methods)
4. Professor/Student Relationship Expectations: What is expected of an honours student and their supervisor? It is reasonable to expect that both the student and their supervisor should be: Available for scheduled meetings during the academic term; Respond to inquiries in a reasonable amount of time; Transparent, consistent and honest; Able to meet deadlines agreed upon by the supervisor and the student What is expected of an honours student?
The ability to conduct independent research, as well as work independently (but see below). The ability to say “I don’t understand” The ability to say “I need help” The ability to accept and incorporate the revisions set out by the supervisor 7
Being proactive in scheduling the meetings Send written advances to supervisor (with a minimum of a week for review time, or as discussed with supervisor) Be punctual and well prepared for all meetings with supervisor
What is expected of an honours supervisor?
Only take on as many honours and directed studies students as can be reasonably accommodated so that the supervisor can perform their duties adequately; Willingness to challenge student intellectually as well as ensure that a specific research idea is feasible; Provide regular feedback Provide feedback within 2 weeks of receiving the document; Review draft and provide comments
What to do if you have a problem with your supervisor?
III.
Talk to your supervisor about any problems you may be having regarding the research Talk to the department chair of criminology Talk to Bridget Brownlow (Conflict Resolution Advisor) Room 416, Student Centre Phone: 902-420-5113 Email:
[email protected] Talk to another criminology faculty member
HOW TO SUBMIT FINAL HONOURS THESIS AND COMPLETE THE PROGRAM
Every student must read and understand the following steps in order to properly submit the completed thesis. Failure to do so can result in the student not graduating on time because they missed specific deadlines: 1. Make sure the final thesis has been approved by supervisor. Each student will undertake several rounds of revisions, and only once the supervisor is satisfied that all revisions have been completed properly may the student proceed to the next steps. 2. Each student must format their thesis according to the Saint Mary’s University library standards. Pay close attention to the submission section in the link below. Please see the link for formatting procedures and formal submission procedures: http://www.smu.ca/academics/archives/thesis-forms-procedures.html 3. Once thesis has been formatted, each student must create a signature page (this is a separate page from the title page of the thesis – see examples below). It is required 8
that the student submits one page with the name of their supervisor, and it must be original signatures (not photocopied). This page must include all the elements that are on the title page, as well as the signatures. 4. Make sure you ask your supervisor to sign your completed thesis. This signature page must then be brought to the library (see above link for detailed instructions). All Honours students are required to submit their completed thesis electronically (PDF to the library. Please see above link for details). 5. All final thesis marks will be submitted by the student’s supervisor to the professor responsible for CRIM 4601.2 or, if not available, to the department head no later than April 25th at 12 noon (AST).
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[EXAMPLE OF SIGNATURE PAGE, TITLE PAGE AND ABSTRACT PAGE] Signature page [Thesis title. Long titles should be doublespaced and divided for readability]
By [Your full name as found in official Saint Mary’s records]
A Thesis Submitted to Saint Mary’s University, Halifax, Nova Scotia in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of [Degree Name].
[Month, year], Halifax, Nova Scotia
Copyright [your name, year] Approved:
[supervisor’s name. including signatures] [supervisor’s title]
Approved:
[supervisor’s name. including signatures] [supervisor’s title]
Date:
[Date]
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[Thesis title. Long titles should be doublespaced and divided for readability]
By [Your full name as found in official Saint Mary’s records]
A Thesis Submitted to Saint Mary’s University, Halifax, Nova Scotia in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of [Degree Name].
[Month, year], Halifax, Nova Scotia
Copyright [your name, year] Approved:
[supervisor’s name. No signatures] [supervisor’s title]
Approved:
[supervisor’s name. No signatures] [supervisor’s title]
Date:
[Date here]
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[Title of thesis] by [your name] Abstract [Write abstract here, 300 words maximum]
[Date submitted]
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SMU Criminology Honours Theses (Completed and Available Online) 2016-17 Comeau, C. M. (2017). “He's funny, he's intelligent, he opens doors, a perfect gentleman” : a mixed methods approach to analyzing rape myths within newspaper accounts of the Jian Ghomeshi trial (honours thesis). Saint Mary’s University, Halifax, Canada. Retrieved from http://library2.smu.ca/handle/01/27036#.WsN9FtPwaF0 Harris, M. R. D. (2017). Catfights and masculinity or domestic violence?: Understanding the discourse and attitudes that surround same-sex domestic violence (honours thesis). Saint Mary’s University, Halifax, Canada. Retrieved from: http://library2.smu.ca/handle/01/26930#.WsN-cdPwaF0 Reid, B. T. (2017). Over-representation but not understood: Sentencing provisions as an inadequate response to the over incarceration of Aboriginal peoples in Nova Scotia (honours thesis). Saint Mary’s University, Halifax, Canada. Retrieved from: http://library2.smu.ca/handle/01/26936#.WsOAA9PwaF0 2015-16 Cameron, E. (2016). The stairway of doom: Respect, crime, and justice in the night-time economy (honours thesis). Saint Mary’s University, Halifax, Canada. Retrieved from: http://library2.smu.ca/handle/01/26488#.WsOBh9PwaF2 MacIntosh, E. M. (2016). The complexity of refuge: The profound effect of law and policy on refugee claimants (honours thesis). Saint Mary’s University, Halifax, Canada. Retrieved from: http://library2.smu.ca/handle/01/26505#.WsN-iNPwaF0 MacMillan, Z. (2016). How stigma is a barrier for people with mental illness transitioning from forensic or correctional institutions into the community: A systematic review (honours thesis). Saint Mary’s University, Halifax, Canada. Retrieved from: http://library2.smu.ca/handle/01/26704#.WsN92NPwaF0 2014-15 Banfield, S. (2015). Psychiatrists in blue: A quantitative analysis of how police involvement in mental health crises affects social stigma (honours thesis). Saint Mary’s University, Halifax, Canada. Retrieved from: http://library2.smu.ca/handle/01/26287#.WsOA1NPwaF0 Doucet, B. (2015). Bringing colour to a black and white issue: Locating frameworks of colourblindness in Canadian racial profiling cases (honours thesis). Saint Mary’s University, Halifax, Canada. Retrieved from: http://library2.smu.ca/handle/01/26292#.WsN-_NPwaF1
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Kay, A. (2015). The sociologies of law of Marx, Weber, and Durkheim: A comparison and critical synthesis (honours thesis). Saint Mary’s University, Halifax, Canada. Retrieved from: http://library2.smu.ca/handle/01/26291#.WsOBJNPwaF1 2013-14 Desjardins, C. (2014). The disappearance of aboriginal women in Canada (honours thesis). Saint Mary’s University, Halifax, Canada. Retrieved from: http://library2.smu.ca/handle/01/25827#.WsN-p9PwaF0 2011-12 Jordan, M. K. (2012). Protection or punishment? A comparative analysis of child soldiers in Germany and Sierra Leone (honours thesis). Saint Mary’s University, Halifax, Canada. Retrieved from: http://library2.smu.ca/handle/01/25011#.WsOAudPwaF1 Moore, A. R. (2012). Mean behind the screen: Students’ perspectives on capturing cyberbullying in Canada (honours thesis). Saint Mary’s University, Halifax, Canada. Retrieved from: http://library2.smu.ca/handle/01/24823#.WsN_nNPwaF0
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