3. Scene III: consultation of essay or thesis
Ø Topic of thesis
Ø Material of thesis
Ø Discussion with professor
Ø Outline and first draft
Ø Score of thesis
Ø Revise the thesis
Ø Time requirement
Ø Example 1: Mistake
1. Why does the student say this?
A To confess that he lied to the professor.
B To emphasize what he is about to say.
C To prove that he is innocent.
D To warn the professor not to ignore him.
2. What is implied when the professor says this?
A Even if the professor’s colleagues recommend that she change the student’s grade, she will not necessarily change it.
B She will change the grade right away if her colleagues agree with the idea of changing the grade of the student.
C She will give the student another report to work on when the decision is made.
D She won’t change the grade of the student no matter what advice she gets from her colleagues.
S: Oh, hi, doctor Muir. Can I discuss my grade on my term paper with you?
P: Sure, Andrew. What seems to be the problem?
A: Well, it’s a bit complicated, or rather, kind of embarrassing, to be honest. Oi made a rather stupid mistake.
P: O.k. go on, Andrew.
S: Well, there’s been a terrible mistake. The term paper I handed in was not my final edited version. The paper you marked was not the paper I had intended to submit. I can’t really explain how this happened, perhaps I was overtired, stressed and rushing against the clock, but when I saw the mark on my paper, I quickly realized what had happened. I must have printed an earlier draft at the last minute, thinking I was printing out the final paper. Doctor Muir, I must be honest with you, maintaining my average is extremely important to me, as this will affect my application to grad school. If my grade doesn’t improve I may be forced to drop the course and re-take it next term, I can’t jeopardize my chances.
P: Well Andrew, that sounds like a terrible mistake. I’m not sure what can be done about it at this point. The paper was due three weeks ago, and they’ve all been marked and given back to the students. I must say I haven’t run into this kind of situation before. Usually students are asking for extensions or wanting to discuss their grade after the paper has been marked. Let me talk to some of my colleagues about your situation, and we’ll go from there.
S: Thank you, Doctor Muir. I really appreciate this. Should I give you the correct paper today?
P: No, Andrew let’s wait until I talk to some people, I may lose the paper and this will only add to the confusion. Check back with me on Wednesday, and I’ll let you know the outcome. Oh, one more thing, Andrew, in the future, I would suggest re-reading papers one last time before submission.
Ø Example 2: Organizing an Essay
1. What does the professor mean by this?
A The student came up with a more focused topic but it still isn’t focused enough.
B He thinks that the student can finally understand the topic.
C Women in English speaking countries are easier to write about than women in other countries.
D He thinks that the student finally chose the perfect topic.
2. What can be inferred about the professor when he says this?
A He really wants to see the student’s rough draft.
B He hopes that the student deals with the essay all by herself.
C He doesn’t have tome to read a 5,000-word essay.
D He would like to help her organize the topic at the next meeting.
S: Hi, Professor Higgins.
P: Hi, Julia.
S: Would you be able to help me organize my essay?
P: Certainly. What topic have you chosen?
S: Women in Politics.
P: That topic is very broad. I think you should narrow it down.
S: Well, I want to be able to compare different countries.
P: You still must be more focused.
S: Do you think I could just do women in English speaking countries – say the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Britain?
P: Well, that would be a little bit better.
S: I am interested in the pattern of political involvement of women in those western democracies. With New Zealand and Australia leading the way, women in those countries had the vote soon after the end of World War I.
P: It would be good to begin with a discussion of when women got the right to vote and how they use it.
S: The record of women in politics in all of those countries has been similar. In none of them have women represented more than 10 percent of members of the national legislature. Women in all those countries use their vote as often as men, but they do not necessarily have the same response to different political parties. I think women often have a stronger social conscience and vote more liberally.
P: Remember, it is not what you think. You must back up your opinions with facts. Support for all your ideas is essential. I think you should check the statistics on what percentage of women hold political office in the national governments. You should just include national governments, not local ones, unless you just want to focus only on local governments. For example, in Russia women have constituted almost 50 percent of local councils, but they are less common in the senior power establishment at the national level.
S: Okay, I also plan to discuss the role of organized women’s rights.
P: That is a good idea, but remembers this essay is only 5,000 words so you must keep your topic focused.
S: Could I bring you in a rough draft next week?
P: I would prefer if you brought an outline, breaking down your main topics and subtopics.
S: Okay, could I arrange to meet you during your office hours next Wednesday?
P: Actually, I have students coming on Wednesday, but if you are free, I could meet with you for half an hour on Friday morning at 9:30.
S: That would be great. Normally, I have a lab that day but it is cancelled this week.
P: Okay, I will see you then. It may be a good idea to bring some of your reference materials along.
S: Sure, I will do that. Thank you very much.
P: You’re welcome.